Mellon confident about Tranmere's future whatever happens against Leyton Orient

With a number of results going in Rovers’ favour last week, Mellon’s side travel to Leyton Orient sitting just two points outside the play-off places but knowing they need to win and both Swindon Town and Sutton United to slip up in their games for them to claim a place in the top seven.

"We know it's going to be a tough game but we're pleased and excited to be involved in games like this," said Mellon. 

"The mood is no different - we understand we've got to win a game of football but then Tranmere should be trying to win every game of football and be expected to win every game."

Last week Mellon insisted he had no issue with letting his players know how other results were going if it could be used as a motivational tool and he said the final day's game would be no different. 

"You get the gauge of what you think you need to do to get the team going again or make them understand they're in a good place," he said. "Whatever I think I need to do I'll do in order to give the players the best chance of getting a result.

"It's something you can use - on Saturday I believed the right thing to do was to let them know that we were in a good position and they needed to keep doing what they were doing."

While Tranmere go into the last weekend of the season still with something at stake it is impossibe for Rovers fans to wonder what might have been for a team that seemed comfortable in the promotion places at Christmas and has won more home games than any other in the division. 

"There will be regrets if we don't make it in but you would have to say we are an improving team with young players who are getting better," said Mellon. "It's a unique position I'm in as manager of Tranmere in that I have so many young players who will undoubtedly be better because of the experience of this season no matter what happens.

"There are a lot of boys who've done teriffically well but they need to learn from a lot of things. We'll play this game and see where it takes us and then we can comb over the whole season and see where we could have done a little bit more and try and help the players to be better next time."

Mellon's young squad has gievn the Scotsman hope that even if the play off places are out of reach this season, the following campaign can see Tranmere mount another promotion push.

"We said at the start of the season we wanted to get to a situation when we had a lot of young players in the team.

"It has not really been like that at Tranmere since I've been the manager. We have a lot of young players who have great potential and are improving all the time so we are moving in the right direction but we want to keep improving.

"We are tough on ourselves because we are a club that needs to try to keep winning games of football. We have a new sporting director and a new recruitement policy that is bringing players into the club that is growing it and making it better."

Mellon confirmed that many of the current squad would be staying at Prenton Park alongside some carefully vetted additions regardless of what league Tranmere are in come August. 

"Regardless of what happens there will be a big nucleus of players still here next season and then we will bring players into the group who we think will be better at the things we needed to do better this season - that's the way forward for any successful football club. You have to keep building on things and making them better.

"We are already speaking a lot about recruitment and trying to improve the players we have to be better at things we know they should have been this season in order to be at the right end of the table. We want players who are full of ambition and desire and we are well on the way with that."

Mellon has faced criticism from some quarters for his tactics away from home but he is keen to view any faliures as ones by the group rather than any individuals. 

"I am in charge of what we have been doing in order to try and get these results from home so it's my job to try and find ways of mentally, physically and tactically find the best way of winning games and that's what me and the staff all try and do," he added.

"Saturday gives us the chance of being better at that - we have spoken long and hard about it and I believe I know that if this group gets its mentality right and understands there is an attitude and mindset needed to playing away from home it can succeed. 

"They've got to show these qualities on the road when neccessary and keep believing - the word I keep speaking about to them is 'reseliance' - some people can't spell it or know the meaning of the word but it's about keeping going.

"Don't get disappointed if it's not going your way - we have suffered a wee bit with our resiliance at times this season.

"We get disappointed and we allow our heads to drop - maybe it's because we're young. But we need to learn to be more resiliant which you can do.

"Keep fighting, keep battling - that's the big thing that we know this group have to get better at and I know that is the way forward for this group and they will improve at it. "