Setting the scene...
Tranmere Rovers will be aiming for three wins on the spin in League Two when they welcome Macclesfield Town to Prenton Park on Friday night.
Micky Mellon’s side are seventh in the fourth-tier following Saturday’s seven-goal thriller away at Morecambe.
Harvey Gilmour’s strike on 89 minutes earned in-form Tranmere the 4-3 triumph at the Globe Arena, with the result seeing Rovers move into the Play-Off places.
A midweek Checkatrade Trophy defeat away at Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday saw Mellon make changes to his team in Shropshire, ahead of the Friday clash under the floodlights.
Macclesfield visit the Wirral on Friday in search of their first league win since returning to the EFL.
The Silkmen are bottom of the division and parted company with manager Mark Yates on Monday following last weekend’s home defeat to Notts County.
The Silkmen’s season so far
Still without a League Two win to their name after returning to the EFL as Vanarama National Champions, Macclesfield will be hoping to secure their first three points on Friday evening.
Jon Stead’s late goal earned the Magpies three-points The Moss Rose, a result which brought an end to Yates’ short time in charge of the Cheshire outfit, having replaced John Askey in the summer.
Their 12 fixtures this term have yielded just four points.
Veteran midfielder Danny Whitaker, the club’s top scorer this season, and Neil Howarth have been placed in temporary charge of first-team affairs, as the club look to make their next managerial appointment.
The referee
Cumbrian-based referee Anthony Backhouse will take charge of Tranmere Rovers for the first time this season on Friday night.
Backhouse has refereed 11 matches in the EFL this season, dishing out 26 yellow cards and two red ones.
Wade Smith and Grant Taylor will run the line while Simon Mather is the fourth official.
One to watch
Midfielder Koby Arthur will be the Macclesfield Town player that Rovers will need to keep an eye on this Friday night.
After moving to England as a youngster, the Ghanaian joined up with the youth system at Southern League club Woodford United before linking up with Birmingham City’s academy in 2012.
Having earned a professional contract at St Andrew’s, making his Blues first-team debut as a substitute in April 2013 during Midlands derby with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Arthur moved to Lincoln on loan in March 2014, turning out six times for the Imps.
He then spent two-loan spells with Cheltenham Town before leaving Birmingham permanently, signing for Macclesfield in August 2017 following a successful trial.
Last term, Arthur made 14 appearances, scoring once as Macclesfield were crowned Vanarama National League champions.
This season, the 22-year-old has turned out 12 times, scoring twice for the Cheshire club.
Tickets
Tickets for Friday’s match can be purchased via Tranmere Rovers’ official ticket website: https://www.trfctickets.co.uk/
You can also see ticket details for upcoming League Two games.
Match Coverage
If you can’t make Friday’s fixture, there a number of ways that you can keep up to date on TRFC’s progress.
Full match commentary of the match will be exclusively available live from Rovers’ home ground!
You can now sign up to Tranmere Rovers’ iFollow, which allows access to extended highlights and interviews with manager Micky Mellon and a player, after the game.
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