Lambert leads the silencing of Rovers

Dec 14 2009 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

THREE goals in a 19-minute second half spell – two of them from Fazakerley-born Rickie Lambert – shattered Rovers’ resilience and ended the visitors’ five-match unbeaten run.

Lambert’s set-piece brace, which took his overall goal tally for the season to 19, came on the back of an earlier strike by Dan Harding and broke Tranmere, whose method, work rate and organisation had led to Southampton becoming a fraught, frustrated and ragged outfit at half-time.

But once Rovers’ defences had been breached early in the second period, there was an air of inevitability about the result and Tranmere never recovered.

Saints manager Alan Pardew, whose team made it five wins in a row in all competitions and have been beaten just once in 15 games, admitted Rovers had made it difficult for his side.

“It was a tough test for us. Tranmere made it very difficult for us and tried to frustrate us and suck us into a game we didn’t want to play,” he explained.

“You have to overcome that at any level. We would like to have been better, but Tranmere made that very difficult. The first goal was very important – it was a fantastic hit from Dan (Harding) – and it obviously changed the face of the game.”

With no injury worries to contend with, caretaker manager Les Parry started with the line-up that reeled off back-to-back wins over Brentford and Aldershot Town in the past week.

The confidence that Rovers have derived from their recent unbeaten run was evident as they were the better side in a scrappy, goalless first half and certainly the more creative going forward.

With Zoumana Bakayogo having wide dangerman Michail Antonio in his pocket (for much of the game, in fact) and Ian Goodison and Marlon Broomes secure in the centre, Tranmere were able to break forward.

Ian Thomas-Moore volleyed over early on and John Welsh sent three efforts wide of goal, while the best Southampton could offer was a low 20-yard drive from Lambert, which Luke Daniels dived to beat away.

But chances were at a premium as a series of stoppages, mainly for niggly challenges, culminated in bookings for Goodison and an increasingly-frustrated Lambert – and brought little cheer for a near 20,000-strong crowd.

The first half was uneasy on the eye and largely forgettable; apart from Lambert’s fierce drive, neither side fashioned a shot on target in the 45 minutes.

Six minutes into the second half, Southampton got behind the Tranmere defence for the first time – and the balance of the game changed.

A largely subdued David Connolly switched a neat Southampton build up from right to left and, with Shaleum Logan pulled out of position, the unmarked Harding arrowed a stunning left-foot drive into the far corner.

Tranmere were immediately on the back foot, their earlier confidence – and overall shape – began to ebb away.

Within 10 minutes the Saints had doubled their lead from the penalty spot – Marlon Broomes collecting a yellow card by needlessly jumping, arms outstretched, to almost catch a third successive corner from Lloyd James.

It gave Lambert the opportunity to drill his fifth penalty of the season into Daniels’s right-hand corner.

To add to Rovers’ woe, it meant a fifth booking of the season for the influential central defender, who is now suspended and will miss Saturday’s match with Bristol Rovers at Prenton Park.

With 20 minutes remaining, Parry made a double substitution, sending on Michael Ricketts and Chris Shuker for Terry Gornell and Gareth Edds.

It had little impact as, soon after, Southampton moved into an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Though Rovers’ will consider themselves unlucky to have been penalised – a free kick being awarded against Craig Curran some 30 yards out.

Lambert, who played his junior soccer for Kirkby Boys in his fledgling years on Merseyside, cashed in with a stunning strike, which flew over the defensive wall and flew past Daniels into his top left corner.

The goal was out of keeping with what had gone on earlier, but climaxed 19 horror minutes for Parry and his aides.

There was now no way back for Tranmere.

Lambert almost completed his hat-trick as Daniels dropped a corner on his foot; somehow, Tranmere scrambled the danger away.

The defeat – Rovers’ first in six games since the 1-0 reverse at Leyton Orient on November 21 – leaves Tranmere still five points adrift of the nearest safety rung.

If there was any consolation, all six clubs at the League One basement lost over the weekend.

It probably was Tranmere’s only consolation.