Tranmere Rovers 2, Huddersfield Town 2

Sep 27 2006 By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

TOWN'S season so far was summed up in one match as Tranmere were stunned by an unlikely comeback.

Inconsistency has been a major problem for Peter Jackson's side.

Normally, Town's performances vary from game to game - last night it was from half to half.

Badly shaken up by livewire Barnsley old boy Chris Shuker in the first half, they were trailing to goals by Calvin Zola (10 minutes) and old foe Chris Greenacre (37) at the turn, when what would have been a seventh defeat in as many visits to Prenton Park looked odds on.

In the second, it was a different story as Jackson's side, having abandoned the 4-5-1 formation which worked so well at Swansea, returned to 4-4-2 - and scored through Andy Booth (52 minutes) and Gary Taylor-Fletcher (75).

Both sides had chances to win it, but in the end, a draw was a fair reflection of a topsy-turvy clash.

Booth, who in scoring equalled Billy Smith's tally of 126 goals for Town (only Jimmy Glazzard, with 154, and George Brown, 159, have more), tested Tranmere goalkeeper Gavin Ward with a header after only 30 seconds.

But it was Ronnie Moore's Rovers who were to make the real early running - with right winger Shuker pulling the strings.

He twice had shots saved by Matt Glennon in the fourth minute before supplying the cross from which Zola headed the home side in front.

Glennon saved Greenacre's header on 15 minutes, then punched clear a dangerous Shuker free-kick, before the same player's low 24th-minute shot was blocked by Town skipper Martin McIntosh.

But the Town defence was shredded as Tranmere doubled their lead, with neat passing down the right between Robbie Stockdale, Kevin Ellison and Shuker setting up Greenace to slot home.

Greenacre's stoppage-time header into the roof of the net from Ellison's cross was chalked off for offside, and how the Birkenhead boys were made to rue that decision.

With Matty Young having replaced groin injury victim Danny Schofield after 28 minutes, Tom Clarke, the extra midfielder, remained on the sidelines after the break as Pawel Abbott appeared.