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Match Reports

Report: Dunfermline 0 Tranmere 4

7 July 2018

Match Reports

Report: Dunfermline 0 Tranmere 4

7 July 2018

Tranmere's pre-season training camp in Scotland came to a close with a 4-0 win over Dunfermline Athletic at East End Park.

Micky Mellon's side had spent the previous six days in St Andrews and rounded off the trip with goals from Larnell Cole, trialist Amadou Soukouna and youth scholars Danny Walker-Rice and Nick Long.

Rovers fielded 22 players throughout the 90 minutes, with only injured trio Adam Buxton, Liam Ridehalgh and Evan Gumbs and young goalkeeper Paddy Wharton not involved from the manager's first team squad.

After a cagey start to the match the first shot came on 15 minutes, with Dunfermline's Kalum Higginbotham cutting inside from the right wing and seeing his low strike from the edge of the area comfortably saved by Scott Davies.

Andy Ryan saw his close-range effort hit the chest of Stephen McNulty on 17 minutes and it needed a well-timed block from Mark Ellis five minutes later to keep out a cross from Louis Longridge.

A right foot shot from Higginbotham was dragged wide of the Rovers goal on 23 minutes, while Jake Caprice and Larnell Cole linked up well at the other end before the move broke down when James Norwood was tackled as he broke into the Dunfermline area.

Norwood headed over the top from an Ollie Banks free kick on 26 minutes and Connor Jennings fired over from 25 yards 11 minutes later.

The breakthrough came on 39 minutes. Ollie Norburn picked out Cole's run behind the Dunfermline back four with a ball over the top and the winger waited for the advancing keeper before lifting the ball over him and into the net from 15 yards.

Jennings curled wide of the top right corner two minutes into the second half and trialist substitute Amadou Soukouna had two shots saved in quick succession by Lee Robinson soon after.

The French striker found his net with his third attempt though. After receiving the ball from Manny Monthe outside the area, Soukouna curled a right foot shot past Robinson from 25 yards into the bottom right corner.

After making four changes at half time, the remaining seven starters all came off midway through the second half. It was one of their replacements, Danny Walker-Rice, who put Rovers three up. Ben Tollitt sent the youngster free down the right and he cut back on to his left foot and curled in off the left-hand post from just inside the area.

Callum Smith drilled a shot past Luke Pilling's left-hand post from 20 yards on 81 minutes and James Vincent headed wide soon after for the Pars.

Pilling dived low to his right to save from Smith on 85 minutes while Soukouna's shot was blocked for a corner at the other end soon after following good work from Tollitt. The fourth goal came from the resulting corner with Tollitt's cross headed in by centre back Long from six yards.

Dunfermline: Robinson, Williamson, J Longridge, Devine, Durman, Martin, Higginbotham, Craigen, Ryan, McCann, L Longridge.

Tranmere: Davies (Pilling 64), Caprice (Devine 64), McNulty (Sutton 46), Ellis (Long 64), Monthe (Spellman 64), Cole (Tollitt 64), Norburn (Harris 46), Banks (Flanagan 46), Jennings (Walker-Rice 64), Norwood (Thompson 64), Mullin (Soukouna 46).

Attendance: 723


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