Tranmere aim to sign off 2011 in style against Bury

Dec 30 2011 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

TRANMERE ROVERS aim to see out 2011 on a high note by ending a run of six League One games without a victory at Bury’s expense tonight.

Prenton Park passed its own fitness test to stage the holiday game after Rovers officials decided to close off a section of the Main Stand where roof repairs are underway.

The Boxing Day fixture against Rochdale earlier this week had to be postponed at short notice after a section of the roof at the town end of the stand blew off in high winds.

The game has now been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 17, kick-off 7.45pm.

Enoch Showunmi won’t be available to lead the attack against the Shakers this evening, but manager Les Parry is taking heart from an x-ray that shows the striker has not broken his leg after all.

He looks to be facing the prospect of a lay off lasting a week or two rather than a couple of months.

Parry said: “Enoch was tackled by Joss Labadie in training and was convinced he had cracked his fibula. It was a massive concern.

“He’s had the x-rays and the first reports are that it isn’t a fracture. We’re going to ask the surgeon to take a look and confirm it.

“It looks like good news for us. If it isn’t broken, it is most likely to be soft tissue damage so he will be out for as long as he can’t put up with the discomfort of playing. It might be a week. It might be shorter or longer than that.”

Showunmi’s absence leaves Parry with the option of using Mustafa Tiryaki, Lucas Akins or Adam McGurk to lead the attack.

Tiryaki, a muscular striker who was playing non-League football last season, is Rovers’ leading goalscorer so far with four strikes, in spite of starting only a dozen games this season.

Akins and McGurk have been deployed most often in wide attacking positions.

Parry acknowledges Tranmere’s modest goalscoring record – 21 in 21 League One games – is a concern and does not rule out a move into the loan market to find a striker when the transfer window opens next week.

Parry said: “We have been looking for a striker for the last couple of months. We are fully aware of our goal-scoring record.

“I know I keep saying I like to keep clean sheets but we still have to score a goal to win a game.”

Tranmere’s resources could be stretched thin in the defensive area with both Ian Goodison (hamstring) and David Raven (thigh) fighting injuries.

Neither would have been available for the Boxing Day game.

Parry said: “Both Goody and David have joined in training over the last couple of days and they are not a million miles away from being ready. One of them might be involved against Bury because we are struggling for defenders.”

Parry says the players are in a positive mood in spite of the let-down of the Rochdale postponement.

“We fancied ourselves on Boxing Day,” Parry said.

“The lads trained well and were up for it. We just had to get on with the fact that the game was called off at short notice. We have another home game now.”

Bury bring a strong away record to Prenton Park.

They won five of their last seven League One games on the road, the most recent a 3-1 success at Scunthorpe on Boxing Day.

Manager Richie Barker, who guided Bury safely through to promotion from League Two, after inheriting Alan Knill’s successful team last March, was named manager of the year in the North West Football Awards last month.

Barker’s assistant, Peter Shirtliff, spent two seasons with Tranmere as number two to Ronnie Moore between 2007 and 2009.

Parry said: “Bury have done exceptionally well. It is not easy taking over a team that is near the top and maintaining the momentum. It is a massive feather in Richie’s cap.”

Bury’s line up is likely to include David Amoo, a talented young frontman on loan from Liverpool.

Tranmere coach John McMahon knows Amoo well from his time managing the Liverpool reserve squad.

Parry said: “Amoo is a player who will bring something different. You are never quite sure what you are going to get from him.

“He goes from being absolutely brilliant to making you pull your hair out.

“Most of the games I have watched him, he has done really well at our level.”