POOR DISPLAY IS TOO CLEAR TO SEE

Feb 8 2010 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Echo

THE fog that crept up Borough Road and into Prenton Park wasn’t quite thick enough to prevent this North West derby reaching a conclusion – or shrouding a Tranmere show as pale as the afternoon sky.

The cold and clammy hand of the elements matched the mood of supporters as they watched Rovers deliver performance that dipped below the standards they set over the last couple of months.

Les Parry’s side could not complain about losing the points to an Oldham team posting a first away victory since October.

The Latics were value for the only goal of the game, glanced home by Pawell Abbott on 41 minutes, because their football was just that little bit sharper and brighter.

Tranmere, for all of their positive intentions, were not fluent or creative enough to open up the visiting defence and clear cut scoring opportunities arrived only in the final few minutes.

Home teams need to produce more, especially when the stakes are so high.

Rovers’ recent form at Prenton Park – four wins and a draw in five league games – and an enterprising display in taking a point of Charlton Athletic at The Valley the previous weekend, encouraged optimism among the faithful.

Instead they witnessed a reminder of why Rovers have found climbing out of the League One drop zone such an obstinately difficult task.

Parry and his team are yet to crack the formula to unlock a run of results and fire them up the table. Progress continues at painstaking pace because Tranmere don’t seem to be able to get beyond two steps forward before taking one back.

Even so, there were some sparks of encouragement amidst the gloom, not least in the contribution of new arrival Marvin Sordell in the final 40 minutes of the game.

The 18-year-old striker, recruited on a month’s loan from Watford last week, showed a confident touch and talent for the unpredictable that suggested he could become a potent attacking force over the coming weeks.

Oldham’s defenders were less sure of themselves after Sordell was introduced as a 54th minute substitute and if the teenager had been able to make a better contract with a double opportunity at close range on 87 minutes, Tranmere might have escaped with a point.

Another youngster, Aaron Cresswell made a positive return to first-team action at left back and Chris Shuker produced occasional touches of invention to back up some diligent attention to his defensive responsibilities.

Yet Ian Goodison still felt compelled to venture forward from his defensive station with increasing frequency in the final half-hour in an attempt to open up the attacking options.

The early minutes suggested we were about to witness a contest with a good deal more enterprise than the grinding goalless draw played out between the teams at Boundary Park last month.

In the opening quarter hour Cresswell swept a dangerous low ball across the Oldham goalmouth and Ian Thomas-Moore, turning sharply on Craig Curran’s pass from the right, fired a low shot just beyond the target. At the other and Dean Furman sent Luke Daniels sprawling with a 30 yard shot aimed towards the bottom corner.

But as the creeping fog arrived just after the half an hour, Tranmere began to lose their early cohesion.

Oldham put in a decisive burst of attacks just before the break.

Goodison had to make a resourceful clearing tackle to deny the burly Abbott a shooting opportunity 10 yards from goal on 40 minutes. But Abbott then found a yard of space from the resulting corner, delivered to the near post by Dale Stephens, and glanced a header into the net.

When Abbott wriggled past Tranmere’s retreating defenders a minute later, he lashed a hurried shot over the bar from a dozen yards.

Oldham carved out another clear cut opportunity six minutes after the restart when right back Jim Goodwin swept in across from the right and midfielder Danny Whitaker power in a header that Daniels touched over at full stretch.

The visitors had decided to concentrate on protecting the lead by the time Rovers offered a serious counter threat. Cresswell was no more than a foot wide of the right-hand post with a crisp, low free kick on 78 minutes. Then Sordell cleverly releasing Charlie Barnett on the right, took the substitute’s return pass on the edge of the six-yard box. His initial effort was blocked by keeper Dean Brill and a firmer shot from the rebound drew a second, sharper save from Brill.

Five minutes of extra time brought more pressure from Tranmere but no serious alarms for Oldham.

Tranmere: Daniels, Logan, Goodison, A Taylor, Cresswell, Shuker, Welsh (Edds 71), McLaren, Curran (Barnett 79), Gornell (Sordell 54), Thomas-Moore. Subs not used: Collister, Broomes, Mahon, McCready.

Booked: Goodison.

Oldham: Brill, Goodwin, Hazell, Gregan, Jacobson, Smalley, Furman, Stephens (Marrow 82), Whittaker (C Taylor 74), Abbott (Parker 78), Price. Subs not used: Flahavan, Colebeck, Brooke, Aljofree.

Booked: Stephens