Tranmere Rovers v Notts County Match Preview
By Matthew Jones
April 17 2011
Total Tranmere brings you all the stats, facts and team news ahead of Tranmere's huge League One game against relegation threatened Notts County
Copyright Historical Football Kits and reproduced by kind permission.
Notts County Factfile:
Ground: Meadow Lane
Formed: 1862
Nickname: The Magpies
Manager: Martin Allen
League Finish 2009/10: 1st (League Two)
Kit
Colours: Black and white striped shirt, black shorts and socks (home), All yellow shirt, shorts and socks
(away)
Previous Meetings:
Tranmere Rovers picked up a fantastic 1-0 win at Meadow Lane when these two sides met in League One back in November.
In a game which Notts County dominated in terms of shots, having seventeen more than their visitors, Tranmere managed to secure the three points thanks to a great strike from top scorer Enoch Showunmi, netting his seventh goal of the season.
The goal was scored shortly after half-time, as Ian Thomas-Moore's brilliant cross found Showunmi in the penalty area, with the big Nigerian international smashing home from no more than eight yards.
That shot turned out to be Tranmmere's only on target in the whole game, with Peter Gulacsi being the busiest of the two goalkeepers.
The on-loan Liverpool man made numerous saves, most notably from the likes of Davies and Darby, whilst the home side had eleven shots off target throughout the match.
Rovers were made to battle for their points after Joss Labadie was sent off in the second half for a silly reaction to a tackle on him, lashing out at the Notts County player, but they managed to hold on for a vital three points.
The two sides also, of course, met at Prenton Park in February, but with Notts County leading 1-0 and Andy Robinson having missed a penalty for Tranmere, the game was abandoned shortly after half-time due to a waterlogged pitch.
Vital Stats:
In seventeen home games against Notts County, Tranmere have picked up eleven wins, drawing once and losing on five occasions
Rovers have scored 38 goals in their seventeen home games against Notts County, with the visitors netting on 25 occasions
The only two players still at the club who were involved last time Tranmere won three league games in a row, something that will be achieved with victory in this game, are Ian Goodison and Aaron Cresswell
Tranmere are unbeaten in their last five games against the Magpies, picking up three wins
Martin Allen has won just once in three visits to Prenton Park as a manager
On This Day:
2008: Ronnie Moore's Rovers side's play-off push becomes mathmatically impossible as they lose 1-0 away to Huddersfield Town thanks to an excellent strike from Andy Booth
2003: Simon Haworth scores the only goal in a 1-0 win for Tranmere against Notts County at Meadow Lane
1997: John Aldridge's Tranmere draw 1-1 against Sheffield United at Prenton Park in Division One
Tranmere Rovers have played seventeen previous games on this day, picking up six wins, three draws and eight defeats. In these seventeen games, they have scored 24 goals and conceded on 27 occasions.
The Form Book:
Notts County last six away games: LLLLLW
Tranmere Rovers last six home games: WLWLLW
Having lost nine games in a row, a run which cost Paul Ince his job as manager, things are looking bleak for Notts County in only their first season back in the division, having won the League Two title last season.
Last week, they appointed Martin Allen as manager, but he has seen his side lose two out of two games so far, and after a home loss to an out of form Bournemouth side on Saturday, it could be argued that it's going to take a miracle to save the Magpies season.
They come into this game having lost five in a row away from home, whilst only two teams have scored fewer goals on the road, and they have the joint lowest total of points picked up away from home in League One this season.
The Magpies however did start their six match sequence with a win, Paul Ince's final victory in charge of the club, as an Alan Gow penalty secured a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday, before they lost 1-0 to Rochdale just three days later.
County were then defeated 1-0 by runaway league leaders Brighton and Hove Albion at the Withdean Stadium, with Brighton having since secured the League One title, before they were defeated 3-0 by another in form side, Huddersfield Town, at the Galpharm Stadium.
A goal from Demba-Nyron was then not enough as Notts County lost 3-1 to Dagenham and Redbridge before, in their most recent away game, Notts County lost 2-1 to Yeovil Town in Martin Allen's first game in charge of the club.
