McAteer Off As Rovers Lose to Bristol City

By Deadly Submarine
April 23 2006

A first half of two City goals and a sending off for Jason McAteer ensured that Rovers never recovered as a late penalty eventually saw them lose 3-0 on Saturday. The defeat takes Rovers to within two points of the relegation zone with two matches remaining making relegation sadly look a reality.

 

 

                                                                                Brooker 17

        McCammon 34

        Woodman (pen) 90

                                   

Attendance: 6,288

 

 

Another dismal Saturday for Rovers as the relegation zone sucked them in even further following a 3-0 defeat at home to Bristol City in League One thanks in the main to two avoidable first half goals and the dismissal also in the first half of Jason McAteer for Rovers.

 

Rovers manager Brian Little made four changes, two them enforced by injury and suspension,  from the line-up that started the 1-0 defeat at Colchester United on Monday.  The injured Sam Aiston and suspended Steven O’Leary, made way for Danny Harrison and Jason McAteer whilst Steve Davies returned to the starting line-up at the expense of Carl Tremarco.

 

The fourth change to the Rovers side saw goalkeeper Matt Murray return between the posts for Rovers after his injury that kept him out for four matches after his initial debut at Yeovil back in March.  Steve Wilson returned to the substitutes bench along with Carl Tremarco, Paul Linwood and youngsters Ollie James and Mike Jones.

 

There was little sign of the result to come in the opening stages of the game as Rovers began the game if anything as the better team in the opening ten minutes.  Danny Harrison and Steve Jennings were competing well in midfield and Steve Davies was causing problems for the Bristol City defence.

 

The young striker took off down the left side in the seventh minute but his cross was too close to Basso in the City goal.  Two minutes later, Davies was involved again as Rovers registered the first shot of the afternoon following a great team move.

 

Danny Harrison fed Gareth Roberts on the right and the Welshman’s cross was flicked on by Steven Jennings into the path of the Steve Davies who met the ball well on the volley but it went just wide of the target.

 

Rovers kept up the pressure on the visitors goal as a 30-yarder from Steven Jennings deflected wide for a corner and from the resulting kick, Ian Sharps headed Davies’s corner over the crossbar.

 

It looked as if Rovers were more than capable of getting the points they needed to stay in League One as theyout fought the visitors until Bristol City took the lead in the 16^th minute totally against the run of play. 

 

A cross from the right by Bradley Orr seemed to be in the air for an eternity but still the Rovers defence failed to deal with it as it dropped onto the head of Steve Brooker.  Although the strikers header was parried by Matt Murray, the big keeper couldn’t hold the ball and Brooker poked in the rebound to give the visitors an undeserved lead.

 

As if to prove the goal was against the balance of the game, Rovers pushed forward again and Chris Greenacre had a long-range shot easily gathered by Basso.  In the 29^th minute, Rovers were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area for a foul on Steve Davies.  It was the youngster himself who took the free-kick which went through the defensive wall and crashed against the crossbar as Rovers luck continued to fail them.

 

With possibly only their second chance of the match, the visitors doubled their lead in the 34^th minute with defence and the goalkeeper again to blame.  Dave Cotterill crossed for Mark McCammon whose header somehow looped over the six foot plus Matt Murray and into the net.  

 

Could it get any worse for Rovers at this stage?  Just a minute later if did get worse as Jason McAteer was sent off for an apparent elbow on Scott Brown over by the Johnny King Stand.  So somehow Rovers were 2-0 down and down to ten men after just 35 minutes without the opposition appearing to be too much of a threat.

 

Just as half-time approached, City goalkeeper Basso smashed a clearance against Delroy Facey but once again Rovers luck was out as the ball sailed over the crossbar of the open goal. 

 

Steve Davies dropped into midfield in the second half as Rovers looked to get an early goal to give them a fighting chance of getting at least a point.  Jennings had two chances in the opening ten minutes of the half as he first fired wide from a Steve Davies corner and then headed wide just a minute later.

 

Rovers continued to press but couldn’t produce the vital final ball for the attackers although substitute Carl Tremarco’s cross was pushed away from Chris Greenacre whilst at the other end Brown had a shot saved by Murray.  After Gareth Roberts had cleared the danger from his own penalty area, Delroy Facey ran clear of the City defence and looked certain to score.  However, the striker took too long to have a shot and lost the ball.

 

The final act of a sorry day for Rovers came in the final minute of time when Carl Tremarco fouled substitute Cole Skuse and Craig Woodman put his penalty into the top corner of the goal to make the scoreline look undeservedly worse for Rovers.

 

Other results conspired to ensure Rovers are now just two points from the drop zone with two games remaining and face a massive game at fellow relegation candidates MK Dons next Saturday.

 

 

 

 

Brian Little Speaking the Tranmere Rovers Official Website:

"The first goal was bad from our point of view.  There was nothing in the game and then they scored from the first ball into our box.  The second goal we should have defended better as well.  They were free headers.  From there on in it got hard for us.  Credit to the lads in the second half - they've worked hard and tried hard and we had a couple of shouts for a penalty.”

"It was a hard day for us again and you can't blame the players for having their heads down at the end.  The most important thing for us to do is to go there next week and try to win.  When you get to this stage, whatever you have to do to stay up is worthwhile.”

"We had two very young boys on the bench today and it would have been wrong to have given them any taste of that game.  We looked at the second half and said 'one of them might have to play next week, shall we give them ten minutes?', but it would have been wrong to put them into that atmosphere.”

"We're not going to win many games with ten men.  That's three out of the last four games so we're not doing ourselves any favours.  I didn't see anything [for the sending off].  There were so many things going on out there that two minutes afterwards people were getting booked for.  I was disappointed the referee didn't make instant decisions.   The worst tackle of the day was from behind on one of our players but there was no booking.  It was difficult to understand.  But I'm not blaming the referee for the defeat."

"I understand the frustrations at the end where people were calling for me to leave.  I can't leave at this time, that would be ludicrous.  The players need me at this moment in time.  I genuinely, honestly and truthfully can't walk away from the players.  There's no sense in that, it's not a logical solution."