TOWN and Ronnie Moore are old adversaries.
Just turn the clock back to the 1975-76 season, when the current Tranmere Rovers manager was the club’s chief goal-getter.
With both Town and Tranmere in the Division IV promotion-chasing pack, Tom Johnston’s side headed to Birkenhead at the business end of the campaign.
Both clubs were locked on 53 points, Town having four games left and Tranmere three.
A 2-0 midweek win at Crewe meant Town had a big travelling support, swelling the Prenton Park attendance to a season’s best 8,308.
But it was the home faithful who celebrated as Tranmere hit three without reply.
Moore claimed a hat trick and took three penalties, scoring two of them.
Town, who bitterly disputed the first of the spot kicks awarded by County Durham referee Peter Willis, lost their composure for the remainder of the game, and their nerve for the rest of the season.
A shock 2-1 home defeat by Southport kiboshed their hopes, and Tranmere, bossed by John King, finished two points better to take the fourth and final promotion berth behind Reading, Northampton and Lincoln.
Moore, part of a squad which also included Russ Allen, John James, Steve Peplow and future FA chief Mark Palios, finished the season as the division’s 34-goal top scorer.
He later moved on to Cardiff, then Rotherham, who he helped win promotion from the original Division III at Town’s expense in 1980-81.
Moore also had a spell at Rochdale before hanging up his boots, and beginning his coaching career, back at Tranmere.
