Tranmere clinch win over Mansfield with added time goal

Tranmere hosted Mansfield Town yesterday evening for a 7:45pm kick-off in their latest game of the 2021/22 League 2 season.

Ahead of the game, Micky Mellon said, “There are a lot of teams on good form at the minute, as is always the way at this stage of the season. We just have to concentrate on our own stuff and getting that right. I’m absolutely convinced that, if we do that, we will cause them many problems,” stated the Scot.

“We are only looking at the next game with optimism. We are looking at what it can bring, and there is the opportunity to go out there and gain a massive three points to put us third. It is the opportunity to play in a Friday night at Tranmere, so there are only positives for us from what we can achieve out of this game.”

Match Report: Tranmere Rovers v Mansfield Town

Tranmere Rovers 3	v	2 Mansfield Town
Clarke (5′) Nevitt (76′, 90’+5)	Goals	M Longstaff (45’+6) Hawkins (90’+1)
MacDonald (5′) Warrington (90’+5)	Assists	McLaughlin (45’+6) Murphy (90’+1)

In a nail-biting game that was decided in the final moments of added time, Tranmere returned to their winning ways last night at Prenton Park.

Elliott Nevitt was the evening’s saviour as his two late goals secured victory against League 2 rivals Mansfield.

In what was a dream start for Tranmere, skipper Peter Clarke found the back of Mansfield’s net inside five minutes. Clarke headed a powerful goal from six yards, set up by a Calum MacDonald nod on.

Mansfield levelled the scoreline six minutes into added time at the end of the first half. Unmarked Matthew Longstaff somehow managed to slip the ball past Joe Murphy from a tight angle from a Stephen McLaughlin cross.

Tranmere stepped up the pace from the get-go in the second half and should have regained the lead through an attempt by Glatzel, but his close-range shot was deflected over.

Just before the hour mark, Josh McPake fired an angled strike after finding space on the right, but his powerful strike cannoned off the near post.

Substitute Nevitt regained the lead for Tranmere with 15 minutes of normal time left on the clock. The home fans would have been happy for the remaining time on the clock to tick away uneventfully. But this is Tranmere and their games are rarely without drama.

Just as the fourth official displayed the board showing an agonising eight minutes of extra time, Mansfield grabbed an equaliser, seemingly dashing the hopes of a win for the home fans.

Then, as if by magic, super-sub for the night, Elliott Nevitt twisted, turned, and squirmed inside the box firing a shot past Nathan Bishop.

Scenes in the kop were as to be expected.

The result was a much-needed three points and they climb back up to third in the league. There is lots of work to do for the rest of the season and now is not the time for the team to rest on their laurels.

Highlights: Tranmere Rovers v Mansfield Town 11/03/2022

Tranmere host Harrogate Town for a 7:45m kick-off on Tuesday 15 March in their next League 2 fixture.

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