Micky Mellon was satisfied with a point from Tranmere's trip to Forest Green Rovers on Saturday, after the two sides played out a goalless draw.
But Rovers had to finish the match with 10 men, after defender Calum MacDonald picked up a second yellow card late in the game.
The result leaves Tranmere in 13th position in League Two - eight points adrift of their table-topping opponents.
Speaking after the match, Mellon said: “We could possibly have punished them, but I always try to be fair and honest because that’s what we are here at Tranmere, but it could have gone either way at any time.
“The two teams have really gone for it and tried to play good football, so it was a really wide-open game and some of our defending was fantastic, and their goalkeeper has made some great saves as well.
“If we are thinking of our performance, we got into some really good areas away from home at a team at the top end of the league, there were enough opportunities for us to do a bit better.
“We got into some good crossing areas as well and we could have been a bit better at that, but over the course of the game, the desire and the fight were what Tranmere is all about.
“We were roared on by a fantastic crowd and we’ll take the point, but we’re a bit disappointed as if you come here and get those opportunities, you want to take them, but it was an open game.
“We wanted to find a way of playing which suited the group and I think that we have found that now, we didn’t have to change the shape to deal with their shape, we had enough in us to deal with them when they got their wing backs out, and we caused them problems when our wide-men got into pockets and out wide.
“We got in behind them really well, so I’m pleased with the shape but always want to win every game that we play.”
A high-octane start saw Luke McGee in the Forest Green goal and his opposite number Ross Doohan forced into smart stops inside the opening 60 seconds.
Forest Green’s Matty Stevens should have opened the scoring eight minutes before the break – nodding wide from Jamille Matt’s header following a pin-point Kane Wilson cross.
A minute later, McGee did well to clutch a Josh Hawkes’ strike and even better with a sprawling save from MacDonald’s thunderous hit.
From the second-half get-go, Tranmere captain Peter Clarke blocked a certain goal from Wilson and then Nicky Cadden skewed wide.
Stevens smacked the Tranmere bar from the edge of the box on 59 minutes and Doohan did well to glove Wilson’s shot at the other end, before McGhee denied Kieron Morris.
Forest Green substitute Jake Young came close to snatching a point with six minutes to go but Doohan got a decent hand on the ball.
Tranmere were reduced to 10 men when MacDonald picked up a second yellow for a foul on Ebou Adams with three minutes to go.
Young nodded over in five minutes of stoppage-time as Tranmere held out.
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