Tranmere’s 3-1 win over Cheltenham Town on Saturday was a welcome one. It means Rovers have now taken seven points from their last three fixtures and are now in the top half of the table.
Aside from the three points and another two goals for Dylan Jones who is on fire this season, there were also plenty of other positives to take from the game. Here’s just a few of the key ones:
- Rovers coming from behind – again
In recent seasons, Tranmere have found it difficult to win any game of football, let alone winning a game after being behind. Saturday’s success was indeed the first time this season Rovers have won when trailing in a game, though they came mighty close to doing so at Newport before throwing two points away in stoppage time.
Having a strong enough mentality to be able to go behind in a game – especially as early as we did on Saturday – and come out the other side with three points is significant. If Rovers can build on that, it will serve them well this season. - Charlie Whitaker back amongst the goals
There’s never been any doubt about Charlie Whitaker’s ability. However, having finished last season as the club’s top scorer with nine goals, he had failed to find the net in the league this season since the opening day win over Shrewsbury Town.
In recent weeks, for all his endeavour, things weren’t quite dropping for him in the much the same way they aren’t for Tom Ince. Saturday’s brilliant strike will hopefully give him the confidence to go on another scoring run…and hopefully Ince will also have a similar change in fortune. - Clinical edge
The early stages of this season have seen Rovers play more attacking and entertaining football than we have seen for several years. However, the inability to take the numerous chances being created has cost us dearly. Rotherham, Walsall and Rochdale would have been dispatched comfortably if we had been more clinical in front of goal, while Newport away was also a game we could have had two more points from.
With that in mind, to see Rovers roar into a 3-1 lead by half-time on Saturday despite not creating many chances was refreshing. Hopefully the team is now full of confidence and will maintain its ruthlessness. - Jordan Turnbull’s return
Defender Jordan Turnbull has had an interesting time at Tranmere. Big things were expected when he joined from Salford City back in 2022 and he started off very well indeed. We’ve seen some excellent performances, but the last couple of seasons have seen Turnbull pick up injuries and be part of a shambolic defence.
Back to this season, and Turnbull started very well indeed, looking every inch the experienced League Two centre back we needed. Once again, injury struck and left him sidelined for a few weeks, but his return to the starting eleven on Saturday was good to see, and he performed well. Rovers now have four good centre backs fit and fighting for a starting position. That can only be a good thing. - Joel Senior’s fine start continues
Let’s finish this by talking about Joel Senior. When he arrived from Bristol Rovers in the summer, it seemed a standard League Two signing. When reading views of supporters of his previous clubs, it was the usual mix of positive, negative and some citing injuries.
If Tranmere fans were asked for an early season report on Senior right now, he would be right in the running for the Player of the Year award. First and foremost, Senior is solid defensively, which is crucial for a full-back. Dependable, calm and reads the game well. Going forward, he’s been immense, regularly taking on players, delivering crosses into the box and offering a genuine threat up the right-hand side. If Rovers keep Senior fit this season, he could be vital to our success.
As attentions turn to the FA Cup this weekend, Rovers will go into that tough tie fresh off the back of an impressive win that was full of positives.
