Seven’s up for Rovers in yet another defeat

Jan 23 2012 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Echo

“No team we’ve played this season has turned us over at all. You can’t fault the lads’ commitment. The difference between us and say a Charlton right now is width of a hair. Whether it be a defensive mistake, a poor refereeing decision or a fantastic bit of skill – that’s the difference between winning and losing in League One.” LES PARRY reflects on a seventh straight away defeat.

“It took us 20 minutes to get going and it doesn’t please me that we had to come from behind again. Credit to Tranmere, they came out of the traps quickly and made it really difficult for us. After the initial 20 minutes, I was pleased.“ Bournemouth manager LEE BRADBURY happy with the win.

BY 5pm on Saturday, Les Parry cut a forlorn figure on the touchline.

Another 90 minutes had passed, another 90 minutes that saw Tranmere come so close to gaining a precious three points from an away fixture.

Many Rovers fans will struggle to remember the last time the side travelled away from Prenton Park and returned to the Wirral victorious.

Cast your mind back to a Tuesday night in late October against Hartlepool and you have your answer. On that occasion the team were inspired by a brace from Lucas Akins and ran out comfortable winners.

Since then, it’s been a lean spell of three months with Parry’s side failing to pick up a single point on their travels, with Saturday marking their seventh straight defeat on the road.

But once again, on the balance of play, Tranmere wouldn’t have been done a disservice if they had left the Seward Stadium with at least a point.

A swirling south-coast wind and a sandy surface hardly contributed to a good, open-flowing game of football.

Instead it was a tight affair and even the most minute mistake was always going to prove to be the difference between gaining a victory, a point or being sent back up the M6 emptied handed. Unfortunately for Rovers it proved to be the latter.

Bournemouth began the day riding the crest of a wave, unbeaten in five and were forcing their way into the play-off mix. Quite a contrast from the visitors, who had won just one game in their last 13.

Yet for anyone watching the initial stages of the game, you would have thought that the teams’ positions had been reversed. The Cherries looked nervous and sluggish while Tranmere were fresh and quick to assert control – the 159 hardy fans who travelled 245 miles from the Wirral could sense this was Rovers’ day.

The teams traded chances inside the opening couple of minutes, with Wes Fogden failing to hit the target while the returning Mustafa Tiryaki drew a scrambling save from Darryl Flahavan from 25 yards.

It was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken and in the fourth minute Martin Devaney seized on some indecisive defending from a Tiryaki flick-on to hand Tranmere the advantage.

Rovers’ tails immediately shot up, Lee Bradbury’s men were rattled and the lead should have been doubled in the 16th minute only for debutant James Wallace to drag his effort horribly wide, after excellent work by Devaney down the left hand side.

But such is the way of football, Parry’s side were made to pay almost immediately for their poor finishing as Wes Thomas levelled in fortuitous circumstances, his shot taking a wicked deflection off Mark McChrystal looping over Paul Rachubka. As helpless as Rachubka was for the equaliser, there will be some blame laid at the goalkeeper’s feet for the decisive goal.

On the half-hour mark, Marc Pugh sent in a whipped cross from a quickly taken short corner and remarkably saw the ball nestle in the back of the net as the on-loan Leeds keeper misjudged the flight of the ball in a gusting wind.

From that point on the game lost its impetus with neither team managing to create a clear cut opportunity.

David Buchanan’s speculative effort flew agonisingly wide at the start of the second half before Rovers substitute Akins fizzled a 30-yard drive straight into the arms of Darryl Flahavan.

Harry Arter’s curling effort was comfortably saved by Rachubka, but chances became few and far between in what proved to be a turgid second period.

BOURNEMOUTH (4-4-2): Flahavan; Francis, Zubar, Cook, Daniels; Fogden, Arter (MacDonald 64), Purches (Gregory 82), Pugh; Symes (Fletcher 82), Thomas. Not used: Cummings, Jalal (GK).

TRANMERE (4-4-2): Rachubka; Holmes, Goodison, McChrystal, Buchanan; Elford-Alliyu (Akins H/T), Welsh, Weir (Taylor 83), Wallace, Devaney; Tiryaki. Not used: Kay, Power, Coughlin (GK).

GOALS: Devaney (4), Thomas (18), Pugh (30)

CARDS: Pugh (Bournemouth), Wallace (Tranmere)

REFEREE: Carl Berry (Surrey)

ATTENDANCE: 5,807