Other notable wins away from home for the club this season include league victories over Walsall (3-0) and Peterborough United (3-2), as well as a stunning 2-1 F.A. Cup win at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland.
The Magpies have played twenty away games so far this season, picking up 14
of an available 60 points, this thanks to three wins, five draws and twelve defeats.
Impressive
results at home for the Meadow Lane club include successes over Charlton Athletic (1-0), Hartlepool (3-0) and MK Dons (2-0) as well as a 1-1 draw with Premier League side Manchester City in the F.A. Cup.
Notts County come into this game in 22nd place in the League One table having picked up 42 of an available 123 points for 41 games so far, this thanks to twelve wins, six draws and 23 defeats.
Tranmere's disappointing home form is the reason why they are so low in the League One table, with only eight league wins recorded at Prenton Park, whereas away from home, they've easily exceeded last season's total of points picked up on the road.
They started their six match sequence with an excellent 3-0 against Sheffield Wednesday in their next home game, all three goals coming in the second half from Elford-Alliyu, Goodison and Showunmi, before losing their first of home games that they really ought to have won, firstly against Yeovil Town (1-0) in front of over 8,000 fans at Prenton Park.
They were then defeated by the same scoreline against Bristol Rovers at Prenton Park, before talisman Enoch Showunmi then scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Colchester United, Tranmere's first victory in eight games.
Les Parry's side lost 2-0 against high flying Huddersfield
Town, with Town coming to Prenton Park unbeaten in eighteen league games, before in their most recent home game, Tranmere comfortably beat Dagenham and Redbridge 2-00.
The
Wirral side have played 20 home league games this season and picked up
28 of an available 60 points, this thanks to eight wins, four draws and
eight defeats.
Impressive
results away from home for Rovers this season include successes over
Walsall (4-1), Bournemouth (2-1), Notts County (1-0) and Plymouth Argyle
(3-1).
Les
Parry's side currently lie in 18th place in League One, having picked
up 49 of an available 123 points from 41 games, thanks to thirteen wins,
ten draws and eighteen defeats.
Double Hit:
The Ivorian striker started his career in France, playing for a whole host of clubs including Toulouse, before moving to Britain in August 2001, joining Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen.
Eleven months at Aberdeen saw Dadi struggle to make his mark on the club, as he netted just five times in 33 games for the club.
He soon moved on to Livingstone, but was equally unsuccessful, scoring just four times in 27 games, and after one season with the Lions, he left Scottish football, signing for Tranmere after impressing Ray Mathias whilst on trial at the club.
At Tranmere, Dadi became an instant success. He had a loveable, enthusiast attitude for football, something the Rovers fans warmed too, whilst he was also capable of putting in big game performances and scoring hugely important goals.
It was, then, with a heavy heart that Dadi, who also owns and runs his own clothing brand, left Tranmere after
just over two seasons on the Wirral, having netted 28 goals for the club from 86 games, leaving for Nottingham Forest in
August 2005.
However, with The Tricky Trees, Dadi was hugely
unsuccessful, and he was quickly sent out on loan to Notts County,
making eleven appearances for the club and scoring twice, before
returning to Forest and being released having managed only six
appearances for the club, five of them as a substitute, in his one
season with the club.
After being released by Forest, Dadi spent
time in Israel before moving to Perth Glory in 2008. Whilst at Perth,
he spent time in the off-season on loan at Swiss side FC Vaduz, and it
was during this period that he came back to Tranmere, playing in John
Achterberg's testimonial match at Prenton Park.
In 2010, Dadi
left Perth Glory having scored ten times in 22 games for the club,
joining up with former Tranmere striker Chris Greenacre at Wellington
Pheonix and scoring five times in ten games for the club before being
released.
After being linked with a move back to Tranmere this
summer, he eventually moved to Indonesian team Persibo where he has
scored eleven times in four games.
Earlier this month, Dadi was voted into Tranmere's team of the decade on Total Tranmere by Rovers fans, showing the amount of respect Super White Army fans have for the infectious personality of the striker.
