Tranmere defender Liam Ridehalgh had no complaints with Rovers’ 0-0 draw away to Mansfield Town on Saturday afternoon as Mike Jackson’s men got their Sky Bet League Two campaign underway.
Defending against former Tranmere striker Andy Cook and the hosts' other attacking options, Ridehalgh took pride in shutting out the Stags as he reflected on proceedings at the full-time whistle.
He said: “We’re very happy with the clean sheet, but disappointed we haven’t won the game in the end. I think it was a fair result.
“It’s relentless and keeps coming, he added on the pressure being applied by Mansfield in the first-half.” “They’ve got big Andy Cook up top and Jordan Bowery is a handful as well. They looked to utilise them by getting it out wide and crossing into the box. The whole 90 minutes we dealt with that very well.”
Although unable to claim an opening-day victory, the Whites’ left-back believe it’s simply a matter of time before complete performances arrive- a process that will be fast-tracked as a result of competition for places within the team.
“The pitch was very dry and bobbly, so we couldn’t really get our forward play going in the way we would have liked. That will definitely come, you can tell with the talent we’ve brought in and you can see it in training all the time.
“Competition is good, it brings the best out of people. If everyone is absolutely on it, it brings a difficult decision for the gaffer to make. That’s what he wants, he wants people fighting for places,” concluded Ridehalgh.
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