Ethan Hoijord

Forest Green Rovers – meeting the opposition.

Tranmere, the best defensive side in League Two, face Forest Green Rovers, the best attacking side in the division on Saturday afternoon at Prenton Park in a top of the table clash.

The two clubs have grown a bit of a relative rivalry in recent years, stemming from fighting for promotion in the National League which culminated in the 2018 Play-Off final where Forest Green would win 3-1.

Ahead of this weekend’s encounter, I spoke to Green Army supporter Alfie Ryan who gave his thoughts on the visitors this season amongst his thoughts on controversial owner Dale Vince and much more.

What were your expectations going into the season and what are they now as we enter the second half of the campaign?

I think going into the season the realistic expectation from most FGR fans was to be up and around the top 7 again, continuing to fight for promotion. However after a brilliant start I genuinely think that even if we didn’t win the league, we would still be up in the top 3.

What are your thoughts on those in charge at Forest Green? Rob Edwards is the manager having been appointed in late May 2021 and Dale Vince is the, somewhat controversial, owner.

I think Rob Edwards has really spurred fans on to believe that maybe this is the year that we get promoted, I’ll be completely honest I was sceptical when he was first appointed as he had a lack of experience within the professional club leagues, obviously he had a role within the England set up. Realistically though he’s been great, there’s a much greater feeling of unity at the club now. 

As for Richie Kyle, Rob’s assistant manager. He’s been great too; we’ve not had a real chance to connect with an assistant manager since Scott Lindsey left us a few years ago, Richie is a very nice bloke who’s got experience with being an assistant manager for the Canada women’s team. 

Dale Vince as you well know is deemed to be “controversial”, but the “maverick owner” has got a great vision for the club, and it is seriously paying off.

Who would you say are the visitors danger men and who do you see as the stand out hosting players?

I think for us, all of our players this season could well be considered “danger men” but if I had to highlight a few of them, both of the front men in Jamille Matt and Matty Stevens, the pair have scored 31 goals already this season combined. Another few danger men are the wingbacks Nicky Cadden and Kane Wilson, obviously most of the Tranmere fans will remember Kane, who has got 9 assists this season already, whilst Nicky Cadden, signed from Greenock Morton, has 6 assists so far this season. Defensively we’ve been solid, with Luke Mcgee in goal, Luke has the most clean sheets in the league with 12. Just ahead of Tranmere keeper Ross Doohan. I understand that Tranmere’s danger men are Peter Clarke, Ross Doohan and Charlie Jolley  . 

The last time the two sides met was 25th September as Calum MacDonald was sent off late in a goalless draw. How would you describe the course of that particular ninety minutes?

Yeah, the 0-0 draw back in September, wow that feels a while ago. In terms of describing the the 90 mins, in reality there wasn’t a great deal to describe apart from it being an end to end game 

How do you see the upcoming fixture panning out, score prediction etc, and do you believe it will pose different questions than the previous meeting did?

I can possibly see the game being a boring draw, or completely action packed as we’re scoring for fun and you’re defensively very good, best home team vs best away team. The game speaks for itself, therefore either 0-0 or 2-1 to us.

What starting eleven do you think Rob Edwards will select and how would you describe his playing style?

I’d say the starting XI on saturday will be a 3-4-1-2 as usual, with Luke Mcgee in goal, back three of Baily Cargill, Jordan Moore Taylor and Udoka Godwin-Malife, the midfield 4 will consist of Kane Wilson, Ben Stevenson, Regan Hendry and Nicky Cadden, just in behind the two strikers will be Jack Aitchison, and then the front two of Jamille Matt and Matty Stevens. To discuss Rob’s style of play, it’s particularly exciting. Obviously the goal stats speak for themselves, it’s quite a possessive style of play. 

Thinking of the previous encounters between the two sides, what games/moments stand out as being memorable for you?

Well, it would go without saying that fixtures between Tranmere and FGR have always been exciting, and the only answer I can genuinely give you is the VNL play off final in which we won 3-1 at Wembley. 

As we’re now halfway into the January transfer window, who would you like The Green to sign and would you say there are any particular positions that need to be strengthened? Have any outgoings/incomings been completed so far? 

So yeah, Dale Vince has already stated that we would not be bringing anyone in as long as no one went out, we’ve loaned young Jack Evans to AFC Fylde as he simply could not get near the team with the level of quality. I think we’ve got a pretty solid setup and don’t really need to strengthen any particular area, if we were to sign anyone, ideally a back up for Nicky Cadden at Left Midfield. Also potentially another midfielder just in case Ebou Adams did leave (as rumoured with Blackpool), however he is unlikely to leave due to still being with Gambia at AFCON.

Dave Higgins – Mid Season Review.

Tranmere have conceded less goals than any other professional English football club than Manchester City, thus it’d be difficult not to mention Rovers’ great defensive work when talking to club legend Dave Higgins.

Dave gave his thoughts on how the season has gone so far, on Micky Mellon’s managerial return to the club as we also discussed the January transfer window and what position he believes Tranmere will end the season in.

‘Automatic promotion is in our hands. Who will win the league title? We will’.

How would you say the season has gone so far, has it been a positive start to Micky Mellon’s return to Merseyside?