One To Watch:
Westcarr played 26 times for Forest between 2001 and 2005 after coming through the clubs academy, making his debut as the club's youngest ever player when he was only 16, but the striker netted just once for the club and in 2005 he was released, joining Non League side Cambridge United after unsuccessful loan spells with Lincoln and MK Dons.
With Cambridge, Westcarr's form began to improve and after scoring eight times in 34 games in his one season with the club, he moved on to Kettering Town.
Three years at Kettering saw Westcarr flit between and winger and a striker, and as such his goal tally suffered, but he still managed to score 23 goals in 102 games for the club, finishing top scorer during the 2007-08 season.
A move to Stevenage in 2008 came about for Westcarr, but this bizarre turn saw the player leave the club in pre-season without playing a game, returning to Kettering and scoring twice for the club in the FA Cup fourth round against Fulham before being released at the end of the 2008/09 season.
Despite his release by Kettering however, Notts County saw potential in the player and picked him up on a free transfer.
Since returning to the Football League, Westcarr has not looked back, and has so far netted 13 goals this season, adding to the eleven he scored last campaign.
Aged 26, the Nottingham born striker is coming into the prime age for his career and is still developing as a player.
Available to play as both a winger or striker, Westcarr has been a constant threat for County this season and is currently the clubs joint top scorer, along with experienced front man Lee Hughes.
He is pacey and is good at providing chances from on the wing, whilst he is also a very capable finisher. He wears the number 20 shirt for the Magpies.
Around League One:
Asthis is a rearranged fixture, it is the only one in League One today
Team News:
He is likely to be replaced in the starting line up by captain John Welsh, himself returning from a two game ban, but otherwise, Les Parry is likely to name an unchanged line up after successive wins over Bournemouth and Dagenham.
This would mean only places on the bench once again for Andy Robinson and Dale Jennings, as well as Adam McGurk, who's confidence has clearly been raised hugely after his winning goal against Bournemouth.
Ian Goodison may be an injury concern for Tranmere, after coming off against Dagenham on Saturday, and he is most likely to be replaced by Nick Wood, unless Les Parry opts to move Ashton Taylor to centre-back and play Max Blanchard in midfield.
Rovers are also without Max Power, who sits out the final game of a three game ban picked up for a sending off in the reserve team, whilst Alan Mahon could once again miss out on a place on the substitutes bench and Marlon Broomes remains out with a knee ligament injury.
History shows that recently Tranmere have really struggled in now only the games against teams around them in the League One table, but also in games when they've played in front of a bigger crowd.
Rovers however must play for the full 90 minutes, and not sit back in the second half if they are ahead, like they did against Dagenham, as Notts County are much more likely to be biting at them for the full 90 minutes as they go in search of vital points.
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011:04:21:21:42:12 by Deadly Submarine.
they are on a dreadfull run but we have a tendenacy to play poor when we have a big crowd but surely we can beat these cant we?
Tranmere 5 Notts County 0.
Goodison hattrick.
I'm going for 3-0 to you guys though - Showumni, Labadie and Pepe
[www.courtoffside.com]
Quote:bigmart
labadie is banned for the next 3 games
Bookings catching up on him I take it? Shame cos he is always a guaranteed free kick at some point!
Why would Pepe not be playing? Did he come off injured yesterday?
Can see why mad dog is called mad! His post match interview shows he has totally lost the plot! A couple of the more sane gems!
"nobody's died or been taken to some consultant and been told we've got cancer."
"16 year old made his debut... a day he'll remember for the rest of his life... I shed some tears... can't remember his name... I call him Wally"
[www.courtoffside.com]
pepe went off injured near the end of the game yesterday but i would think he will be fit
Quote:bigmart
pepe went off injured near the end of the game yesterday but i would think he will be fit
A little injury will never stop the big man! He's the sort who would try and play on with a broken leg!
[www.courtoffside.com]
[www.courtoffside.com]
am going to say
creswell free kick for a goal
enoch header
goodie header
and welsh volly
win it 4 - 1
Every ball is a white ball............TRFC
The fact Robbo missed one doesn't mean he is automatically rubbish at them, for all you and I know, he could get another 3-4 penalites by the end of the season and sink them all.
Alternatively he might miss them all, but condemining him based on 1 penalty is a bit harsh.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.