Preview: Tranmere Rovers

1 April 2021

Sky Sports cameras and a second against third clash - the Good Friday meeting between Cheltenham Town and Tranmere Rovers is all set up perfectly for the Easter weekend (kick-off: 3pm).

The Super White Army head to the Jonny-Rocks Stadium as the League Two season falls into single figures on the fixture list.

It's an afternoon of football that promises plenty and the Robins are keen to bounce back from a frustrating loss last weekend at Morecambe against a Tranmere outfit who were competing in League One last season.

The game is live on the Sky Sports Football channel with coverage beginning at 2.30pm.

The club are delighted to have D3D4Football as digital match sponsors for the game.

Team news

Manager Michael Duff has a selection decision to make when it comes to his goalkeeper. Josh Griffiths returned to training on Thursday after his time away with the England under-21s squad at the UEFA European under-21 Championships, while experienced stopper Scott Flinders was involved last time out at Morecambe.

Charlie Raglan, George Lloyd and Will Boyle have been back in training as they look to be involved. Matty Blair and Lewis Freestone will be assessed after they both picked up knows last weekend.

Midfielder Chris Clements is definitely out with a hamstring injury.

Watch Michael Duff's Wednesday press conference previewing the game. Midfielder Callum Wright was also speaking to the media ahead of the game.

Opposition

Following a difficult start to the season the installation of Keith Hill as manager in November has helped Tranmere move in an upward direction as they look to regain promotion to League One at the first time of asking.

Throughout January and February they enjoyed a fine run of form, and when it comes to League Two in their last 20 games they've lost only two times.

They are four unbeaten going into Friday's contest and in March also competed in the Papa John's Trophy final, only to lose at Wembley against League One Sunderland.

Experienced goalkeeper Joe Murphy will be expected to line-up for them this weekend. That's following an achilles injury to long-serving 'keeper Scott Davies last time out in their draw with Mansfield.

At the back Peter Clarke offers plenty of experience with the 39-year-old centre back having started his senior career back in 1999 at Everton. Alongside him former Crewe Alexandra man George Ray, Scotsman Calum Macdonald, long serving Liam Ridehalgh and Sid Nelson are potential defensive bodies too.

In midfield ex-Liverpool man Jay Spearing provides a platform, with the likes of Kieron Morris and Paul Lewis also offering a goal threat.

The presence of Liam Feeney also provides good quality, while Ali Crawford could feature - he is on loan from Bolton Wanderers having made the switch in January. Another January midfield arrival on loan, Nya Kirby, could be involved, while Otis Khan brings useful League Two experience and knows the level.

At the top of the pitch former England striker David Nugent brings a lot of experience. He joined in January on loan from Preston North End.

Kaiyne Woolery has searing pace and helped Swindon Town clinch promotion from the fourth tier last season. Danny Lloyd and youth product Jake Burton add to their attacking armoury if called upon.

The manager: Keith Hill

The appointment of former Cheltenham defender Keith Hill has proven to be a successful one so far. The 51-year-old brings plenty of Football League managerial experience into his role at Prenton Park and he's helped lead them up the League Two table.

He was a central defender in his playing days and turned out for Blackburn Rovers, Plymouth Argyle, Rochdale, Morecambe and Wrexham. His time at Cheltenham came during the 2001/02 season.

As a manager he's made his mark twice as boss of Rochdale, while he's also taken charge at Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers.

One to watch: Liam Feeney

Liam Feeny joined on loan from League One Blackpool at the beginning of the season. The 34-year-old is an attack minded wide midfielder who has enjoyed a career spent mostly at the top end of the Football League having started in non-league.

This season he's played 36 times in all competitions for Tranmere and scored three goals. He's also claimed seven assists.

His career started at Hayes and he then moved to Salisbury City where his impressive form caught the eye of AFC Bournemouth.

After making over a century of appearances on the south coast he transferred to Millwall and has since gone onto represent Bolton, Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town and Cardiff City.

Match programme

West Brom loanee Finn Azaz is the big interview in the match programme as he discusses the improvements he's made in his game having nearly completed a full season on loan at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium.

You can also catch the latest from the under-18s, Cheltenham Town Ladies Sammy Hallsworth, Michael Duff, the opposition and much more.

The programme is available to purchase in 24 page print format online from the club shop for £2.50.

It's also on sale digitally via the MatchDay Digital App in a 48 page edition for £1.99. Buy it from their website, or on Apple or Android.

Watch the match live

Sit back and enjoy watching Sky Sports' coverage on the Sky Sports Football channel. Coverage begins at 2.30pm and includes a pre-game interview with Ben Tozer.

Season ticket holders who have automatic access to iFollow will be able to view the game on iFollow. For season ticket holders who use a discount code to watch matches for free unless you responded to the email sent by the club earlier in the week by the Wednesday evening deadline you will not have access to iFollow.

An iFollow match pass is not available to purchase for the game. Fans watching abroad can access the match from this list of channels.

Coverage

Follow the club's social media channels for updates throughout the game. Check out @CTFCofficial on Twitter, while you can also stay up to date with the score on Facebook and Instagram.