It wasn’t an amazing start to the season but everyone knew that he normally gets his team going after Christmas. We had an awful lot of players come in pre-season so it was hard for him to understand what his best team was. I still wouldn’t say we’re at our best however if we’re winning eight out of ten league games whilst not playing at our best, imagine what we can do when we are. 

Micky’s come back from Scotland with more experience and he’s now utilising his new found team very well and we’ve got some amazing attacking talents. If you offered me, in the summer, second at this point of the season I’d snap your hand off so he is doing a really good job.

Talking about the squad we have, what would you say are their strengths and weaknesses? Would the weaknesses be linked to depth?

I think we’ve got enough bodies for depth, if you look at how many names we have on the back of a programme you’ll see that! 

The positives are that we’re clean sheet after clean sheet but we could do with scoring more. Our opponents are having more possession than us and we’re not letting them do much, if anything, with it. We’ve made a lot of changes to the squad but the way we’re digging in to win the games shows that the players are buying into what the manager wants of them. Positives? Clean sheets, results, the team is fighting like mad and we are where we should be. Second in January is brilliant.

Touching on the defence and the clean sheets they’re producing, with you being a defender what would you say are the reasons behind the success of the Rovers back line?

A settled back four and goalkeeper is very important as they’re able to build that bond and communicate with each other well, they’ll know when to move and when to stay. It isn’t just down to them though, great defensive work must start from your forwards and trickle down into a strong midfield before you reach the last line. When we’re defending a corner everyone is back, no ones being left up and the team’s work ethic is very very good.

We were able to reach the final of the Papa John’s Trophy last season but we’ve exited all cup competitions at an early stage this campaign. Would you say that’s something that has bothered yourself or would you have wanted to focus solely on the league?

Due to the size of the squad we have, we could’ve chopped and changed to suit the fixture list demands. However, less games mean that you’re less likely to get injuries to key players. It’s always great to have a good cup run, it’s amazing to get a big club to come to Prenton Park and all of the players would’ve wanted to experience that. However, we’ve just got to accept that we’re out of the cups as our main aim is to get promoted and we’re right on course to achieve that. 

Focusing on the January window and what we’ve been able to complete so far, the loans of Josh McPake and Kane Hemmings then the outgoings being Mark Duffy and Ryan Watson. How would you describe our business so far and what are your thoughts on the retirement of club captain Scott Davies?

Davies’ retirement is very sad as that was forced with injury, in a match that I was at. I’m sure he’ll get a coaching role or something similar elsewhere as he was a top professional for Tranmere. 

The signings? We needed forwards, we’ve brought in forwards. Nevitt was trying his hardest up front against greatly experienced centre halves. We were feeding him on scraps and he must’ve been wondering what he had to do at times to get more opportunities at times. We’re now creating more chances as we’ve brought in players with a bit of pace and knowhow but we could still do with scoring more.

You were in the stadium last season, commentating on matches for TRFC Radio. How is it like to have supporters back now? Have you noticed much of a difference?

It’s absolutely made a difference. You go out for a pre-match warm up and nobody’s there. It’s so hard to get yourself in that correct mood. As soon as you hear the fans, it motivates you so much more and when you’re relatively clinging on to games the crowds can help the team fight on until the whistle blows. Imagine going on a promotion push and there’s no fans there? It really lacks excitement and that has all come back.

We’re now entering the final months of the season. Do you believe automatic promotion is a possibility and do you believe we could nip Forest Green to win the league title with the game against them being next week?

That’s a massive game against them next weekend and we’ll go within four points of first with a win. We did well against them in the first meeting of the season, when we drew 0-0 at their place. 

Last season we had two games in hand, we had to win those games to go second and we were getting excited in the press box, what happened then was we got too far ahead of ourselves and it’s important now that we don’t make that same mistake. 

If we concentrate on our games, not other games, no one will be able to catch us and with the seasoned professionals we’ve got I believe promotion is in our own hands. I’m sure we can go on to get promoted, win the league title as well. 

What a win it would be to win the title. We’re doing the damage against the teams we’re facing and that’s why we are where we are.

Finishing our conversation off, where can people find your media work? Are you still commentating for the club?

I’m still doing the radio work for Tranmere. I’ve been away, I’ve been working and it’s happened that a home game hasn’t fallen in yet. Saturday I’ll be there and then the remaining Saturdays of the season, I’m unable to make midweek games due to work commitments.

Runcorn Sports 6 West Kirby 1 – Match Report.

Saturday 22nd January 2022 

West Kirby struggled to pose their capabilities against a strong Runcorn Sports side as they fell to a 6-1 defeat on Saturday afternoon.

In an end to end fast paced half, the hosts were clinical in the final third. However, it was West Kirby that netted first as Sam Haley beat his man with an instinctive side foot finish inside the box.

The scoreline would soon be made level, before Runcorn put themselves in front. The first was converted by Mick O’Neil with a low and hard finish before Ste Woodwood performed a well worked move on the left hand side as he cut in to finish in the top corner. 

Nathan Brook’s men had an opportunity to put the game level. However, Tila Davies’ header flew over the bar.

Just as they did with their opening two goals, Runcorn scored two in quick succession before the whistle blew for halftime. Josh Archer would score the third following a brilliant through ball and then Ste Jackson netted from the penalty spot.

The pace of the game would mellow after the break as the leaders enjoyed more of the possession.

