Match Preview: Cheltenham Town

1 April 2021

Rovers kick off the Easter weekend with an away trip to Cheltenham Town with the game being shown live on Sky Sports, kick off 3pm.

Keith Hill’s men come into the game following a draw at home against Mansfield which resulted in moving up a position into 3rd place, the highest Rovers have been so far this season.

Cheltenham approach this one following a narrow defeat away at Morecambe last week and sitting one place above Rovers in second place. Their last six matches have seen three wins and three defeats.

Team News

Unfortunately scans have shown that captain Scott Davies has ruptured his achilles and will be out for at least the remainder of the season.

James Vaughan is still sidelined with a knee injury.

Other than Scott Davies, Keith Hill reported no new major concerns and will have to deal with the normal ‘niggles and injuries’ within his squad ahead of the game.

Match officials

Referee: John Busby

Assistant Referees: Samuel Ogles and Christopher Wade

Fourth Official: Craig Hicks

One to watch

Striker, Alfie May

The forward currently leads the goal scoring charts for The Robins on 11 goals in all competitions however goals have been coming from all directions for Michael Duff’s side.

May came through the youth ranks of Millwall before spending the first part of his career throughout none league.

His first real showcase of ability in front on goal came for Erith and Belvedere of the Southern Counties league where he netted 38 goals in 45 appearances.

A similar record for Hythe Town followed which was met by football league clubs keeping an eye on him. That football league move did materialise when Doncaster Rovers snapped up the striker in 2017.

He spent three years in Yorkshire, gaining 92 outings and netting ten times all together at the place where he made his professional debut.

Cheltenham Town came calling in the summer of 2020 and bought the 27 year old for an undisclosed fee which has so far proven to be a wise move for the Gloucestershire side.

Match coverage

The game will be not streamed live on iFollow due to it being shown on Sky Sports however audio passes are still available for just £2.50. Click here to get yours.

The TRFC radio team of Phill Wilkinson and Adam Siddorn will be in place at The Jonny Rocks Stadium to provide live updates on proceedings.

Alternatively, you can follow the action through our social media channels below with full text coverage during the fixture, followed by a match report.

Twitter: @tranmererovers

Facebook: @trfcofficial

Instagram: @tranmererovers

Match Previews

Match Reports

Report: Cheltenham 4-0 Tranmere

2 April 2021

Tranmere Rovers were on the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline at Cheltenham Town.

The hosts were 3-0 ahead at half time and added a fourth midway through the second half, and the job now for TRFC will be responding against Cambridge United at Prenton Park on Monday.

Goalkeeper Joe Murphy came into the starting line-up, replacing the injured Scott Davies and there was also a start for Lee O’Connor, after missing the last game through international duty. O’Connor replaced Ali Crawford, with the Bolton loan man on the substitute bench.

Peter Clarke was given the Captain’s armband, whilst on the opposite side of pitch, former Tranmere loan man Sam Smith led the line for Cheltenham Town.

On a sun kissed Jonny Rocks Stadium, Cheltenham raced into an early lead as a long thrown could not be cleared by the Rovers defence, and the home side prodded home with just four minutes on the clock.

Cheltenham went two goals to the good in the 14th minute as Will Boyle was in the right position to direct a cross past Murphy, leaving Rovers with a mountain to climb to get back into the match.

Tranmere’s first opportunity landed in the 21st minute, when Jay Spearing took aim from 25-yards, his effort creeping past the right hand post.

Rovers had the ball in the net when Kaiyne Woolery turned his man in the box, but he was penalised for handball.

Cheltenham added a third near the end of the first half as Rovers gifted the hosts a goal, allowing Alfie May the opportunity to race through to tap home.

Into the second half, David Nugent and Danny Lloyd came on for O’Connor and Keiron Morris as Rovers looked for a way back into the game.

A wonderful strike just before the hour mark from Leicester loanee Callum Wright added a fourth for the hosts.

In the 67th minute, Liam Ridehalgh came on for TRFC, replacing George Ray. Tranmere had a chance which flew past the post as a combination of Lloyd and Woolery connected to a cross from the right.

With just over ten minutes to go, Liam Feeney was withdrawn for Crawford. Tranmere’s Lewis got on the end of a ball from the left but he lifted his shot over the crossbar.

Nugent and Crawford both had a chance to pull a goal back in added time but the score finished 4-0 to the hosts.

Tranmere: Murphy, Khan, Clarke, Ray (Ridehalgh 67), MacDonald, O’Connr (Nugent 46), Spearing, Lewis, Woolery, Feeney (Crawford 78), Morris (Lloyd 46). Unused subs: Jones, Nelson, Kirby

Our next match in Sky Bet League Two will be at home to Cambridge United on Easter Monday, 3pm kick-off and the game will be live on iFollow. To subscribe, please CLICK HERE.

The match report is sponsored by MAIN.