Tranmere Rovers vs. Bournemouth match preview

Total Tranmere brings you all the stats, facts and team news you need to know ahead of Saturday's match in nPower League One

Bournemouth Factfile:

Ground: Dean Court (The Fitness First Stadium)
Formed: 1899
Nickname:  The Cherries
Manager:  Eddie Howe
League Finish 2009/10: 2nd (League Two)
Kit Colours: Red top with black stripes, black shorts and socks (home), white shirt with black trim on shoulders, white shorts and black socks (away)

Previous Meetings:

Tranmere and Bournemouth haven't met for two seasons due to Bournemouth's relegation to League Two during the 2007/08 campaign.  During that season though, each team recorded a home win over the other, as Tranmere finished the season in thirteenth, whilst Bournemouth, who suffered a ten point deduction due to entering administration, finished 21st and were relegated.

Rovers won the meeting between the two sides at Prenton Park by a two goal margin, as Zola, Greenacre and Jennings scored in a 3-1 win.

Zola opened the scoring on 23-minutes as after receiving the ball from Greenacre, the striker chipped the ball over the 'keeper from six yards, whilst Greenacre doubled Tranmere's lead before half time from the penalty spot.

At Dean Court in April it was a different story as Tranmere put in a woeful display and lost 2-1.

With less than a minute of the match gone, Tranmere had already conceded as Max Gradel comfortably beat Andy Taylor on the Bournemouth right, before crossing in to the penalty area where Ian Goodison headed the ball into his own net. 

Bournemouth doubled their lead before half time, with Tranmere failing to clear a corner, with the ball falling to Jo Koffour who stabbed home from six yards.

Antony Kay pulled one back for Tranmere with three minutes left, heading home from a Paul McLaren free-kick, but it was too little too late for Tranmere, who lost the game 2-1 as their play-off hopes drifted away.

Vital Stats:

Tranmere Rovers have won just eight of 21 home games against Bournemouth, with the Cherries winning on six occasions

Rovers have scored just one more goal in these 21 games than the visitors Bournemouth, netting 24 times to the Cherries 23 goals

None of the last eight meetings between these two sides have resulted in an away win

Tranmere last kept three successive clean sheets in April 2009, with Danny Coyne in goal for Ronnie Moore's side

Tranmere have lost two of two games against Bournemouth in the month of August

On This Day:

2004:  Calvin Zola and Danny Harrison each miss golden chances as Tranmere draw 0-0 away to Doncaster Rovers

2001:  Rovers record a comfortable 3-1 win over Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup at Prenton Park

1999:  An early goal from Jason Koumas is enough to secure Tranmere a 1-0 win over Huddersfield at Prenton Park

Tranmere have played fifteen previous games on August 21st, picking up five wins, six draws and four defeats.  In these fifteen games, they have scored seventeen goals and conceded thirteen.

The Form Book:

Les Parry's started the season with a loss, losing 2-1 two weeks ago against Oldham at Prenton Park despite a late goal from Ian Thomas-Moore.

However, four days later Rovers picked up their first win of the season against Walsall, with Ian Goodison scoring as Tranmere won 1-0, their first away league cup win for eight years before drawing 0-0 with Huddersfield Town at the Galpharm Stadium in their most recent match.

These results follow what was an inconsistent pre-season for the Wirral side, with a handful of wins mixed in with disappointing draws and defeats.

Tranmere, who never had a settled side throughout pre-season due to injuries and a large number of trialists playing to impress, started with two 2-2 draws against local None League sides Heswall and Cammell Laird on the same night.

They followed these games with further draws against Colywn Bay and Mansfield, as well as a defeat against Shrewsbury, though no doubt the highlight of the pre-season results was a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, when Nick Wood and Ian Thomas-Moore both scored headed goals.

Other results for Tranmere this summer saw them lose 3-2 to Altrincham, 2-0 to Liverpool and 2-1 to Chester, although all of these games involved very few first team players, whilst they also beat Marine 3-2.

Double Hit:

Other than former Northern Ireland international Colin Clarke, who played for Tranmere and Bournemouth during the 1980's, very few players have represented the two clubs.

One such player however is former Aston Villa defender Shaun Teale, who, due to the lack of players to have represented the two clubs, was also featured in this section of last seasons Match Preview for the same fixture.