A fifth, to put the game far out of the reach of a draw, was scored by Woodwood as the attacker pounced on a mistake at the back. In truth, the scoreline would’ve had a greater difference if Lewis Burrows hadn’t made two great close range saves midway into the half.

Woodwood sealed a hat trick with an exquisite 30 yard looping strike to take the scoreline to 6-1 as the afternoon’s play was soon brought to an end.

It’s important to recognise the importance of referees in the lower leagues, Clive Brown had a very good game which was rightly recognised by the hosts.

Man of the match: Ste Jackson, the left back created many goal scoring opportunities.

West Kirby Line up: Lewis Burrows, Callum McCaffrey, Dave Hird, Conor Eccles, Patrick Carpenter, Harrison Hindley, Charlie Clewlow, Josh Sutton, Jordan Chwalko, Tila Davies, Sam Haley, Joe Stephenson.

Crawley Town meeting the opposition.

Tranmere are on a great run of form at the moment. However, they still have a task on their hands as they aim to close down Forest Green to finish first in May. The two clubs will come head to head next weekend at Prenton Park, the next opponents for The Whites are Crawley Town away from home.

Ahead of this encounter at The People’s Pension Stadium, I spoke to Town fan Stephen Dimmock who gave his thoughts on how the season has been so far for the hosts, the transfer business completed in January and the controversial relationship that manager John Yems has with the media.

What were your expectations going into the season and what are they now as we enter the second half of the campaign?

I predicted the team to finish 10th before the season started and so far it has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. As for the rest of the campaign, we should hopefully see the return of our best central defender Jordan Tunnicliffe soon which I feel could make a big difference in our ability to hold onto leads.

I estimate at the moment we will finish around 10th-14th, as we have enough points and ability in the squad now to be out of relegation trouble but I don’t think the team is quite at the level needed for a sustained charge at the playoffs or promotion yet. 

I’m hoping to see a few of the younger players given time to develop more between now and August so we can come into the next campaign with a good chance, as the budget is a bit tight compared to some other teams in this division, plus those in the Conference that have been chucking money around like confetti such as Stockport and Wrexham.

What are your thoughts on those in charge at Crawley? John Yems is the gaffer having been appointed in 2019 and Town are owned by …?

The owner is still the Turkish steel businessman Ziya Eren who took over the club back in 2016 and he occasionally comes and visits the club, although COVID issues I think have limited that recently. He helped prevent the club from suffering financially during the pandemic which has been great as I was extremely worried what might happen back when it first hit the UK. 

Recruitment of players was pretty dodgy for a while as we have had a habit of signing players from non-league or academies and then not giving them any game time at all (which made the signings bizarre seeing that we don’t currently have an official reserve or youth set up) but I do think Erdem Konyar, the current technical director, has admitted this wasn’t sustainable and is trying to be more careful about having too many players in the squad, which is needed for a club our size.

Manager John Yems has had varying degrees of popularity in recent times, with some fans that have continued to support him throughout the season whilst others have been very critical of his methods and tactics at times, as well as his behaviour during press interviews. To give credit to him, the performances generally have improved a lot (apart from Tuesday night) since changing the formation to 5-3-2, especially in regards to the defence. 

However, I do wish he took more responsibility when things aren’t going to plan instead of needlessly lashing out at players and fans whenever the team lose, which has happened quite a few times during his tenure. I think he will very likely be around until the end of the season due to the support he’s had from the board and large sections of the fans but it would be interesting to see what happens in the summer with quite a lot of players out of contract. 

Who would you say are the hosts’ danger men and who do you see as the stand out visiting players?

Ashley Nadesan has really turned his form around since he came back from his last suspension (which was in the FA Cup match) and as a result his pace can now be a huge problem for defenders. Tom Nichols has also been on a decent streak lately having scored a couple of great goals this month whilst Joel Lynch has been a valuable asset at the back. 38-year-old Glenn Morris is still one of the best goalkeepers in this division and I will be very sad when he retires.

As for Tranmere, I’ve seen that Charlie Jolley is on a good goalscoring run at the moment and the evergreen Peter Clarke would surely be such a great leader to have in your team.

The last time the two sides met was the 6th November as Rovers won 1-0 at The People’s Pension Stadium in the first round of the FA Cup. How would you describe the course of that particular ninety minutes?

That FA Cup defeat was for me the nadir of the season as it was our sixth loss in a row and even though we had a lot of the ball in the second half, we never looked like scoring at all. The evening ended on a sour note when Yems had to be pulled away from a number of disgruntled supporters after the final whistle. 

At the time I was of the opinion that we needed to change the manager as I didn’t have much confidence Yems would be able to sort things out. However, he did change the formation and brought James Tilley back into the fold not too long after that, which I think has been key in getting away from the teams down at the bottom of the table.

How do you see the upcoming fixture panning out, score prediction etc, and do you believe it will pose different questions than the previous meeting did?

I think it will be different from the previous match as we were going through a really horrid run of form at the time and Tranmere have since shot up into the automatic promotion places, and have started to score more goals too. However I can see this being a pretty boring 0-0 with defence being the king, especially if we have 3 fit centre backs available to start.

What starting eleven do you think Yems will select and how would you describe his playing style?

