Setting the scene….
Micky Mellon returns to his former club when he takes Tranmere Rovers to Shrewsbury Town for a Checkatrade Trophy Northern Group D fixture on Tuesday evening.
Rovers head to Shropshire in high spirits having come out on top in a seven-goal thriller to win 4-3 away at Morecambe.
Harvey Gilmour’s brace, including his 94th minute winner, earned Tranmere a dramatic victory to move Mellon’s men up to seventh in League Two.
However, on Tuesday, attention turns to the Checkatrade Trophy, as Tranmere will come up against opposition from a league above.
Tranmere will be aiming for their first win of the group stage campaign at the Salop, having lost 4-3 against David Artell’s Crewe Alexandra at Prenton Park back in September.
Shrewsbury beat Accrington Stanley 1-0 in League One on Saturday, and last time out in the Checkatrade Trophy, John Askey’s Shrews beat Manchester City’s U21 side 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
The Salop’s season so far
Following on from the success of last season, Paul Hurst, who guided the club to a Play-Off final, which they lost at Wembley to Rotherham United, left to take up the managerial vacancy at Ipswich Town.
John Askey, a Vanarama National League title winner with Macclesfield Town, was appointed as Hurst’s successor at the New Meadow.
An initial tricky opening to the season saw Shrewsbury beaten in their opening two league games, before going winless in the third-tier until the eighth outing of the campaign in a 2-0 home triumph over Southend United.
Askey’s side have lost once in four matches, and following Alex Gilliaed’s winner against Accrington on Saturday, Shrewsbury have 12 points from 12 games.
One to watch
Striker Lee Angol has impressed for the Salop since his summer move from Mansfield Town.
The Londoner began his career in the youth set-up of Tottenham Hotspur, before signing permanently for Wycombe Wanderers in July 2012.
Loans at Hendon, Maidenhead United and Boreham Wood.
Angol agreed a deal at Luton Town in July 2014, spending the following season on loan at Boreham Wood where he scored 25 goals.
Peterborough United was his next club in July 2015, netting 11 times for the London Road outfit in 2015/16 before spending half of last term at Lincoln City, scoring five times at Sincil Bank.
Angol spent the 2017/18 season at Mansfield Town getting on the scoresheet on nine occasions.
The 24-year-old signed for Shrewsbury in August and leads the club’s goal-scoring charts with three goals.
Tickets
Ticket and travel for Tuesday’s Checkatrade Trophy fixture away at Shrewsbury Town can be found here - https://www.trfctickets.co.uk/away-matches
Match coverage
If you aren’t heading down to the New Meadow to cheer on the lads, then we have you covered for match coverage in the Checkatrade Trophy game!
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.
To sign up, click here
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