Brentford v Tranmere Rovers Match Preview
By Matthew Jones
February 25 2010
All the stats, facts and team news you need to know as Matthew Jones provides us with his usual indepth preview ahead of Tranmere's trip to Brentford this weekend in what is another vital Coca-Cola League One game for Les Parry's side in their bid to avoid relegation to League Two in May.....
Saturday 27th February 2010 - Coca-Cola League One
Brentford v Tranmere R
Kick Off 3.00pm at Griffin Park
**MATCH SUBJECT TO 8.30AM PITCH INSPECTION**
Ten years ago to the day on Saturday, Tranmere Rovers took 35,000 fans to Wembley stadium as they played Leicester City in the final of the League Cup, the last ever League Cup final at the famous old stadium.
This Saturday's events though will be a far cry from that day, as Rovers again travel to London, this time though they face Brentford in League One, with probably no more than 300 Rovers fans set to be in attendance at Griffin Park, less than 1% of the following they took to Wembley on that famous day.
With memories and nostalgia no doubt at the forefront of their minds however, Tranmere fans will be hoping the current squad can but in a performance worthy of the old boys, whilst perhaps Alan Mahon, the only remaining player from the team that got to Wembley, will be hoping he can get on the pitch and regain his spectacular form of old that earnt him a move to Sporting Lisbon.
Previous Meetings:
Les Parry picked up his third win as Tranmere manager against Brentford earlier in the season, when the Wirral side dispatched of Andy Scott's side thanks to a 1-0 win in early December.
In a game watched by under 5,000 fans at Prenton Park, Rovers picked up a win that lifted them off the bottom of the League One table, above Stockport County, and continued their good form following a 3-3 draw at Huddersfield Town four days earlier, making it four unbeaten for the Wirral side.
Back to the match, and Tranmere came close in the first minute when Craig Curran fired wide from 25-yards, before Terry Gornell saw his shot saved mid-way through the second half.
Curran came close again just after the half hour mark when he flicked John Welsh's free-kick over the bar before after half-time Goodison and Gornell both came close with a header from a corner and a shot from just inside the area.
Rovers though did finally take the lead on the hour mark when Craig Curran scored from a brilliantly worked imaginative free-kick. Curran, Edds and Welsh all stood over the ball, before Curran made a quick dart into the area without being noticed. Edds slipped the ball to the striker, who fired into the net from just inside the box.
Gornell and Moore both came close in the closing minutes for Rovers, but the score remained 1-0 as Tranmere picked up a crucial three points, a victory they will be hoping to mirror in this fixture at Griffin Park.
Vital Stats:
In nineteen previous trips to Brentford, Tranmere have picked up five wins and five draws, losing on nine occasions
Tranmere are unbeaten in their last three games against the Griffin Park side
In their nineteen away games against Brentford, Tranmere have conceded heavily, with their defence breached on 35 occasions, whilst they themselves have scored just twenty times
Tranmere have lost two of five February meetings between the two sides
Rovers have completed the double over Brentford in three previous seasons, most recently in 2002/03, when Rovers won 2-1 at Griffin Park and 3-1 at Prenton Park against the London side
On This Day:
2001: First half goals from former Huddersfield players Wayne Allison and Steve Yates earn Tranmere an important 2-0 win over the Yorkshire side in Division One
2000: Rovers are defeated 2-1 at Wembley stadium by Leicester City in the League Cup final, with Dave Kelly scoring the famous Rovers goal
Tranmere have played fourteen previous fixtures on February 27th, picking up seven wins, two draws and five defeats. In these fourteen games, they have scored 28 goals and conceded 25.
The Form Book:
Brentford Last Six Home Games: DWDLWD
Tranmere Last Six Away Games: LDLDWD
Brentford may have won just two of their last six home league games, and indeed just two of their last eight matches home and away, but they have had some tough fixtures in this time, including an F.A. Cup tie with Doncaster Rovers and tough tests away from home against Norwich and Walsall.
Andy Scott's side started their six match sequence with a good 1-1 draw against London rivals Charlton Athletic before in their next game, nearly a month later, they picked up a 3-1 win over Carlisle United thanks to goals from Weston (x2) and Dickson.
The B's then went two games without a home league win, firstly losing 1-0 in the F.A. Cup to Doncaster Rovers before picking up a decent draw in their next league outing against Southampton.
Brentford then picked up a valuable home win over Gillingham (4-0), with McDonald and Weston each netting twice, before two weeks ago Wycombe picked up a vital point thanks to a 1-1 draw against Brentford in the B's most recent home game.
From sixteen home games so far this season, Brentford have picked up 26 of an available 48 points, thanks to six wins, eight draws and just two defeats.
Impressive results on the road for Brentford this season include wins over MK Dons (1-0), Gillingham (1-0) and Carlisle United (3-1).
Brentford come into this game in twelfth place in the League One table, having played thirty games and picked up 38 of an available 90 points, thanks to nine wins, eleven draws and ten defeats.
Tranmere's away form since the turn of the year has been much improved, with just one defeat away from Prenton Park all season, and with Les Parry's side coming into this game having not lost any of their last three matches on the road.
However, Tranmere did start their six match sequence with a defeat, losing 3-0 to high flying Southampton United, with Rickie Lambert scoring two goals for the Saints, including one stunning long range effort.
Tranmere had to wait over a month for their next away game though, as the weather saw several of their games postponed. When they did get back on the road though, Tranmere managed to pick up an important point over relegation rivals Oldham Athletic thanks to a 0-0 draw.