My guess will be; Morris, Tilley, Francilette (if fit), Lynch, Craig, Tsaroulla, Francomb, Powell, Matthews, Nadesan, Nichols. Subs; Seymour, Davies, Frost, Ashford, Kastrati, Grego-Cox, Marshall.

I must admit I struggle to identify what kind of philosophy John Yems has (which is one of his weaknesses) but at least he’s worked out playing three centre halves is the best method for our defence, especially with Tony Craig.

Thinking of the previous encounters between the two sides, what games/moments stand out as being memorable for you?

My personal favourite was in 2019 when Panutche Camara, who recently played at the Africa Cup of Nations for Guinea-Bissau, scored from a great run to wrap up a 3-1 win.

As we’re now halfway into the January transfer window, who would you like Crawley to sign and would you say there are any particular positions that need to be strengthened? Have any outgoings/incomings been completed so far?

We’ve signed a few younger players, such as goalkeeper Taylor Seymour and midfielder Caleb Watts, although Watts only lasted 18 minutes on his debut last weekend before having to go off injured, so hopefully it’s not too long out for him. 

As for outgoings, defender Tom Dallison left the club this month which I was pretty sad about as I thought he was decent and a reliable option, whilst Blondy Noukeu and Amrit Bansul-McNulty’s loan spells ended. 

However, the most notable business was Joel Lynch agreeing to extend his contract for another 18 months, which was crucial to get that sorted due to his vast experience and ability to lead the defence.

For the rest of the window I feel we need to sign a centre back as a short term option just as cover, as we have been playing George Francomb in that position for the last two games due to injuries. Ideally I’d like to sign a box-to-box midfielder too, but feel that may be tricky, plus for players at the club that aren’t playing any games to be moved on either on loan or permanently in order to save costs on the wage bill. 

West Kirby 1 v Ashville Reserves 2 – Match Report.

In Nathan Brooks’ first game in charge of West Kirby F.C, his side were defeated on an afternoon of great end to end action. 

The first half started in a fast-paced manner as the hosts took the lead in the opening stages. A well worked counter-attack down the left hand side saw Sam Haley netting past the visiting keeper with a controlled close range header.

Ashville would soon begin to dominate possession, showing the game wasn’t out of their reach as they aimed to get an equaliser. They would hit the woodwork and force keeper Lewis Burrows into making a few close-range saves, Brooks’ men would finish the half in a stronger fashion.

A second goal would soon be scored as Alfie Dwyer netted with a towering header, the hosts failing to clear the ball from a set piece. 

As the half grew on, the visitors would dominate possession but struggle to create any clear cut chances. 

However, with Ashville showing more attacking intent than their opponents they would win the game in the last moments of play as Dwyer got his brace with a powerful header. 

Speaking after the game, West Kirby captain Callum McCaffrey gave his thoughts on a strong performance. 

“I believe we started the game well, Ashville Reserves are a good side and won a lot of their individual battles but we managed to cause them trouble. In all honesty, we should’ve done better to defend both goals but despite the result I feel we are going in the right direction”.

McCaffrey would then give the man of the match award to Matthew Croft, who he felt ‘had a great game in midfield for the visitors’.

West Kirby F.C matchday squad: Lewis Burrows, Callum McCaffrey, Zach Phillips, Patrick Carpenter, Dave Hird, Harrison Hindley, Charlie Clewlow, Jordan Chwalko, Sam Haley, Tila Davies, Josh Sutton, Dan Lewis, Jay Rimmer, Joe Stephenson.

Rochdale meeting the opposition. 

Tranmere last met Rochdale in September, when they were enduring a mixed start under the second managerial coming of Micky Mellon. The Whites would end up losing that day, 1-0, in a frustrating manner. However, Rovers have since picked up form and thus go into the game against The Dale in much higher spirits this time ‘round.

I spoke to Rochdale supporter ‘@RochdaleFan’ who gave me their thoughts on the visitors start to the season before telling me about their danger men and giving his opinion on how he sees the upcoming encounter panning out.

What were your expectations going into the season and what are they now as we enter the second half of the campaign?

We came into the season, not knowing what to expect if I’m being honest. After relegation and all the things that happened in the summer (Fighting hostile takeovers, New manager coming in with a couple of weeks to go until the season started), most Dale fans would have accepted a season of just stabilisation and building the foundations for a promotion push next season. 

Heading into the second half of the season, the optimistic side of me think we have the quality in the squad to push for a play-offs place, but on the other hand would happily take a mid table finish.

What are your thoughts on those in charge at The Dale? Robbie Stockdale was appointed manager in the summer and the club’s owners are …?

Robbie Stockdale, I have nothing but good words to say about him. First management role for him, with very little time to get a squad together and he’s passing it with flying colours. He just understands what the club is about.

I’m proud to say that Rochdale are quite unique as a club in the way that the fans own the majority of the club. Other shareholders are our chairman Simon Gauge. Simon and the rest of the board have faced challenges (fighting of multiple hostile takeovers) that most owners would have cracked under. Like Robbie they just get what the club is about. And unlike our previous board members (E.g., David Bottomley), you know that the decisions they are making are within the best interest of the club.

Who would you say are the visitors danger men? Furthermore, who do you see as the stand out hosting players?

