LEWIS Warrington has already endeared himself to Tranmere Rovers fans in the short time that he has been with the club.

Scoring his first goal in Tranmere white on Tuesday in the side’s 2-0 win over Harrogate is just the latest achievement in his short Rovers career.

Warrington, signed on loan in January with the hope of aiding a promotion charge, has had an immediate impact.

He set down a marker within just a few minutes of his Tranmere debut, instantly showing his progressive style of football by taking on a shot from the edge of the box at first invitation against Swindon at the start of February.

Since then, Rovers have had to endure a long stretch of away games, with four trips away from home being broken up by the singular home game against Port Vale.

That game finished 1-1, with Vale scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time. It didn’t really feel like the home game Tranmere needed to spur on their promotion charge.

Another couple of poor results on the road, against Newport and Northampton, left Rovers, and Warrington, desperate for a win against Mansfield last Friday.

A stoppage time winner and an eruption around Prenton Park sent a new wave of belief through the players and fans in Birkenhead.

Warrington had yet another statement performance against Mansfield. He set up both of Elliott Nevitt’s goals in the second half, with some smart and slick passing moves.

As a young player, just 19, it’s hard to not let performances like that get the better of you. Warrington was kept awake with his excitement to get back on the football pitch for Tranmere’s game against Harrogate.

Warrington said: “I couldn’t sleep the last few days waiting for the game after Friday. I love coming here and I love playing at Prenton Park.”

He also knows that, as a young player, he has the backing of the Tranmere fans, who understand that with youth, come some rough edges.

He said: “The fans encourage the young players who are playing. They know that we’re not as experienced as some of the other lads who are playing.

“The fans were brilliant on Tuesday as they were on Friday. It really helps the players that they got behind us.”

Warrington scored his first goal for Tranmere in the win against Harrogate on Tuesday. The ball fell to him just inside the box and he managed to squeeze a shot just inside the right post of Mark Oxley’s goal.

He added: “I cut inside and I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to bend it in. There were loads of legs dangling so it sort of pea rolled in. Every goal counts so I’m not really bothered how it went in.

“That’s what I want to bring into my game. Trying to run into the box and trying to score goals.

“I haven’t scored in quite a long time actually. It felt good and we needed it to take the pressure off a bit. We were chasing the game because we knew we had to win.”

Scoring goals and added more contributions to the team is something that is on Warrington’s mind as he looks to continue to make a name for himself.

Three in two games isn’t a bad number to build from, either. As with most things in football, confidence plays a huge part in this development.

Warrington said: “I need to score more to be fair. The first chance came too quickly for me. I’m trying to get to the edge of the box more.

“I could have had a pop on Friday but I passed it out wide. I need to back myself that I can finish and I’ll score more goals.”

An Everton player and an Everton fan, Warrington is hopeful that the confidence that comes with winning back-to-back games for the first time in his Tranmere career, will carry through to the tough away games to come.

Rovers face back-to-back trips to Sutton and then Colchester. They’ve won just four games on the road this season, getting points in these games is vital and Warrington knows that.

Rovers are currently fourth in League Two but have been in the automatic promotion places for the majority of the campaign.

Warrington said: “We’ve got the players to play and get the ball on the floor. Away from home we come away from that a little bit. We get drawn in by teams who play that way.

“We’ve got the confidence behind us that we can play and on Saturday we need to translate that onto the pitch.

“The gaffer knows that we’re not good enough away from home. We’re a top side and if we play like we do here [at home] then no-one’s stopping us from getting automatic promotion.”

That goal of getting promoted automatically is unanimous in the Tranmere squad. The club haven’t gone up the football league, or into the football league, automatically since 1988.

The Evertonian in Warrington thinks that, along with Premier League survival and perhaps a cup victory for his parent club would be the ideal finish to the season.

He said: “Hopefully Everton win the FA Cup, we’re in the quarter final but all the focus is on Tranmere at the minute. Automatic promotion would be very nice.”

It’s unclear whether Lewis Warrington will return to Tranmere next season. The 19-year-old has made a huge impression with the fans, players and management at the club.

Everton may now be reluctant to let the young midfielder leave the club again after making such a huge impact at a professional level.

By Ant Stonelake