Teale began his career with Weymouth, but in 1988 he made a £50,000 transfer to another south coast side in the shape of Bournemouth.

In well over 100 appearances for the Cherries, Teale scored four goals and his talent didn't go un-noticed as he made a £300,000 transfer to Aston Villa in 1991.

One To Watch:

With striker Brett Pitman expected to miss the game as he looks to complete his move to Premier League side Blackpool, the one to watch for Bournemouth is striker Michael Symes.

A former Everton youngster, Symes joined Bournemouth in the summer on a free transfer from Accrington Stanley, having had a successful season with the Lancashire based side.

Symes rose through the youth ranks at Everton, but fialed to ever make a first team appearance.   He spent time on loan at Crewe, Bradford, Stockport and Shrewsbury before eventually signing permamently for the Shrews in 2006, having netted once in three loan games for the club.

He had some success whilst at Shrewsbury, netting seventeen goals in 74 games for the club, but lost his place in the side in 2008 and was sent out on loan to Macclesfield and Bournemouth, playing five times for the club without scoring.

On his return to Shrewsbury, Symes was again sent out on loan, joining Accrington, and having scored once in seven games for the club, he joined the club permanently on a free transfer.

One season at Accrington saw the 26-year old score nineteen goals in 51 games, as he played nearly every match for John Coleman's side last season.

However, he left the club in the summer, moving up a league to join Bournemouth for the second time.

He was handed the number 24 shirt with the Cherries, and has played three times without scoring since re-joining the club.

A striker who gets his goals mainly from inside the area, 6'02 Symes is good in the air and could well play the target man role for Eddie Howe's side this weekend.

Around League One:

All 24 nPower League One sides are in action this weekend, after only ten fixtures were played last weekend due to the sad passings of Exeter striker Adam Stansfield and Southampton chairman Markus Liebherr.  All 12 games kick off at 3:00pm on Saturday afternoon.

Carlisle vs. MK Dons
Charlton vs. Oldham
Exeter vs. Bristol Rovers
Notts County vs. Dagenham and Redbridge
Peterborough vs. Huddersfield
Rochdale vs. Colchester
Sheffield Wednesday vs Brighton
Southampton vs. Leyton Orient
Swindon Town vs. Brentford
Tranmere Rovers vs. Bournemouth
Walsall vs. Plymouth
Yeovil vs. Hartlepool

Team News:

Tranmere are expected to name an unchanged outfield ten for the fourth successive game this Saturday, with Paul McLaren looking likely to be fit for the game despite limping off against Huddersfield last weekend.

Joe Collister put in a Man of the Match performance in that game, and has now lept two successive clean sheets, leading to him being named in the League One team of the week last weekend.  However, this may not be enough for him to retain his place in the side, should goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen return from a muscle injury picked up whilst on international duty last week.

Kayelden Brown made his Tranmere Rovers debut last weekend, and he is expected to make his Prenton Park bow against Bournemouth on Saturday, though this is likely to be from the bench, whilst Adam McGurk and Max Blanchard are also likely to be amongst Rovers substitutes.

Timothy Cathalina could also be on the bench for Rovers having made his come back for the reserves this week, however,Rovers will continue to be without injured trio Marlon Broomes, Alan Mahon and Ashton Taylor.

Jones' Prediction:  Tranmere Rovers 2-0 Bournemouth

Goals have been tough to come by for Tranmere so far this season, having only netted twice in their opening three games,  but with extra firepower and pace now in the squad, Les Parry's side should be more capable of breaking down the Bournemouth backline.

Striker Kayelden Brown last weekend shows he is a pacey player who will cause problems when brought off the bench, whilst Enoch Showunmi continues to get fitter and be more of a handful.  Both players could have key roles to play for Tranmere this weekend.

Bournemouth beat Peterborough 5-1 last weekend, but with star striker Brett Pitman looking likely to join Blackpool (at the time of writing), they will surely lack any presence up front this weekend and should hopefully be easier for Tranmere to defend against.

The Cherries therefore may come to Prenton Park searching for a point, and as such it's hugely important that Tranmere take the game to their opponents and look to attack at every opportunity.

If Rovers are to win the game, they must create as many chances as possible, looking to build quick down the flanks and get the ball into the middle for the likes of Showunmi and Thomas-Moore to finish.