We lost our two most influential players in Jake Beesley and Corey O’Keeffe. One to watch out for from us is Alex Newby. Play usually in the RF role, links the play up between midfield and attack well. Also has that little bit of magic to get past an defender or to unlock them with a pass.

A quite noticeable danger man is one of your recent signings – Kane Hemmings. Great signing for League 2 level. Has a decent scoring record, wherever he’s been. Also, Jay Spearing is another player that stands out to me. He is the exact player Rochdale are dying out for in our midfield – Tough tackling experienced midfielder.

The last time the two sides met was in mid September, Rochdale were the hosts and won 1-0 via a late Danny Cashman strike. How would you describe the course of that particular ninety minutes?

At times I thought it was just going to be one of those games that we would create loads of chances but will be left frustrated. I thought Dale was quite dominant over the 90 minutes and didn’t think Tranmere offered too much attacking wise. 

How do you see the upcoming fixture panning out (score prediction etc)? Also, why do you think this meeting will pose different questions than the previous encounter (if you do)?

After 28 days without a game, I don’t think Dale could have found much harder opponents to have as a first game back at the moment. Tranmere are in a decent run of form and are looking serious promotion contenders. But, our record against the top 7 has been fantastic this season. Think it will be a close game and the points will be shared in a 1-1 draw.

What starting eleven do you think Stockdale will select and how would you describe the playing style he’s implemented on his team? 

Hard to predict this, as it’s uncertain as to whether we still have some covid cases in the squad or not. But on the basis we have a fully fit squad (apart from Keohane who is out injured), I think Stockdale will select:

GK – Joel Coleman

CB – Eoghan O’Connell

CB – Paul Downing

CB – Jeriel Dorsett 

RWB – Stephen Dooley

CM – Liam Kelly

CM – George Broadbent 

LWB – Aidy White

RF – Alex Newby 

ST – Josh Andrews

LF – Conor Grant 

Thinking of previous encounters between Tranmere and Rochdale, what games/moments stand out as being memorable for you and have you ever been to Prenton Park?

Tranmere away is actually one of those days that I have looked forward to in most recent years. One game in particular that has stood out to me is the game when we beat you 3-2 in the first game of the 2019/20 season. 

As we’re now midway into the January transfer window, who would you like The Dale to sign and would you say there are any particular positions that need to be strengthened?

We have lost two key players – Jake Beesley and Aaron Morley so far. So they will need replacing. We saw our first signing yesterday (Paul Downing) and according to Robbie Stockdale there should be more signings getting completed today. Positions that I would like to see get strengthened are RWB (Hopefully Corey O’Keeffe signing on a permanent), tough tackling DM, a ST (Been linked with Darlington’s Luke Charman).

West Kirby F.C manager interview.

The lower leagues of football is something that I feel deserves more attention, with the amount of untapped talent and action that are packed into games up and down the country. 

Thus, following West Kirby’s appointment of manager Nathan Brooks I caught up with him to discuss his coaching journey so far and what he plans on bringing to the team that he has very recently inherited. 

Nathan, first of all congratulations on becoming West Kirby FC’s manager. How would you describe your coaching journey so far?

I began coaching at 16 years old. I’ve coached at every age group in junior football with various grassroots clubs. I have coached county representative squads and became involved with talent recognition for local professional clubs. 

In 2018, I began coaching senior football as an Assistant Manager with West Kirby FC (West Cheshire Division 1). I then went on to become 1st team manager at Rhos Aelwyd (Welsh National League Division 1), Reserve Team Manager at Heswall FC & I have now returned to West Kirby FC as 1st Team Manager (West Cheshire Division 2).

I would describe my coaching journey as varied. I think this has had a very positive impact on the way I coach & manage situations. Every person I have met in football has taught me something, good and/or bad. As a relatively young football manager, you don’t tend to get easy or attractive jobs so having a large bank of positive & negative experiences has really helped.

Where would you say West Kirby’s current position is in comparison to those of teams that you have coached or managed in the past? Is this a step up that you are happy to be taking? What were the key factors in you wanting to become manager at the club?

I have been at the lower end of a league table before as a coach, manager & a supporter unfortunately. What is unique for me in this situation is the timing, needless to say it is much harder to implement change in the middle of the season. For me, West Kirby is a huge club with a proud history in the West Cheshire League. So having the opportunity to become involved was a very easy decision to make. I know the committee and respect what they have done for the club so the challenge of rebuilding a squad to compete in Division 2 was very attractive.

Touching on the team and the characteristics/skills that you want to teach the group of players you’ve taken on. How would you describe the team’s qualities, in comparison to those that they share the league with and what are you looking to implement on them in your time at the club?

I would say that the most common similarity in each of the players in the squad is that they all have a good level of football intelligence! I am confident that many of them will go to coach/manage themselves. This quality will play a big part in us achieving our points target, in the context of where we are currently placed in the West Cheshire 2nd Division. Many of our opponents will be much further down the road in what they want to achieve, so we will need to adapt quickly to manage difficult situations during matches. By the start of next season, I am hopeful that we will be able to identify as one of the fittest, hardworking & organised teams in the division.

What would you say is a realistic ambition for this season and then touching on the next and the one after that? Do you tend to have a three year aim in the lower leagues or is it a case of looking at the next match, although that is a cliche, and aiming to build success whether that be through promotion or building a team with solid foundations?

