Tranmere's optimism blown away

1:27pm Monday 11th August 2008

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IT took all of five minutes for Tranmere’s pre-season optimism to be blown away as Swindon Town cantered to a comprehensive 3-1 win on the opening day of Coca Cola League One.

The County Ground has never been a particularly happy hunting ground for Rovers, and so it proved once more as a series of shocking defensive lapses gifted Swindon victory.

Moore handed a debut to Godwin Antwi at right-back, who was given a difficult time by Anthony McNamee, alongside centre-backs Ben Chorley and Antony Kay, with Andy Taylor at left-back. Fellow debutants George O’Callaghan and Charlie Barnett lined up alongside Steve Jennings in midfield, with new boy Bas Savage joining Craig Curran and Ian Moore in attack. John Achterberg was making his 300th appearance for Rovers in goal.

Rovers went behind as early as the fifth minute when McNamee’s centre wasn’t dealt with and John-Paul McGovern crossed for Liverpool-born Billy Paynter to head into the far corner.

In fairness, Rovers enjoyed a decent amount of possession without ever looking like hurting the hosts, although a couple of half-chances went begging. Bas Savage headed wide early on, Andy Taylor cracked a 25-yarder over the bar, and Ian Moore’s delicate lob over the advancing keeper was cleared off the line by Jerel Ifil, with Curran slicing the rebound wide under pressure.

The search for an equaliser was undone by move defensive profligacy on 37 minutes. Paynter flicked an innocuous ball down the middle into the path of Simon Cox, the flat-footed Rovers defence failed to deal with the danger, and Cox raced clear to smash past Achterberg for 2-0.

Any lingering hopes of a way back into the game were dashed just five minutes after the interval. Cox fired the ball across the six-yard box from the left, and McGovern’s effort was ruled by the assistant referee to have crossed the line, despite Taylor’s best efforts to keep it out.

With the game effectively over, Rovers went in search of some consolation from a disappointing afternoon. Savage went close to breaking his duck but was denied by Peter Brezovan, while Barnett brought another stop out of the Slovak keeper with a low shot across goal. At the other end, meanwhile, Swindon continued to threaten, with Cox heading just wide and later flashing a long-range volley just past the post.

With five minutes to go, Rovers grabbed a consolation when Savage tapped in from close range, but it was too little, too late.

A massive improvement will be expected in the Carling Cup at Grimsby on Tuesday night.

Globe Man of the Match: Steve Jennings – kept going in adversity.

Tranmere: Achterberg, Antwi, Taylor, Chorley, Kay, O’Callaghan (sub: Sonko, 60 mins), Jennings, Barnett, Curran, Savage, Moore.