TRANMERE Rovers kick-off the new football season on Saturday, August 8 with a testing trip to the Midlands to try and tame mighty Wolves in front of a bumper, and partisan, Molineux crowd.

First game of the 1998-99 Nationwide League Division One campaign at Prenton Park is the following Saturday (August 15), when Rovers entertain Alan Ball's Portsmouth.

Then Rovers face difficult away clashes at promotion favourites Sunderland and Terry Venables' Crystal Palace, with a home game against newly promoted Bristol City in between.

Tranmere Chairman Frank Corfe will be delighted with the Boxing Day fixture - a mouthwatering Prenton Park clash with Sunderland.

Manager John Aldridge will be happy, too, with Rovers' end of season run-in, with the final game of the season again at Prenton Park, against West Bromwich Albion, on Sunday, May 9.

The full fixtures appear at the bottom of this report.

Meanwhile, Tranmere have lost out to Swindon Town in a bid to sign Birkenhead-born centre-half Alan Reeves.

Reeves, 30, who had spells with Chester, Norwich and Rochdale, joined Swindon on a free transfer from Premiership club Wimbledon under the Bosman ruling. Tranmere manager John Aldridge failed to sign Reeves on loan last season.

Tranmere supporters are asked to note that the next Ground Committee meeting takes place at Aldo's, in The Prentonian, this evening (Wednesday, June 17) at 7.30pm. All Prenton Park fans are invited to air their views and put forward suggestions about their favourite football club.

Tranmere Rovers fixtures for the 1998-99 Nationwide League Division One season are as follow:-

AUGUST, 1998

Saturday, 8th ................ Wolves ...... A

Saturday, 15th .............. Portsmouth ...... H

Saturday, 22nd ............. Sunderland ......A

Saturday, 29th .............. Bristol City ......H

Monday, 31st .................. Crystal Palace ...... A

SEPTEMBER

Saturday, 5th ................. Bradford City ...... H

Wednesday, 9th ............. Queens Park Rangers ...... A

Saturday, 12th .............. Huddersfield Town ...... H

Saturday, 19th .............. Bury ...... A

Saturday, 26th .............. Swindon Town ...... H

Tuesday, 29th ................ Ipswich Town ...... H

OCTOBER

Saturday, 3rd ................. Birmingham City ...... A

Saturday, 10th .............. Oxford United ...... A

Saturday, 17th .............. Watford ...... H

Tuesday, 20th ................ Barnsley ...... H

Saturday, 24th .............. Crewe Alexandra ...... A

Saturday, 31st .............. Stockport County ...... H

NOVEMBER

Saturday, 7th ................. Sheffield United ...... A

Saturday, 14th ............... Bolton Wanderers ...... A

Saturday, 21st ............... Norwich City ...... H

Saturday, 28th ............... Port Vale ...... A

DECEMBER

Saturday, 5th .................. Grimsby Town ...... H

Saturday, 12th ................ Bolton Wanderers ...... H

Saturday, 19th ................ West Bromwich Albion ...... A

Saturday, 26th ................ Sunderland ...... H

Monday, 28th .................... Bradford City ...... A

JANUARY, 1999

Saturday, 2nd ................... FA Cup 3rd Rd ......

Saturday, 9th ................... Wolves ...... H

Saturday, 16th ................. Bristol City ...... A

Saturday, 23rd ................. FA Cup 4th Rd

Saturday, 30th ................. Crystal Palace ...... H

FEBRUARY

Saturday, 6th .................... Portsmouth ...... A

Saturday, 13th ................. Queens Park Rangers (FA Cup 5th Rd) ...... H

Saturday, 20th ................. Huddersfield Town ...... A

Saturday, 27th ................. Bury ...... H

MARCH

Wednesday, 3rd ................ Swindon Town ...... A

Saturday, 6th .................... Ipswich Town (FA Cup 6th Rd) ...... A

Tuesday, 9th ...................... Birmingham City ...... H

Saturday, 13th .................. Sheffield United ...... H

Saturday, 20th .................. Stockport County ...... A

Saturday, 27th .................. Crewe Alexandra ...... H

APRIL

Saturday, 3rd ...................... Watford ...... A

Monday, 5th .......................... Oxford United ...... H

Saturday, 10th .................... Barnsley (FA Cup Semi-Final) ...... A

Saturday, 17th .................... Norwich City ...... A

Saturday, 24th .................... Port Vale ...... H

MAY

Saturday, 1st ....................... Grimsby Town ...... A

Sunday, 9th ........................... West Bromwich Albion ...... H

Saturday, 22nd .................... FA Cup Final

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.