At the full time whistle visit the club website to read the match report and to watch Michael Duff's post-match press conference.

You'll be able to watch extended highlights on iFollow when they become available a few hours after the game.

Match Reports

Report & highlights: Robins 4-0 Tranmere Rovers

2 April 2021

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Cheltenham Town v Tranmere Rovers - Extended highlights - Fri 2nd April 2021

Extended highlights of Cheltenham Town v Tranmere Rovers, Fri 2nd April 2021 in the Sky Bet League Two

Cheltenham Town returned to winning ways by beating Tranmere Rovers 4-0 at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium.

In front of the Sky Sports cameras, goals from Conor Thomas, Will Boyle, Alfie May and Callum Wright sealed the Robins’ 10th home League Two win of the season in what was the club’s biggest winning margin in the league for over three years.

With Michael Duff’s side keen to bounce back from a frustrating loss last weekend at Morecambe against a Tranmere outfit who were competing in League One last season, a quick start was the tonic for all three points.

Cheltenham striker Sam Smith felt aggrieved that his penalty claim on the third minute of play was waved away by referee John Busby. On loan from Reading until the end of the season, Smith has made an instant impact since joining the Robins in January.

Though the game’s first goal would come from an unfamiliar source in Thomas. Merely a minute after those penalty claims were turned away, it was Ben Tozer's throw-in that unlocked a defence that had registered the third most clean sheets this season before travelling to the Jonny-Rocks Stadium.

Hurled into Tranmere’s penalty box, Long won the first header before a melee ensued in front of goalkeeper Joe Murphy who was then unable to thwart Thomas’ close range finish which handed Cheltenham an early advantage.

In what was a frenetic opening to the first half, Cheltenham doubled their advantage in double quick time as Tozer’s long-throw was again the key to pick Tranmere’s lock. Launched underneath Murphy’s crossbar, the goalkeeper managed to claw the ball back into play, but after Wright struck across goal, Boyle was on hand to divert it into the back of the net for Cheltenham’s second of the afternoon.

The returning defender marked his first start for over six weeks with his 21st goal for the club, as he formed a three-man defence alongside Tozer and Long. Charlie Raglan is also on the comeback trail from his own injury, and came on as a substitute later in the second half.

Matty Blair was able to shake off the knock that he picked up against Morecambe last time out, but as Boyle returned to the starting side, Lewis Freestone was left out through injury.

The Super White Army headed to the Jonny-Rocks Stadium as the League Two season fell into single figures on the fixture list and nearing the business end of the campaign, home form will prove crucial to Cheltenham’s hopes of promotion this season.

May went in search of extending the host’s lead further when he ran clear of Tranmere’s chasing defenders, but after taking one touch too many, May narrowed his angle on goal and goalkeeper Murphy was able to make a save from inside his box.

Though, with minutes left on the clock in the first half, May atoned for his earlier miss and netted his seventh league goal this season, but more importantly, Cheltenham’s third of the game.

Without hesitation, May cooly converted past Murphy who wasn’t given a chance to keep his side in the game again. Having raced through the Tranmere backline once more, May struck across goal with his left foot to put the Robins in cruise control before the interval.

Cheltenham goalkeeper Josh Griffiths had returned to training on Thursday after his time away with the England Under-21s squad at the UEFA European under-21 Championships, but he wasn’t overworked in the first period. In fact, Cheltenham’s watertight defence limited the away side to only two shots on target all game.

Following the departure of Michael Jackson at Prenton Park, the appointment of former Cheltenham defender Keith Hill has however proven to be a successful one for Tranmere. The 51-year-old has helped lead them up the League Two table, but with a three goal deficit to overcome against Cheltenham, it was going to take an almighty collapse from the hosts if the visitors were to get anything from this one.

Ten minutes in the second period and hopes of a Tranmere recovery were dashed when Wright scored a goal of the season contender from outside the penalty box.

As David Nugent helped clear the immediate danger following another long-throw from Tozer, on-loan Leicester City midfielder, Wright struck the ball on the volley from all of 22 yards to add Cheltenham's fourth of the game.

Cheltenham Town will travel to Blundell Park on Monday night to compete for three points against Grimsby Town on Monday (kick-off 15:00).

CHELTENHAM TOWN (3-5-2): J Griffiths (GK); S Long, B Tozer, W Boyle; M Blair (C Raglan '82), C Hussey, C Wright (F Azaz '82), C Thomas (E Chapman ’26), L Sercombe; A May (I Vassilev ’75), S Smith (A Williams ’75). Subs not used: S Flinders (GK), G Lloyd.

TRANMERE ROVERS (4-2-3-1): J Murphy (GK); O Khan, P Clarke, G Ray (L Ridehalgh ’68), C MacDonald; Lee O’Connor (D Lloyd ’45), J Spearing; K Woolery, L Feeney (A Crawford '78), K Morris (D Nugent ’45); P Lewis. Subs not used: B Jones (GK), S Nelson, Nya Kirby.

REFEREE: John Busby. Assistants: Samuel Ogles, Christopher Wade. Fourth Official: Craig Hicks.