FRUSTRATION was the name of the game as Town were held by basement side Tranmere.
It wasn’t a defeat, but it felt like one as Lee Clark’s side three times took the lead – and each time conceded an equaliser within minutes.
It made it a night to remember for the 317 travelling supporters from the Wirral, but one Town fans in a 13,509 crowd will want to quickly forget.
Town restored Anthony Pilkington to their starting line-up after the winger missed Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup second-round win at Port Vale with a tight thigh muscle.
Lionel Ainsworth reverted to the bench in place of youngster Jack Hunt, but otherwise it was the same side and the same substitutes as the home team tried to build on their impressive record at the Galpharm.
Tranmere were seeking only a second away league win of the season, having lost eight.out of nine on the road.
And they made the worst possible start as Town got off to a flier courtesy of Lee Novak.
Just six minutes had elapsed when the Geordie frontman rattled in his sixth goal of the campaign.
A ball down the right was neatly headed on by Lee Peltier into the path of Novak, who got goalside of Tranmere pair Ian Goodison and Zoumana Bakayogo and shot right-footed into the roof of the net from 12 yards out.
It was a fine strike, but the home lead lasted just two minutes.
This time Town were caught out by a long ball down the right, and while Alex Smithies made a great block from Terry Gornell, he was powerless to prevent Ian Thomas-Moore thumping the rebound home.
It was only a fourth away league goal for Tranmere and just the fifth Town had conceded in the league on home soil.
Gornell’s 24th-minute shot on the turn which went just over and John Welsh’s 40th-minute free-kick – drilled straight into the home wall – were Tranmere’s only other efforts of note in the first half as Town set about trying to restore their advantage.
A corner ratio of 10-0 in favour of Lee Clark’s side told the story up to the break, but the Birkenhead side held firm.
Keeper Luke Daniels saved from Jordan Rhodes as the frontman drove in an angled shot, then tipped over Peter Clarke’s powerful header from Pilkington’s corner.
Peltier shot narrowly over after cutting in from the right, and Antony Kay, facing his former club, was denied when Daniels blocked his rising shot from the edge of the area.
Pilkington’s goalbound effort was deflected for a corner by Goodison, then Rhodes picked out Roberts, only for the winger to shoot wide.
Rhodes and Michael Collins had shots blocked in quick succession as Town continued to press.
And Peltier had the Tranmere defence scrambling desperately to deal with a lovely cross before on-loan Manchester City man Shaleum Logan took the ball off Collins’ toes as the midfielder shaped to shoot.
The second half began the same way as the first ended, and Peltier and Roberts both tried shots before Town regained the lead in the 58th minute through Collins.
The busy Peltier played a one-two with Roberts, and while his low cross was cleared by Goodison, Collins was on hand to smash home his third goal of the season.
The scene looked set for Town to take control, but once again, the lead lasted only two minutes as the home defence were again found wanting, with Craig Curran the man to benefit, firing past Smithies from just inside the area.
Tranmere were lifted and forced their first two corners of the game and had a penalty appeal turned down before John Welsh brought a fine fingertip save from Smithies with a 64th-minute shot.
Town fans were then relieved to see the keeper hold Goodison’s header from a Welsh corner.
The faithful were growing restless, but Lee Clark’s side were slowly but surely regaining their foothold, and substitute Theo Robinson, on for Rhodes, had a header halted by the legs of keeper Daniels before Kay made it 3-2 in the 82nd minute.
The midfielder kick-started the move which a quickly taken free-kick to Peltier, whose cross was helped on by Novak for Kay to finish from close in.
Click below for a gallery of last night's action.
Unbelievably, the scoring still wasn’t over as Tranmere doubled their away league goals tally for the season through substitute Michael Ricketts.
The big striker netted with his first touch in the 85th minute, his shot from Welsh’s free-kick creeping over the goalline to the dismay of boss Clark and the home support.
