Dave Challinor returns to former side Tranmere Rovers this weekend, looking for a response from his side as we look to bounce back from a midweek defeat to Crewe Alexandra.
Whilst County have been flying away from home in recent weeks, a below-par performance at Edgeley Park on Tuesday night saw our lead at the top of the table cut to just one point, as Crewe ran out 3-1 winners in SK3. We are currently six points clear of 4th place Wrexham, who have a game in hand, and four points clear of 3rd place Crewe, who have played a game more than us.
Our closest challengers are all also in action on Saturday, as Mansfield travel to Walsall, Wrexham host Notts County in North Wales, Crewe are at home to Harrogate Town and Barrow go to in-form Salford City.
Opponents Tranmere looked on course for a morale-boosting victory in midweek as they raced into a 2-0 lead at home to Morecambe, thanks to goals from Rob Apter and former County forward Connor Jennings. The visitors, however, came storming back to snatch a 3-2 victory in stoppage time, thanks to a goal from another ex-Hatter in midfielder Jacob Davenport.
Rovers come into this game sat in 18th in League Two, 14 points above the relegation zone and ten points shy of the play-off places as they look for a strong end to the campaign under manager Nigel Adkins.
Streaming:
This fixture will be available for overseas supporters to watch over on Stockport County Live, whilst featuring live match audio commentary from Jon Keighren and Liam Richardson will be available for supporters in the UK. Click here to purchase your video match passes today.
Since we last met:
There was real concern for Tranmere Rovers over the direction their season was heading when they visited Edgeley Park in late October, as a lacklustre 2-0 defeat in SK3 for Nigel Adkin’s side saw them slip into the League Two relegation zone.
Whilst goals from Tanto Olaofe and Antoni Sarcevic moved County five points clear at the top of League Two, it left Rovers with just ten points from their opening 16 league games of the season.
Former Southampton boss Adkins was interim manager at the time following the departure of Ian Dawes in September, but his appointment was made permanent just a week on from that Edgeley Park defeat, signing a two-and-a-half year deal with the club.
The stability and clarity of that appointment appeared to have an immediate impact on the first-team, who went on to lose just one of their next ten games in League Two from November through to January. Seven wins in that period, including a 5-1 away at Salford and a 4-2 at home to Notts County, have lifted the Merseyside club well clear of the relegation battle and all but secured their place in League Two for next season.
At that point their form had taken them to within six points of the play-off places heading into 2024, although they have stuttered somewhat in recent weeks. A 1-0 loss at Barrow in January began a run of just one win in six, with only one point picked up from their last three home games.
They have, however, already taken points off both Mansfield and Crewe this season, which will give them plenty of belief going into this game against the league leaders.
They will also be able to call upon former County man Connor Jennings, who has enjoyed a new lease of life since returning to Prenton Park over the Summer. The 32-year-old has scored ten times and registered five assists in 31 league appearances so far this season, already earning him a new contract at the club where he already enjoys cult-hero status.
Match Stats:
- Saturday will be the 122nd meeting between these two sides, and a victory for County at Prenton Park would put us level on head-to-head. We currently have 43 wins to Tranmere’s 44, with each side scoring 169 goals across those previous encounters.
- County are currently on their longest run without a clean sheet in the league this season (six games), having last done so in our 0-0 draw at Bradford City in December.
- Only three players have scored more goals in League Two this season than Tanto Olaofe (17), who has now scored four times in his last five games.
