Tranmere Rovers finished the 2021/22 season with a victory against Leyton Orient at the Breyer Group Stadium.
A first half header from Kane Hemmings was enough to take three points back to The Wirral but unfortunately not enough for a play off spot after results elsewhere going against Rovers.
The game started in a slow fashion with no real chances for either side. The best opportunity coming when Hemmings won the ball back in a good area but his pass to put Hawkes through on goal was underhit.
The home side had their first shot on the 20th minute mark as Drinan found space in the box before seeing his low drive well blocked by Clarke.
A few minutes later, the hosts had an even better chance. James delivered a pinpoint cross from the right to Smyth who was unmarked in the box but his attempted header came off his shoulder and went over the bar.
Shortly before the break, Rovers broke the deadlock. Morris drove forward on the right before feeding Dacres-Cogley on the overlap and his cross was glanced in by Kane Hemmings to round off a great move.
Tranmere started the second half on the front foot. Nevitt laid off to Warrington on the edge of the box but his curling shot landed a few yards over the bar.
Kieron Morris was next to try his luck. He showed great feet on the edge of the box to get past Wood before seeing his low shot blocked inside the box.
With 15 minutes to go, Orient thought they had a golden chance to draw level. The referee signalled for a penalty after Peter Clarke headed the ball away from a corner but after consulting his linesman, the decision was reversed and a free kick was awarded to Rovers.
With Orient running out of time, their best chance of the game was presented to Alex Mitchell. Smith nodded down from a corner before Mitchell flicked his effort wide of the post.
The hosts huffed and puffed but didn’t pose any real threat to the Tranmere goal and Micky Mellon’s said kept a clean sheet to secure the victory and finish off the season, finishing in 9th place.
Tranmere team: Murphy, Dacres-Cogley, Davies, Clarke, MacDonald, Hawkes (McManaman 68’), O’Connor (Spearing 70’), Warrington, Nevitt (Foley 87’), Hemmings