At this moment, the main ambition for West Kirby is to remain in the West Cheshire Division 2.

In terms of targets, I prefer to work on averages. I will set targets for the team, based on goals and points per game, usually at the beginning of a season. And use that as a narrative throughout the campaign. Any football manager, at any level doesn’t have the luxury of looking 3 years ahead of time. But, I also find it unhealthy to ‘take one game at a time’. The saying “you are never as good as you think you are after a win, and you are never as bad as you think you are after a loss” sticks with me. So, with that in mind, using averages to monitor progression really helps me as a manager to keep things in context.

How would you describe your coaching style and what can we expect from a West Kirby FC team that is managed by yourself?

I take an Holistic approach to coaching. I enjoy working with players closely and understanding what motivates them as individuals. In terms of what people can expect from us as a group, I would say that at this moment in time we need to focus on being pragmatic in matches. So, having one set style of play won’t be on the agenda.

My midseason assessment of Tranmere’s 2021/22 campaign. It’s been mixed, it now seems special.

Given we’re now 23 games into the league season, I thought it would be a good time to give my thoughts on Rovers for those who’ll want them (if there are any!) or for me to just look back on come May. This campaign so far has been mixed, I’d say, but there have been plenty of positives and considering we’re currently sitting in second I certainly won’t be moaning too much, which is probably a first. 

So, we’re second but who are the teams around us and what do our results look like in terms of wins, defeats and draws? 

Sitting first are Forest Green who are quite comfortable at the top with seven points and a chance to make it ten with a game in hand. Third, fourth and fifth? Northampton Town, Sutton United and Swindon Town. Port Vale have the chance to get into the automatic promotion places with two games in hand, having had plenty of games postponed for various reasons including a cup run and COVID.

Tranmere, after 23 games, have won 12 and lost 6. Perfectly showing that this season has been mixed, with the positives overshadowing the few negatives such as the cup exits which I’ll touch on a bit further down this piece. The Whites have drawn five, not a great cause for concern.

This year was always going to be quite quite tricky, even though it started in the best of fashions by getting Micky Mellon back into the dugout following his stint at Dundee United. The Scot had plenty to do to turn Rovers into genuine promotion candidates, having fallen at Morecambe in the play-offs without too much of a fight.

I’ll soon touch on the work the 49-year-old has done so far, firstly I’m going to state my favourite moment of the season before I do that. 

Something which is emotional and has touched the hearts of many Tranmere supporters over the past year is the fight young Nate Gidman has put up to rid himself of a brain tumour, some probably even placing their challenges into perspective over the COVID era by thinking of him (this is something I’ve done). When Nate got given the news that his tumour was terminal, a fundraiser was created to raise money to give him the best of care and times at places that plenty of young children would love to go to.

Nate then made an appearance at Prenton Park, bringing a tear to many eyes by slotting the ball into the net in front of the Kop (even if his dad, Phil, did most of the work!) before celebrating with, his favourite show, ‘Thomas The Tank’ music playing on the tannoy. I caught up with Phil after this and he was saying how special that moment was for him, something that brings home how special the Rovers community is.

It’s extremely hard to top that, even though we’ve had plenty of special wins (beating Keith Hill on his return to the Wirral 4-0!). 

Micky Mellon, upon return, was tasked with improving the squad and I feel this is something he has achieved, with players wanting to fight for their places in the team and the commitment and quality never really hiding. 

Summer of 2021, 19 came in and 16 went out including the retirement of top goalscorer James Vaughan which was always going to be hard to recover from. 

There have been plenty of new players who have impressed me, I don’t think none have in the way that Elliott Nevitt has though. The former Warrington Rylands striker proving his football league ability whilst his cheerful post-match interviews certainly etch him into the hearts of fans. He’s someone who wants to be here, someone who has something to prove and someone that is excelling. It was a love story before it even started as his name can be heard sung aloud on matchdays.

Mellon is a clever manager (there’s not many with books out!) and he’s someone who will never let fans down as some, in the dugout, have in the past. Even when results and performances don’t show how good of a manager he is or how good his team is, there are some (including myself) who sit very content knowing what is about to come. 

We’ve seen this with our relegation scrap, we would’ve stayed up, in League One. We’ve seen this with our promotion in 2019, having a great start to ‘19 and we certainly saw this in our promotion the year before as we survived sitting 18th at one point to go up back to the EFL. 

Again, we’re seeing it after a mixed start as many had to find their feet having been brought in from elsewhere. Micky knew the task in hand though, stating in a book Q+A at Birkenhead in mid-September ‘You put together football teams like you put together meals, you look in the cupboard and assess what’s there, I needed to go shopping!’.

The goalkeeping situation started with Joe Murphy being the regular number one and he was excelling, keeping Rovers in games at times with Ross Doohan being his understudy. However, when Murphy got injured with concussion at Rochdale Doohan came into the side to silence an article (from a Celtic fan) which slated Mellon for not giving the youngster enough playing time. Doohan has impressed, showing that the goalkeeping competition at Prenton Park is extremely strong. Mellon tipped the 23-year-old to be the future Scotland number 1 in the Q+A I mentioned before. 

Scott Davies, signed in 2015 and instrumental in the promotions since then, has retired following his injury earlier on in the year (that brings a story of it’s own though).