Rovers then lost 1-0 against MK Dons in their next away game three days later, Jason Puncheon scoring an early goal for the Dons from which Tranmere never recovered, before in their next away game a week later, Tranmere put in a much improved performance as they drew 1-1 at the Valley against Charlton Athletic in a game they were unlucky not to win.
Les Parry then guided his Tranmere side to their first away league win since September when they beat Gillingham 1-0 at Priestfield thanks to a strike from Ian Thomas-Moore, before Ian Goodison was on a target four days later when Rovers came from behind to draw 1-1 at Roots Hall against Southend United.
Tranmere's only other notable results on the road this season were a 1-0 win at Wycombe courtesy of a Ian Thomas-Moore goal when John Barnes was still in charge of the club, a 1-0 F.A. Cup win at Leyton Orient and a 3-3 draw with Huddersfield Town.
Rovers come into this game having picked up just ten of an available 48 points on the road this season, having won two, drawn four and lost ten of their sixteen games on the road.
Notable results at Prenton Park for Tranmere this season include wins over Gillingham (4-2), Bristol Rovers (2-0), Yeovil Town (2-1) and Southend United (2-0).
Les Parry's side come into this match in 19th place in the League One table, lying one point and two places above the League One relegation zone, having picked up 33 of an available 96 points from their 32 games, thanks to nine wins, six draws and seventeen defeats.
Double Hit:
Current Oldham winger Jason Price was signed by Tranmere from Brentford in November 2001 by then manager Dave Watson, as Rovers looked to add some fire power to their squad in their push for promotion.
The versatile Welshman enjoyed a six year stint with Swansea between 1995 and 2001, before after his released he joined Brentford, where he remained for just three months, making eighteen appearances before his move to Tranmere, when his career really took off.
Watson moved Price in to a more attacking role, either up front or on the wing, and he was immediately successful, scoring eleven goals in his first twelve games for the club. He remained at Prenton Park for two years before rejecting a new contract from Rovers, opting instead to join Hull City, with whom Price would jump from League Two to the Championship in two years after successive promotions.
Price played nearly 90 games for Hull before moving on to Doncaster in 2006, where he remained for a further three years, making over 100 appearances, before joining Millwall after an initial successful loan stint at the club in 2009.
However, Price failed to ever catch the eye at Millwall after signing permanently, and he is now currently out on loan at Oldham Athletic, making his debut for the club against Rovers in early February.
One To Watch: Charlie McDonald
London born striker Charlie McDonald is enjoying another successful season at Griffin Park, after scoring eighteen goals in all competitions last season for the side as they were promoted from League Two.
McDonald started his career not far away from Brentford at Charlton Athletic, but he made just thirteen appearances for the club, scoring twice, as well as spending time out on loan at Cheltenham, Torquay and Colchester during his four year stint as a professional with the club.
After failing to make a name for himself at the Valley, McDonald was released and spent time in the non-League wilderness with Margate, Stevenage and Crawley over the next three years, before moving to Ebbsfleet in May 2005, a move that kick-started his career.
McDonald stayed with Ebbsfleet for two seasons, but in that time managed to score a hugely impressive forty goals in just 63 games for the cub, a record of nearly two goals every three games.
His form caught the attention of Southend, who signed the played in June 2007 on a free-transfer, but, now back in League football, McDonald again failed to hold down a regular first team place, and after scoring just five goals in 34 appearances for the club, he joined Brentford in 2008 for an undisclosed fee.
This was a match made in heaven, as McDonald helped propell his new team back up to League One with eighteen goals in his first season for the club, adding a further 10 goals to his career tally so far this campaign, three of them coming in his last three games.
Now 29, McDonald, who stands at just 5'07", is far from the tallest of strikers, but is a great poacher in and around the six yard box, and possesses good pace to help him get away from his man.
McDonald wears the number ten shirt for the B's.
League One Fixtures:
There are eleven games in League One on Saturday, with the twelfth fixture, a crucial match in both the promotion and relegation battle, between Southend United and Charlton, takes place at Roots Hall on Friday night.
Brentford vs. Tranmere
Brighton vs. Exeter
Bristol Rovers vs. Colchester
Carlisle vs. Gillingham
Huddersfield vs. Leeds
Leyton Orient vs. Swindon
Millwall vs. Harltepool
Oldham vs. Norwich
Southampton vs. Walsall
Stockport vs. Wycombe
Yeovil vs. MK Dons
Team News:
Shay Logan returns after a two match ban for Tranmere, meaning on-loan Leicester defender Luke O'Neil could drop to the bench, whilst Gareth Edds could miss out after going to hospital on Tuesday night with concussion after picking up a head injury during the match against Huddersfield.
Jones' Prediction: Brentford 1-1 Tranmere Rovers
Rovers may well have lost on Tuesday night against Huddersfield, but in recent weeks they have bounced back quickly from defeats whilst their away form has vastly improved since the turn of the year.
Les Parry will quite rightly take his side into this game believing they can win, something they certainly can do if they put in a similar performance to the last time they were in the capital, when they drew 1-1 with Charlton four weeks ago.
What Rovers really need though is some more creativity and drive from midfield, especially with Ash Taylor still out injured. Whether that comes from midfielder Gareth Edds, or a replacement in the starting XI, such as Chris Shuker, Charlie Barnett or Alan Mahon waits to be seen, but it is something Tranmere certainly need if they are to create more chances and score more goals.
As proved in the last two games, it's vital that Tranmere's strikers, Moore and Curran, get up to support Sordell in attack, as the on-loan Watford man becomes ineffective when he is iscolated, whilst Paul McLaren's set-pieces are vital, as they are Tranmere's main threat of attack, if he can get them right.
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2010:02:26:16:41:20 by Deadly Submarine.
