Brentford v Tranmere Rovers Match Preview
By Matthew Jones
April 18 2010
Matthew Jones brings you all the stats, facts and team news ahead of what is another big game for Tranmere Rovers in Coca Cola League One this Tuesday evening..........
Tuesday 20th April 2010 - Coca-Cola League One
Brentford v Tranmere
Kick Off 7.45pm at Griffin Park
It's Take Two for Tranmere Rovers and Brentford this Tuesday, as the two sides attempt to face up to each other at Griffin Park for the second time, after the original fixture between these two sides, arranged for February 27th, was postponed just a couple of hours before kick off due to a waterlogged pitch.
On the back of their impressive win over Exeter at the weekend, Tranmere will be desperate to pick up at least another point against a side who's season is all but over, with Andy Scott's side having nothing left to play for this season after an impressive first campaign back in League One.
Rovers will look to capitalise on perhaps some lathargic play from the B's and pick up as many points as possible, as they know a win will lift them back out of the relegation zone ahead of Thursday's trip to Colchester.
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 both April meetings between the two sides, failing to score in each match
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:
2002: Dave Watson's Tranmere lose 1-0 against Cardiff City at Prenton Park
1996: Rovers draw 1-1 at Vale Park with Port Vale in Division One
1992: John King's Tranmere draw 2-2 with Blackburn Rovers
Tranmere Rovers have played seventeen previous games on April 20th, picking up four wins, six draws and seven defeats. In seven attempts they have won just once away from home on this day, this a 3-1 success over Brighton in 1974. In their seventeen games on this day, Tranmere have scored fifteen goals and conceded 22.
The Form Book:
Brentford Last Six Home Games: WDWDDW
Tranmere Last Six Away Games: LLLDDW
Brentford have been strong at home so far this season, and coming into this fixture having not lost at home in the league since October, despite having faced Southampton, Charlton and Leeds United at Griffin Park since a 3-2 defeat to Swindon, showing just how tough a task Tranmere face on Tuesday evening.
Andy Scott's side started their six match sequence with a win, beating relegation threatened Gillingham 4-0, thanks to two goals each for MacDonald and Weston, before they picked up a decent 1-1 draw with Wycombe in their next home match.
A second successive draw followed for Brentford in a high scoring game against MK Dons, Woods, Strevens and Cort scoring in a 3-3 draw, before two weeks later Lewis Grabban scored in a 1-0 win over Leyton Orient.
Brentford then drew 0-0 with Exeter, before in their most recent game at Griffin Park, MacDonald (x2) and Grabban scored in an excellent 3-0 win over promotion chasing Huddersfield Town.
Other impressive home results for Brentford this season include wins over Colchester United (1-0), Norwich City (2-1), Carlisle United (3-1) and Southend United (2-1).
The Griffin Park outfit have played twenty home games so far this season, picking up 34 of an available 60 points, thanks to eight wins, ten draws and six defeats.
Notable results away from home for the Bees this season include wins over Carlisle United (3-1), MK Dons (1-0), Gillingham (1-0) and Oldham (3-2).
Brentford come into this game comfortably eleventh and mid-table in League One, having played 42 games and picked up 57 of an available 126 points, thanks to thirteen wins, eighteen draws and eleven defeats so far this season. They have drawn more matches than any other team in the division this season.
Tranmere's form on the road this season has been anything but strong this season, with only Gillingham having picked up less points on the road than the Wirral side this season. Les Parry's side carry that poor away form into this game as well, unfortunatly, having lost all of their last three away matches and not won in their last five.
Rovers started their six match sequence in excellent form, picking up their second away league win of the season against Gillingham, with Ian Thomas-Moore scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win before Ian Goodison scored a second half equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Southend United.
Since then though, Tranmere haven't actually scored a goal themselves in their four away games, starting with a strong 0-0 draw with Bristol Rovers before losing disappointingly 3-0 against relegation rivals Brighton and Hove Albion.
Tranmere then lost 3-0 at Swindon on Easter Monday, a game that saw them have a man sent off for the third straight away game, before they lost 2-1 to Walsall in their most recent away game, with the Rovers goal actually an unlucky deflection into his own net by Smith.
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 11 of an available 60 points on the road this season, having won two, drawn five and lost thirteen of their 20 games on the road, scoring just ten goals in the process.
