Micky Mellon’s men face Burton Albion this coming Saturday, a fixture in which Tranmere will be looking to extend the incredible performance given to draw against ‘The Posh’ midweek. Similar to the Peterborough fixture, Tranmere will need to reach the ‘tempo’ required to compete, as Burton are currently just outside the play offs after winning three of their opening eight league fixtures.
Burton Albion Football Club ‘The Brewers’ play their football at ‘The Pirelli stadium’, a ground in which Tranmere last visited on Boxing Day of 2014. A 2-0 win for the hosts continued Tranmere’s poor form in a season which confirmed their venture into the non-league. This season, Burton Albion have competed ‘on the road’ six times : Winning four times and drawing twice. However, they visited Portsmouth on Tuesday night and a win was turned into a draw during the last minute of additional time as Pitman converted from the penalty spot. Thus, Nigel Clough’s side’s visit to Merseyside will be of tough competition for the rovers. ‘The Brewers’ are without the services of Liam Boyce (hamstring) and Jake Buxton (ribs) but the pair are close to full fitness after making an appearance off the bench in Tuesdays encounter on the south coast to Portsmouth. Tranmere website’s one to watch is Liam Boyce, who is fighting for full fitness, as the striker was brought to the club on a record signing fee from Ross County. The Belfast-Born player began his career at Cliftonville before venturing into Germany to play his football at Werder Bremen. In a league of Rangers and Celtic, Liam Boyce topped the top scorers tally of the SPL in 2017 with 23 goals. Thus, ‘The Brewers’ could certainly benefit from his services. Nigel Clough’s side would also like to pay homage to former player Kelvin Maynard, after he was shot dead in Amsterdam midweek.
Micky Mellon’s men come into this fixture with the hope of continuing their proud performance shown on Tuesday night, at home to ‘The Posh’. Micky Mellon claimed that his side still needed to match the ‘tempo’ needed to compete in this league. However, Tuesday was certainly an improvement from what has been displayed so far. The team will be bolstered by the signing of Neill Danns, from Bury, as Mellon believes his side will certainly benefit from the experienced midfielder. The side will be without the services of Callum Woods (Calf), Kane Wilson (Knee), Morgan Ferrier (Knee), Mark Ellis (Knee), Evan Gumbs (ACL), Ishmael Miller (Hamstring). Also, Jake Caprice continues to be doubtful of a start despite returning to full training.
Did you know: Both Adam Mcgurk and Lucas Akins have played for Tranmere and Burton. Mcgurk made 79 appearances for Tranmere from 2010-2013 before playing his football at Burton for 2 years. Akins made 77 appearances for Tranmere from 2010-2012 before signing for Burton in 2014.
Expected lineups:
Tranmere – Davies, Ridehalgh, Monthe, Ray, Nelson, Morris, Perkins, Potter, Banks, Mullin, Payne.
Burton – O’Hara, Wallace, Nartey, O’Toole, Brayford, Sbarra, Quinn, Edwards, Sarkic, Broadhead, Akins.