Tranmere go in to a huge home game on Tuesday night as they entertain league leaders Macclesfield Town, days after Macc came away from Aldershot with three points which helped Micky Mellon’s side back in to second place.
If Rovers can take another three points, it would be the tenth consecutive home win, but in the scope of the title race, a win is a must if Tranmere are to stay in the mix. John Askey’s team still have a game in-hand on Tranmere; if the visitors win, they will be a huge seven points clear of Tranmere with that game in-hand still to play.
Tranmere’s home win over Bromley on Saturday was a pleasing one, the type of game which Tranmere have struggled to win in recent years. Fiercely contested and evenly matched, Rovers forced a mistake out of the visiting defender and goalkeeper to grab the only goal of the game. When things got tough in the second half, the home side still created chances to extend their lead, while showing a real toughness when Bromley tried to crank up the pressure late-on.
The last time Tranmere met Macclesfield was in November, just as Mellon’s team were starting to show flickers of hope for a revival following a dreadful start to the season. They twice led in the first half at Moss Rose thanks to Larnell Cole and Andy Cook, but the home side would equalise deep in stoppage time at the end of the game.
In truth, Tranmere should have been out of sight by that point having missed a bucket load of guilt-edge chances in the second half.
Rovers cannot afford to put a foot wrong in the run-in
Rovers would soon turn things around with a blistering run of form in December, leading in to a continued strong run in 2018. It’s thrust them back in to a title race they looked like mere spectators to not long ago, but that poor early season form has left Mellon’s team with no room for failure.
It’s taken a quite staggering run of home form to get back amongst it, and while Tuesday’s game is one to relish, defeat could mean that focus should probably be back on the play-offs.
It’s another huge night in the National League. Check back tomorrow as we preview all the games that matter at the top.
