Match report FA Cup 2nd Round – Tranmere Rovers 1, Brackley Town 0

Tranmere Rovers hosted Brackley Town at Prenton Park this evening aiming for a place in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. League 2 Rovers are a full 56 league places above the Brackley minnows.

The first five minutes of the BBC2 live televised game were all Tranmere’s, but the remaining 40 of the first half seemed to be in Brackleys control, despite them having only 31% possession by the half-time whistle.

During the first half, Brackley were very strong defensively, with only Feeney have a pop at goal. The visitors seemed at their most vulnerable when Rovers attacked wide, but Brackley’s counter-attacks were more dangerous and promising looking.

With the second half starting at 0-0, Tranmere’s new manager can’t have been too impressed with their first-half performance. And, the players wouldn’t have wanted the possibility of penalties – there being no extra time or replays this year.

It was a quick start to the second half for Tranmere. However, at 15 minutes into the half and with the score stalled at 0-0, the Brackley boys must have thought they were still in with a chance, and surely at some advantage. The home side must have been wondering why they couldn’t make a breakthrough.

Then, at 67 minutes, a touch of Prenton Park magic. A beautiful piece of play, including a perfect dummy, followed by an inswinging shot from the left that hit the inside of the post and left the Brackley goalie without a chance. Kaiyne Woolery scored a quality goal.

To the end, Brackley’s enthusiasm was relentless – chasing every ball like a kitten chases an elusive ball of wool. But, it was destined not to be their night.

Seven wins in seven games now for Tranmere who face a potential tie with a Premier League club in the third round. The third round draw takes place on Monday 30 November.

📸 First half snap shots!#TRFC #SWA pic.twitter.com/ue8CdUnJuL

— Tranmere Rovers FC (@TranmereRovers) November 27, 2020