Tranmere head to Exeter City on Saturday looking to bounce back from their first league defeat of the season following the 2-0 reverse at Gillingham on Saturday.
The trip to Devon represents the third consecutive long distance away game for Rovers, following the Gills game and the trip to Newport a couple of weeks previous. By the time the Rovers fans return to the Wirral late on Saturday night, they will have clocked up more than 1,400 miles across those three games, but will Tranmere have added to their points tally which currently sits at nine?
A tough assignment for Darrel Clarke’s team
A quick glance at the League Two table would give the casual observer a cause for optimism this weekend, with the hosts currently sat in 20th position with five points. However, with only eight points separating top-to-bottom in the division, you would need to look a little closer into the detail to know that this is going to be a tough afternoon for Rovers.
While the Grecians have only one league win to their name this season, they remain unbeaten at home. That victory – a 2-0 win against Accrington in August – was a great example of being resolute and patient out of possession, something Rovers have been for the most part this season. They surrendered 62% possession to Accrington, yet still registered 19 shots on goal and walked away with a clean sheet and three points.
At home, they have also held two of League Two’s pre-season promotion favourites to draws, with Walsall and current league-leaders Barnet both having to settle for a point in tough games.
St James’ Park is often a tricky ground for teams to go and play at, with a usually vocal backing from the ‘Big Bank’ behind one goal providing the home team with plenty of support. In Manager Matt Taylor, they have a club favourite who understands what success looks like for Exeter and knows what their fans expect. Despite a tough assignment in the transfer market given Exeter’s financial position, he looks to have built a team that will provide many a sticky moment for visiting teams. If they can find some form on the road, they may have enough to be a play-off threat once again, as they seem to be every time they’ve been in League Two recently.
Tranmere’s record at Exeter
Last time Tranmere travelled to Exeter was in December 2021, a strike from Elliott Nevitt enough to give Rovers a 1-0 win. That result was the latest in a collection of fairly positive outcomes for Rovers in their trips to St James Park. Since the turn of the millennium, Rovers have played seven games at Exeter, winning three, losing three, and drawing one. Granted, there have been a couple of shocking performances in there – some may still have cold sweats about Manny Monthe’s performance in 2020 – but it’s a decent return overall.
Focus on Rovers
Darrel Clarke has a number of big decisions to make this week in terms of team selection. Last week’s defeat at Gillingham was a strange one. The hosts were dreadful in the first half and Rovers were just too wasteful in the final third to take advantage. The longer the second half went on, the more Rovers lost their way and eventually some shambolic defending somehow left the Gills with three points and a 2-0 win.
Decisions are there to be made in just about every area of the pitch. At centre back, Bobby Faulkner could probably be faulted for one of Gillingham’s goals; does he keep his place or does loanee George Nevitt come in? If Jordan Turnbull is fit, you’d think he would come back in given his form this season.
In midfield, Sam Finley got the nod at Priestfield and while he did well for periods of the first half, he tired second half to the point where his closing down for the cross that led to the opening goal was lethargic at best. Tom Conlon will be in contention for a start, as may Jordan Davies, though he looked well off the pace in his cameo at Gillingham.
Ryan Watson also re-joined the club this week having been training with the squad since the summer, does he feature?
Up front, will Joe Ironside keep his place? Does David Kamara get a start?
Many decisions for Clarke to make, but if he can get it right, Rovers’ pace going forward and committed defensive displays we have seen several times already this season could be the catalyst for another win at St James Park. Here’s hoping.
