We can’t blame Lateef Elford-Alliyu’s penalty miss for loss to Huddersfield, says Les Parry

Dec 15 2010 by David Triggs, Liverpool Echo

LES PARRY felt “a little bit of class” made all the difference last night as Tranmere Rovers’ run in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy was ended at the area semi-final stage.

In-form Huddersfield Town claimed a 2-0 victory at Prenton Park and will now face Carlisle United in a two-legged area final – with the winner progressing to the final at Wembley next year.

A penalty miss from on-loan striker Lateef Elford-Alliyu proved costly for Rovers as two clinical finishes from Jordan Rhodes won it for Town.

Elford-Alliyu, a teenage forward on loan from West Brom, had won an in-house penalty competition at Rovers’ training ground yesterday – and he stepped forward last night as regular penalty-taker Ian Thomas-Moore was out injured.

Tranmere manager Parry said: “We had allocated somebody else to take the penalties but he didn’t fancy it so Lateef volunteered and missed it. But full marks to the lad for taking it.”

Parry added: “It was a massive chance to come into the game at 1-1. That lifts us and knocks them down a little bit. But we’ll never know.

“If we’d have scored the penalty, we may have ended up getting beat 10-1.

“But I thought there wasn’t that much difference between the sides.

“Just a little bit of class was the difference.”

Rovers head to Swindon Town for a League One clash this Saturday.