The season that started badly...........

The season 99-00 began with a result that was pretty uninspiring. I thought that opening the season against arch-rivals Bolton was going to be a big game. It was the first time in several seasons that we began the season at home. I was bitterly disappointed when we could only manage a 0-0 draw, and this was made worse by a poor turnout of only 7,600 fans. However, the lack of football in the close season had got to me, so I made the trip up to Blackpool for the second successive season to see us open up our Worthington cup campaign. In a complete re-run of last season we lost the game 2-1 despite going infront! Deja-vu was certainly in force as we beat them in the return leg 3-1 just like the same game a year ago, with Dave Kelly scoring a couple of goals in the process. I got into serious trouble with my girlfriend for taking a female friend to our away game at Port Vale, promising a great game. The ground looked terrible, only half finished, and our team looked terrible as we got beat 1-0 with Clint Hill being sent off. Infact the game was so dire and uneventful, I almost fell asleep at the wheel driving home, miraculously avoiding a severe crash on the M6! We were bottom of the table - but it didn’t worry me too much because the season had only just begun. I was even more annoyed when I realised that when I started my new self employed job, I forgot to book bank holidays off, so had to spend a frustrating August bank holiday in work in Warrington, missing my first home game in donkeys years! I couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved when I found out the score was 3-1 to Sheffield United, apparantly with George Santos being sent off for fighting.

Tranmere had decided to reduce the admission prices for our Worthington Cup game against Coventry, so I invited my friend along who rarely goes to any games. He in turn invited a Liverpool fan along, and we sat in my new speck behind the bench in the paddock. Although the atmosphere is pretty bad in the paddock, it quite often interesting watching what is happening on the bench. When Gary McAllister put away a nice goal on the turn, it looked like a hopeless game with Tranmere second to every ball. At half time the Liverpool fan (who I didn’t even know) made fun of me for 15 solid minutes - I was not very happy! The second half could not have been better though as we put 5 goals past a shell-shocked Coventry, and an even more embarassed Liverpool fan in the paddock. Dave Kelly scored a hat trick, and Dave Burrows got sent off to which I had a great view next to the tunnel of him throwing his boots back onto the pitch. I offered him a few choice words of comfort as he made his way up the tunnel!! The Coventry fans, although stunned by their teams pathetic performance were good sports and gave the Tranmere team and fans a round of applause at the end. I sensed an upturn in our fortunes, but could not believe it when barely 3 days later we were 4-0 down at home to Pompey. Not even late goals by Kelly and Challinor could prevent one of our worst perfomances of the season as we lost 4-2. A 5-1 lead is always handy to take into the 2nd leg of a cup game, and thing were looking good when Scott Taylor scored a goal to put us one apice with Coventry on the night. However, just before half time, 2 quick Coventry goals set us up for a very nerve racking 2nd half. I couldn’t make it to Coventry, but sat next to the radio, my heart skipping a beat as Coventry tried in vain to score. They didn’t, and the result stood 3-1 on the night, 6-4 to Tranmere on aggregate. After the game we found out that had we got beat, Aldo almost certainly would have quit.

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