n a night dedicated to the late Nate Gidman, Tranmere Rovers made sure the young hero would be watching on with pride after Micky Mellon’s side made it three games unbeaten in Sky Bet League Two with a 3-0 win over Swindon Town.
Goals from Kane Hemmings and Paul Glatzel was the difference as Rovers was in complete control for the large majority of the game.
The first half nearly saw a goal in the opening seconds after Paul Glatzel had an opening which saw his right-footed effort charged down before home debutant Lewis Warrington dragged his shot wide.
But in the all-important fifth minute as Prenton Park rose in applause for a young man close to everyone’s heart, Hemmings calmly slotted home to give Rovers the lead in what was a precious moment for everyone connected with Tranmere Rovers.
Hemmings celebrated with a shirt with ‘Nate 5’ on the back which perfectly capped off the minute in what was an emotional night under the lights.
Glatzel nearly doubled the home side’s advantage after a quarter of an hour with a powerful left-footed effort which struck the woodwork.
Rovers saw out the rest of the first half with professionalism, limiting Swindon to any real chances leaving goalkeeper Ross Doohan with next to nothing to do in the first 45 minutes.
The second half followed in similar fashion with Rovers dominating the proceedings, and it wasn’t long before they doubled their advantage with a tap-in from Glatzel in the 58th minute after great work from Josh Dacres-Cogley down the right-hand side.
It was almost three just minutes later as Everton-loanee Lewis Warrington played an inch-perfect pass through to Hemmings, but his effort struck the outside of the post.
With 20 minutes to go, Rovers got a penalty after Tom Davies was dragged down in the area from a corner.
The resulting spot kick was dispatched by Hemmings which doubled his tally for the night and gave Rovers a convincing and deserved 3-0 lead.
There was late controversy as a late tackle on Dacres-Cogley saw a scuffle by the touchline which saw Swindon’s Ellis Iandolo booked and a member of Ben Garner’s coaching staff sent off for his part in the action.
The game drew to a close as Tranmere remained professional and saw the result out which leaves Micky Mellon’s side six points ahead of Sutton United who sit in fourth in Sky Bet League Two.
That one was for you, Nate.
Tranmere team: Doohan, Dacres-Cogley, Davies, Clarke, MacDonald, Morris, O'Connor, Warrington, Hawkes (McManaman 86'), Hemmings (Jolley 82'), Glatzel (Nevitt 82')
Unused subs: Hewelt, Knight-Percival, Foley, McPake