Defensively, Tranmere are the best in the EFL having only conceded 14 goals this campaign. Peter Clarke and Tom Davies have forged a formidable partnership, Clarke having turned 40 in the past week and Davies being signed from Bristol Rovers. Left-back Calum MacDonald has had somewhat of a rocky start to the season. However, a poor summer suffering from shin splints has potentially brought this on as he showed what he was capable of last season. Josh Cogley has been sensational at right back though, with great defensive and attacking performances. Somewhat in reserve, but a strong starter when named, Lee O’Connor has proved me wrong as he now covers every blade of grass with Mellon certainly getting the best out of him at right-back and further up the pitch in midfield.

Another place of great strength is the centre, with fast wingers and experienced central midfielders keeping the team ticking going forwards and backwards. Jay Spearing and Sam Foley are the current partnership of choice in the heart, experienced pros who have had great success in the game. They’re both continuing their success throughout their performances and by teaching those who are upcoming including Chris Merrie, who has impressed whenever given the chance. 

Someone who hasn’t been given much of a chance, alongside Merrie, is Ryan Watson as the 28-year-old has impressed on the pitch with a goal to his name so far in the league. 

A solid source of goals are the wings, Kieron Morris having the season to remember as he sits top of the goal scoring tally with loanees Josh McPake and Josh Hawkes demonstrating what they can do from the left. The only cause for concern really is the form of both Liam Feeney and Callum McManaman, both showing little of what they’re capable of (in my opinion). 

Before Oldham Athletic away, a game in which I was displeased with our performance, if you told me that Charlie Jolley would be a shining light about to be released I’d have argued when the best time for him to come in would be. The 20-year-old scored the winner that night and has since forged a formidable partnership with fellow youngster, also with something to prove, Nevitt. The two are now our go-to striking partnership and there can be very little complaints, watch the highlights of the game against Scunthorpe United and you’ll see why. 

I’d like some players to be added to the squad, for depth and quality purposes. Following the injury of Nicky Maynard I feel like Rovers could add a striker. However, with the partnership mentioned above and a promising Paul Glatzel, I don’t know what he’d be given in terms of game time. This being a question that Mellon has probably thought of and answered, so we’ll see what the January window brings.

The only real annoyance of this campaign is that the club is out of all available cup competitions, usually strengthening the squad with the money they’re able to receive throughout their FA Cup adventures. However, I don’t think many are too fussed about the Papa John’s Trophy given the introduction of Premier League teams and the Carabao Cup brings a set of games in which many supporters would rather be focusing on the league.

This season I’ve done a few match reports for the Under18s, which has given me an insight into the talent that we have at disposal in the academy. Manager Alan Morgan is a great man to talk to, always up for giving interviews at the end of the game and he has drilled his team into being one of great solidiatry which has added to their footballing abilities. Ryan Stratulis and Kyle Hayde are two to watch out for. 

I’ve also done some media work, for my website, with the women’s team as I’ve spoken to forward Laura Pennington and manager Marc Joyce. It’d be great to see them do well in their search for promotion, currently sitting second in their division.

Now we’re in the new year in a very strong position, I believe a title charge isn’t too far out of the realms of possibility. It would certainly be almost poetic that Mellon on return is able to get the club out of the fourth division, a division that his side was placed into in a very unfair fashion. I’d like the club to add a few players to add a bit of depth to the squad, keep hold of the very talented youngsters we have and see how long we can keep this very positive momentum going. 

The final few months should be exciting as we are, once again, ‘Riding The Rover Coaster’. 

Ubi Fides x

Laura Pennington, TRFC ladies, interview.

Tranmere ladies have been impressing this season, with their progressive playing style meaning many goals are scored against the opposition they come up against. 

This has ensured that it has been a great start to Marc Joyce’s reign as manager, Rovers sitting second in the table and looking to add onto their league momentum with a victory this weekend against Mossley Hill.

I caught up with the scorer of nine goals so far this campaign in Laura Pennington, as her attention returns to sporting action following a winter break. 

Laura, thank you for your time, how would you describe yourself as a player and could you tell us a little bit about your career so far?

I started playing football from the age of 8 when I joined Mostyn Dragons boys team and then moved on to a girls team. 

I played for my local ladies team Northop Hall until I made the move to TNS a few years ago.

TNS dropped the ladies team for a season but the team moved and continued to play as Wem Town, that team was great as it was a closely knit group of players.

I made the move to Tranmere at the start of this season.

How would you describe your time at Tranmere? There seems to be a real togetherness in the squad and Marc Joyce seems to be getting the best out of that, with convincing wins and a great scoring record.

I’ve really enjoyed my time at the club so far, it’s been great. The girls I play with are lovely and have made me feel really welcome, the coaching staff are fantastic too. 

I’ve always been a striker or a player with an attacking role, I like making attacks happen and I love the goal involvements that creates. 

In training we tend to focus on our attack a little bit, there’s a good commitment from everyone in sessions.

What is it like to be a ladies footballer for Tranmere? Your weekly routine etc in terms of match preparation and recovery, touching on ladies football in general.

I work full time as an exercise physiologist at LHCH, which takes up quite a lot of my time in the week. 

The team trains on a Tuesday and a Thursday, which is a decent two hour session at Vauxhall. I also help the team with their strength and conditioning which is really cool to be given that opportunity. 

