Tranmere Rovers secured a deserved point with a 0-0 draw at Newport County, with the visitors hitting the crossbar and post.
Mark Ellis hit the crossbar in the first half and Chris Dagnall hit the bar in the second period, the best two chances of the game but overall a great point on the road for TRFC in front of nearly 700 away fans.
Jonny Smith stepped into the starting line up for Rovers, replacing Jay Harris, who was named on the substitute bench.
The first chance was registered just before the quarter hour mark as centre back Ellis, in search of his first goal for the Club, rattled the cross bar with a powerful header after an in-swinging corner by Keiron Morris.
Chances were proving very few and far between as the game was very hectic in the middle of the park. Just after the half hour mark, central midfielder Ollie Banks had sight on goal from 20-yards after a smart lay off, but the ball flew wide.
The contest was turning into a very stop-start affair, with the referee deeming a lot of challenges to be fouls as neither team could get into their rhythm as the first half came to close.
Winger Smith had an early sight on goal in the second half for Tranmere, after a long ball from the back picked the winger out, cutting in from the left in front of the away supporters, his shot was off target.
At the other end, Newport striker Jamille Matt connected with a corner from the left but a combination of a save from Scott Davies and a clearance from Ellis denied County’s number 10.
The first change for Tranmere came in the 58th minute as Dagnall was introduced for Smith.
Tranmere nearly took the lead on the hour when a pass from Banks picked out Norwood. In a foot race with Joe Day, Norwood beat the Newport goalkeeper, turning on the edge of the box, he tried to lift it over goalkeeper but a deflection took his effort wide for a corner.
From the following corner, substitute Dagnall, in search of his first goal since re-joining the Club, stabbed the ball against the post from a Banks delivery.
A couple of minutes later, Banks smashed a volley from the edge of the penalty area, a half chance for Tranmere but the opportunities were starting to show.
The league’s top scorer Norwood went through on goal in the 71st minute and it looked as if the striker was fouled following a collision with Day, but the referee awarded a goal kick to the Welsh side.
The home fans thought they scored a winner in the 88th minute, after two great saves from Scott Davies, Newport managed to scrambled the ball home but it was correctly ruled out for offside.
Connor Jennings had a late chance for Rovers but the score finished 0-0 and we left South Wales with a deserved point leading into next weekend’s home game against MK Dons.
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TRFC team: Davies, Ridehalgh, Ellis, Monthe, Caprice, Smith (Dagnall 58), Perkins, Banks, Jennings, Morris, Norwood: Unused subs: Pilling, Buxton, Nelson, Harris, Gilmour, Mullin,
Attendance: 3970 (away 670)