Notable results at Prenton Park for Tranmere this season include wins over Gillingham (4-2), Norwich City (3-1), Southampton (2-1) and Southend United (2-0).
Les Parry's side come into this match in 21st place in the League One table, lying two points inside the relegation zone behind Exeter City, having played 39 games and picked up 44 of an available 126 points, thanks to twelve wins, eight draws and 22 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 spent time out on loan at Oldham Athletic this season, 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 seventeen 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:
This only one other League One fixture on Tuesday night and this directly affects Tranmere, as Southampton host Oldham. The Latics are six points clear of Rovers, so a win for Tranmere away to Brentford and defeat for Oldham at St. Marys would drag the Boundary Park side right back into trouble.
The League Table:
Tranmere will move out of the bottom four if they win on Tuesday night against Brentford, leaping above Exeter City by a point and moving level on points with 19th placed Gillingham, behind the Kent side only on goal difference. A win for Southampton would put them five points away from the play-offs with three games left, whilst a win for Oldham would all but mathmatically secure them their place in League One next season.
Team News:
Tranmere Rovers have striker Terry Gornell available for selection again after a three match ban, meaning the Rovers squad are now suspension free. Andy Robinson is likely to make the bench again, though he may start after not being risked due to injury at the weekend.
Jones' Prediction: Brentford 1-1 Tranmere Rovers
This is a big game for Tranmere Rovers, and after Saturday's win over Exeter, there is hope. However, we must remember that Tranmere are yet to win back to back league games this season! In fact, it is now over a year since Tranmere achieved two wins on the trot in the league, this last coming thanks to wins over Walsall and Hereford on April 11th and 13th 2009.
Les Parry though will have his side fired up for this game, and Tuesday night away matches hold good memories for Rovers this season, with the Prenton Park side having picked up all four of their wins away from the Wirral on Tuesday nights this season, against Gillingham, Aldershot, Leyton Orient and Wycombe.
I think then that Tranmere can at least get something out of this game; the omens are good and Rovers will know just how important this match is, against a side who's season is all but over, with the Bees safe from relegation but unable to challange for promotion.
Tranmere need to create chances and take the game to Brentford if they are to win, instead of sitting back and inviting the home side on to them as this will only create trouble for themselves.
Joss Labadie could provide the key for Rovers in midfield again, whilst the impact of Kithson Bain from the bench could be important for Rovers if they fall behind.
There is no doubt though that Tranmere aren't going into this game knowing the three points are given up already. We will go to fight and hopefully to win.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:04:19:23:27:04 by Deadly Submarine.
Our gates are no worse then many other clubs but we seem to lack any strategy for the development of the club.
That recent TV feature that had PJ touring the ground showed a man lacking imagination.I wonder if he is the same with any vision for the club
Without the likes of Logan, Daniels, Martin and McCready we would probably be worse off.. definitely so for the first two.
As for Labadie he looks a very good player and Robinson is proven at this level.
Therefore we were always playing catch up when trying to sign players. This left the loan market as the only option. We need to sort the manager situation now, so we can take advantage when players become available on frees.
Do think the loan players have been ok though (maybe except for Gunning).It was good to get the two liverpool keepers at short notice. I rated Sordell but he did not get as much time on the pitch as I would like. Is he still with us?
Daniels-Logan-Mcready-robbo-sordell-labadie all good players in my view.
Back on topic looking at form a point would be a good result and I see us 1-1.
But how can you doubt the likes of Daniels etc.
Let's start with Gunning. Massively over-criticised, no where near as bad as made out and won nearly everything in the air. Why was he signed? We had no defenders, if you remember the first game of the season, the only defenders we had were Logan, Ashton Taylor and Aaron Cresswell. We needed another defender, hence the signing.
Martin - another good 'keeper. Now let's remember why he was brought here. Daniels was suspended. We needed a keeper.
Sordell - another decent player, probably better than Gornell who lacks confidence this season. He has more pace than ITM and probably Curran so offered a different way of attack to our front line.
Mahon - he's been SHOCKING in the reserves, truly shocking. That's why he hasn't featured. Even his attitude didn't seem that good. Barely looked interested. Andy Robinson is a far better player, when was the last time Mahon made a reasonable amount of appearances in a season? Robbo is younger and has proved himself in this division recently.
Agree with Gordon though, he was not needed for one game and is shocking.
Every ball is a white ball............TRFC