In my personal time, I like to do individual exercise so I will go on runs and go to the gym which adds to my match fitness and preparation.

Touching on the winter break your now coming off from, do you believe this break is important in football as it’s something that’s often spoken about in the men’s game too? How would you say your break has gone?

I personally enjoy the break from football but I continue to do my job during this time. I did manage to get Christmas day off though! 

I can see the importance of a break from sport. However, from a fan point of view I enjoy watching the games that are on television. 

We were hoping to get some training sessions in between Christmas and New Year but unfortunately a COVID outbreak put a stop to those plans. It’s been frustrating, COVID putting a stop to footballing plans, but the league has been quite good with us this year with the rotational side of things.

Mossley Hill are the visitors this Sunday, have you spent much time considering what they play like and how would you say Rovers’ chances of getting another league win?

We definitely focus on the visitors quite a bit when we’re in training. We’ve also played Mossley Hill once this season so we’ll bare that in mind too. 

I feel this is an unexpected game as we were supposed to be having another week off before returning to action. However, it’s good to be back and we’ve got to make sure that we’re focused. 

The previous game against them went quite well, I got my first competitive hat trick and we won nine or ten nil so it was quite a high scoring game. 

I believe they had quite a few players away that day, through injuries etc but that doesn’t take anything away from our performance. 

It’s always important to go into games with a positive mindset and we were feeling prepared after training last night. It was great to see all the girls back together again and we’re looking forward to playing again.

Lastly, as we look at the remaining months of the season, what would you say your personal and team aims are for this campaign? 

We’d love to get promoted! I feel this season is going really well for us so that is a realistic goal. In terms of my game, it’s important to continue doing what I love the most in scoring and making assists. 

Scunthorpe United meeting the opposition.

The previous game between Tranmere and Scunthorpe was played at United’s ground in late August 2021, a performance from Rovers that screamed that there were plenty of problems to be sorted out.

Now in January 2022, the hosts this time round sit in a much more comfortable position in the table and the positive momentum has resulted in Micky Mellon being named as the league’s manager of the month for December. 

In the opposite dugout sits Keith Hill, a man who Rovers fans know plenty about as he returns to Prenton Park looking to frustrate his previous employers. 

I spoke to a Scunthorpe supporter, Toby Skelton, about the on and off pitch situations at Scunthorpe United before he gave his thoughts on how he can see the game panning out and much more. 

What were your expectations going into the season and what are they now as we enter the second half of the campaign?

My expectations were always fairly low. After a poor end to last season and even more budget cuts over the summer, I think every Scunthorpe fan expected to be in a relegation scrap this season. To survive again this season would be a great feat.

What are your thoughts on those in charge at The Iron. Keith Hill is the newly appointed manager whereas Peter Swann is the chairman.

Keith Hill has been a breath of fresh air since coming in. He’s massively increased the fitness levels of the squad which was one of the major issues under Cox, and he’s made us defensively competent, which is a complete turnaround from the previous regime. As for Swann, he’s always been a contentious figure. Perhaps over the last few months however, he has gradually begun trying to rectify some of his previous mistakes, and adding popular supporter Simon Elliott to the club board has certainly helped relations between the fans and the chairman.

Scunthorpe’s danger men?

Good question! I’m not even sure I could tell you. We’ve been toothless up front all season. Top scorer Ryan Loft was sold during the week, so we’ll have to see what new loan signing Sam Burns has to offer if he gets a start.

The last time these two clubs met was in August, the hosts (yourselves) winning 1-0. How would you describe the way that game was played?

It was a fairly boring affair. Tranmere passed it around well and their players showed some good touches, but looked very poor in attack. We got a slightly fortuitous penalty which was converted by Miles Hippolyte, but overall, we did have a few chances but Joe Murphy in goal was in top form, making some key saves.

How do you see the upcoming fixture panning out? (Score prediction) and why, if you do, do you think this meeting will pose different questions than the previous encounter did?

I think it will be 1-1. Under Hill we’re very hard to beat and I imagine he will be very up for this match against his former employers. I expect chances will be fairly limited for both sides. Keith Hill has been somewhat of a 1-1 specialist for us, and I would not be at all surprised if he got another draw under his belt.

What starting eleven do you think Hill will select and how would you describe his playing style in the time he’s spent at the club so far? Rovers fans will know a little bit about this considering he was manager of Tranmere last season.

It’s very difficult to predict the starting line up as we have a few covid cases so predicting a starting line up would be a complete stab in the dark. I would expect Hippolyle to be the focal point for us, trying to feed balls through to the strikers. Our fitness levels are very good now too so I think we will certainly try and run at the

Rovers defence with players like Devarn Green. We tend to be a second half team nowadays, so if you are 1-0 up at half time, do not take the win as a given, even despite our lowly position in the league.

How would you describe the matchday at Prenton Park too, if you have experienced it in the past?

I’ve actually never been! It will be my first time going there on Saturday and I’m very much looking forward to it.

As we have now entered the January transfer window, who would you like United to sign this month? Would you say there are positions that you’d like to be strengthened?

We certainly need a new striker, that’s for sure. I would like to see an experienced central midfielder in the building, plus a new centre back as George Taft has been fairly unreliable so far this term, and captain Harry Davis has a questionable injury record.