Tranmere visited Gillingham this afternoon in their latest fixture in the 2022/23 League Two season.
Ahead of the game, Micky Mellon said, “We want to win every game that we play, and we’ll try to keep the run going and attack every game, we’ll continue to do that and that’s the correct attitude, as long as we’re working hard, and we want to set up well and be difficult to beat.
“Gillingham have tried to get themselves out of the predicament that they are in. They’ve got a good manager, I know Neil really well and they’ve started to get away from the bottom end of the table.
“They’ve become stubborn and tough to beat and they are getting clean sheets, so we know it will be a tough time.
“If we create the chances, and the chances are there, it’s no use me saying that we create chances, it’s about showing that composure, getting good contact and scoring goals which have made Tranmere successful in the past because of it, so it’s important the players keep working hard, and we’ll find a way.”
Match Report: Gillingham v Tranmere Rovers
| Gillingham 2 |  v  | 0 Tranmere Rovers |
| Williams (32′) Masterson (83′) | Goals | |
| MacDonald (32′) Williams (83′) | Assists | |
| HT 1-0 |
Tranmere came back from Gillingham empty-handed today after suffering a 2-0 defeat at the Priestfield Stadium.
Shaun Williams and Conor Masterson unexpectedly emerged as heroes in Gillingham’s home triumph over Tranmere, helping them climb nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Harvey Saunders had the first opportunity for Tranmere when he connected with a high cross from Chris Merrie on the left side, but his header lacked the necessary strength to challenge Morris in the Gillingham goal.
At the 30-minute mark, Regan Hendry advanced into the Gillingham half and then passed it wide to Dacres-Cogley, who was overlapping. Dacres-Cogley’s low cross was deflected narrowly past the far post.
Shortly after, the home team took the lead, as Alex MacDonald delivered a corner kick from the left, and Shaun Williams was unmarked and able to head the ball forcefully past Murphy and into the Tranmere goal.
As halftime approached, Regan Hendry once again took the ball into the Gillingham penalty area, passing it to Josh Hawkes who’s curling shot missed the target high and wide.
In the closing minutes of the match, Gillingham sealed their victory. Shaun Williams sent a cross from an unconventional position on the left, and Jack Masterson was unchallenged as he fired the ball into the net from a short distance, securing all three points for Neil Harris’ team.
Tranmere host Newport County for a 3pm kick off on Saturday 18 March in their next game of the 2022/23 League Two season.
Match Highlights
Gallery
Credit: Tony Coombes
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Line-ups
Gillingham – Formation 4-4-2
1 Glenn Morris GK
2 Cheye Alexander DF
3 David Tutonda DF
5 Max Ehmer DF
23 Conor Masterson DF
6 Shaun Williams (C) MF
7 Alexander MacDonald MF
38 Timothee Dieng MF
49 George Lapslie MF
20 Tom Nichols FW
28 Oliver Hawkins FW
Substitutes
25 Jake Turner SUB
4 Will Wright SUB
18 Ethan Coleman SUB
16 Dom Jefferies SUB
35 Tristan Abrahams SUB
44 Aiden O’Brien SUB
Manager
Neil Harris
Match Officials
Referee: Andy Woolmer
Assistants: Andrew Fox and Matthew McGrath
Fourth official: Tom Reeves
Tranmere Rovers – Formation 4-4-2
13 Joe Murphy GK
2 Josh Dacres-Cogley DF
3 Ethan Bristow DF
18 Kyle Jameson DF
14 Jordan Turnbull (C) DF
24 Regan Hendry MF
6 Chris Merrie MF
4 Lee O’Connor MF
11 Josh Hawkes MF
26 Harvey Saunders FW
27 Jake Burton FW
Substitutes
23 Mateusz Hewelt SUB
29 Max Fisher SUB
33 Jay Turner-Cook SUB
19 Logan Chalmers SUB
25 Joel Mumbongo SUB
Manager
Micky Mellon
Attendance: 5674
League Table
League 2 season attendance
| Date | Opponent | Home Attendance | Away Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20/07/2022 | Stevenage | 6111 | |
| 06/08/2022 | Mansfield Town | 7128 | |
| 13/08/2022 | Gillingham | 5414 | |
| 16/08/2022 | Hartlepool Utd | 4072 | |
| 20/08/2022 | Newport County | 4070 | |
| 27/08/2022 | Colchester Utd | 5041 | |
| 03/09/2022 | Leyton Orient | 6578 | |
| 13/09/2022 | Bradford City | 5864 | |
| 17/09/2022 | Salford City | 3175 | |
| 24/09/2022 | Walsall | 5845 | |
| 01/10/2022 | Barrow | 6123 | |
| 08/10/2022 | Sutton Utd | 3007 | |
| 14/10/2022 | Crewe Alexandra | 8001 | |
| 22/10/2022 | Harrogate Town | 2316 | |
| 25/10/2022 | Rochdale | 5742 | |
| 29/10/2022 | Carlisle | 6576 | |
| 01/11/2022 | Stockport County | 6800 | |
| 12/11/2022 | Swindon Town | 9425 | |
| 19/11/2022 | AFC Wimbledon | 6010 | |
| 03/12/2022 | Northampton Town | 5,601 | |
| 10/12/2022 | Grimsby Town | 5134 | |
| 26/12/2022 | Doncaster | 7033 | |
| 29/12/2022 | Barrow | 3383 | |
| 01/01/2023 | Crewe Alexandra | 5349 | |
| 07/01/2023 | Sutton United | 5368 | |
| 14/01/2023 | Walsall | 6027 | |
| 28/01/2023 | Leyton Orient | 5946 | |
| 04/02/2023 | Stockport County | 10231 | |
| 07/02/2023 | Doncaster Rovers | 5775 | |
| 11/02/2023 | Salford City | 6516 | |
| 14/02/2023 | Bradford City | 15482 | |
| 18/02/2023 | Mansfield Town | 6282 | |
| 25/02/2023 | Stevenage | 3675 | |
| 28/02/2023 | Crawley Town | 5104 | |
| 04/03/2023 | Hartlepool United | 6320 | |
| 11/03/2023 | Gillingham | 5674 |
| 2022/23 Total home attendance | 110278 |
| 2022/23 Total away attendance | 105920 |
| 2022/23 Total attendance (Home & Away) | 216198 |
| 2022/23 Average home attendance | 6127 |
| 2022/23 Average away attendance | 5884 |
| 2022/23 Total average attendance | 6006 |
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