Tranmere fires blanks as MK Dons end 10-month unbeaten home league run

Aug 19 2009 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

THE goals dried up for Tranmere as they were beaten at home in a League One game for the first time in 10 months.

An 81st-minute goal, scrambled home by MK Dons’ substitute Jabo Ibhere settled an entertaining contest between two sides managed by former Liverpool captains.

Rovers’ captain Ian Thomas-Moore was twice denied by the woodwork in a contest laced with bright attacking football from both sides.

An injury-weakened MK Dons side also struck the timber and created an even share of goal-scoring opportunities.

With better luck and finishing Tranmere might well have added to the eight goals they scored in two games at Prenton Park last week. But they also looked less than solid at the back.

While John Barnes could name the same starting line-up that put four goals past Gillingham last Saturday, counterpart Paul Ince could afford no such luxury.

A new crop of injuries over the weekend left the Dons with more than half a dozen first-team regulars out of contention. Even so, the visitors did well enough to more than hold their own in a lively first half.

Tranmere, pressing for an early breakthrough, threatened on 11 minutes when Chris Shuker’s snapshot from wide on the right caught Willy Gueret by surprise and the tall goalkeeper was grateful to complete a scrambling save at the second attempt.

The Dons’ response came from Jason Puncheon, whose clever turn in a tight position on the right was followed by a fierce rising shot that came narrowly over the crossbar.

Gueret produced an outstanding save to deny Craig Curran a goal on 21 minutes. The young striker nodded a teasingly flighted cross from the right by Shuker towards the top corner, only for the keeper to leap backwards and flick the ball over.

Ian Goodison made a couple of perfectly executed last ditch tackles on Jermain Easter when the Dons striker threatened to break through on the counter attack.

The visitors suffered an unwelcome new injury when centre back Darren Powell limped off just before the half hour.

When Goodison was caught in possession near the left touchline soon afterwards, Puncheon slid a pass inside for Mark Carrington, who hurried his shot from a dozen yards wide of the target.

Soon afterwards Easter stole half a yard clear of Goodison when running onto Carrington’s through pass in the box and the striker was thwarted by a smart smothering save from goalkeeper Luke Daniels.

The woodwork twice denied Ian Thomas-Moore a goal as Tranmere made an enterprising start to the second half.

The striker’s half volley from 25 yards had the beating of Gueret but bounced off the inside of the right hand post before running to safety.

Then on 53 minutes a fierce low cross from the left by Aaron Cresswell deflected into the path of Thomas-Moore whose first time, close-range shot cannoned back into play from the underside of the crossbar and the Dons’ defenders were able to scramble the ball away.

Soon afterwards Thomas-Moore claimed he was impeded as he ran to meet another cross from Cresswell but referee Jon Moss would have none of it.

Easter should have put the Dons ahead from their first attack of the second half when he lifted a low ball into the box from Stephen Gleeson over the bar from close range.

Then, just past the hour mark it was the Dons turn to be thwarted by the woodwork as Easter drove a fierce angled shot against the crossbar.

The dons finally brought the series of near misses to an end by taking the lead on 81 minutes. Tranmere were undone by midfielder Jemal Johnson’s run and low cross from the left.

Substitute Jabo Ibhere looked to get a telling deflection on the ball to nudge it past goalkeeper Daniels in a crowded penalty area.

Tranmere’s last hope of an equaliser was thwarted when Sol Davis headed a goalbound shot from substitute Terry Gornell off the line in injury time.