AFTER a hard game on Saturday, while Tranmere had had a weekend off, this match always looked like being an uphill struggle.

Tranmere are a hospitable club with a pleasant, modern stadium surrounded by the unprepossessing streets of Birkenhead.

When snow started to fall before the kick-off, on a bitterly cold night, survival for the supporters as well as the team was the order of the day!

However, it took two set pieces to break down the resistance of Town's defence. Both goals resulted from an inability to deal effectively with second phase ball.

In each case a free-kick was hoisted into the box, intercepted by a Rovers head, and moved across the face of the goal to an unmarked player who scored.

We do lack heading ability at the back and there was a tendency for our defence to bunch around the ball. In these situations we must start to keep a defender wide, on the far post.

Town started the second half dynamically and, with the home side content to sit back on their lead, played some good football without really looking threatening.

In added time, though, Rovers ran through a tiring defence to score a rather unmerited third.

The team's enthusiasm was demonstrated when Michael Collins and Luke Beckett separately grabbed a ball and prepared to take throw-ins 10 yards apart; sadly spotted by the officials!

Peter Jackson is now rightly building for next season and such games help the young players to gain experience.

Tranmere showed the standard that we need to reach next year if we are to gain promotion.

The Academy lads coming through into the first team represent tremendous credit to Gerry Murphy, though we still need an additional leavening of experience if we are to make an effective challenge.