REMEMBER the film Groundhog Day?

Town’s travelling faithful are starting to understand how that American weatherman played by Bill Murray felt as he relived the same day again and again.

It’s five away defeats on the trot now for Andy Ritchie’s side, with 14 goals conceded and not one scored.

And while Tranmere celebrated going top of League I, 16th-placed Town are looking nervously over their shoulder.

Those early-season wins at Bournemouth and Millwall seem an eternity ago, and Ritchie was spot-on when he admitted his side have problems in both penalty areas.

The manager, whose team have won only once in nine matches, will step up his search for a loan striker after frontline duo Luke Beckett and Danny Cadamarteri again struggled to make an impact.

With his team two down, Ritchie threw on 17-year-old Danny Broadbent as a third forward for the final 19 minutes, plus three of time added on, but there was to be no fairytale debut.

Instead Tranmere struck again as Town looked all at sea in defending set-pieces.

The warning signs were there as early as the sixth minute, when Paul McLaren’s free-kick found Chris Greenacre in far too much penalty-area space.

It took a fine sliding tackle by Joe Skarz to prevent the former Mansfield frontman scoring against Town once again.

The visitors enjoyed the occasional foray into enemy territory, with Cadamarteri shooting wide and Ben Chorley clearing as Beckett tried to connect with a Frank Sinclair cross.

But Tranmere always seemed to have more power, pace and precision, and while Town survived when Greenacre shot across the face of goal after 24 minutes, there was a nagging inevitability about the moment the impressive McLaren fired them in front from Gareth Taylor’s lay-off five minutes later.

Town keeper Matt Glennon pulled off the first of three good saves when he parried Antony Kay’s 32nd-minute drive.

Seven minutes later, he tipped Greenacre’s shot away for a corner.

Then, a minute into the second half, Glennon blocked former Rotherham man McLaren’s close-range shot with his legs.

But within six minutes, Town were two down and facing a damage-limitation mission.

Glennon, Nathan Clarke, Sinclair and Tranmere’s Taylor all jumped for McLaren’s inswinging corner and the ball found its way to the far post, where Australian defender Shane Sheriff nodded it home.

Kay, taking a midfield berth rather than the centre-back role he had when he played under Ritchie at Barnsley, fired over from 15 yards as Tranmere scented blood.

At least Town managed to muster an attacking response, although when Clarke’s block tackle meant Beckett had space to shoot, Ian Goodison got across the stifle the threat.

The Jamaican centre-back was having one of those nights where he just couldn’t put a foot wrong, and Town were restricted to long-range efforts through Ronnie Wallwork, after 65 minutes, and Andy Holdsworth (71).

Beckett headed over in the 75th minute, then hooked a shot too high when Cadamarteri’s 78th-minute effort was blocked.

But Ritchie’s side were unable to attack with any momentum, and Tranmere, who have now won seven of their last eight home clashes with Town, underlined their supremacy in the 83rd minute.

McLaren fired in another corner and the awkward Taylor climbed high to head home.