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The season begins to lift...... It was probably the live televised game on Sunday 3rd October away at Crewe that I believe signalled the start of our upturned season. New signing, Wayne Allison, or the “Chief” as fans commonly called him scored 2 very well taken goals to give us our first away win of the season. In the next round of the Worthington cup we faced Oxford at home, in a one legged game. At 1-0 up we looked to be crusing, but the game was turned on its head when Oxford were rewarded with a penalty. Joe Murphy was playing one of his first games in goal for the first team, but nicely saved the penalty to preserve our lead. Maybe if Oxford had scored that penalty, the game would have been a totally different affair. As luck would have it, on loan signing Tony Grant, had a weak shot that went under the Oxford goal keeper to give us a 2-0 win. 16th October signalled my birthday, and a home game versus Manchester City. I absolutely hated it when away teams came to Prenton Park and brought a big following taking over the entire Kop. When they scored first I cringed as the roars echoed, but when we got a penalty in the second half and Alan Mahon cooly put it away, I was greatly relieved to see us snatch a point and save my birthday from disaster! At Charlton we managed to squander a two goal lead and get beat 3-2 but made up for it with 2 straight victories at home against Crewe and WBA. A 0-0 draw away at Ipswich was very credible, but I was looking forward to us playing Forest at home. My girlfriends family are from Nottingham, so her Dad (an avid Forest fan) agreed to come to the game and sit in our section. As our third goal went in, he stood up and applauded Tranmere whilst shouting down to David Platt what a bunch of donkeys his team where. Smug was not the word!!! At the end of Novemeber, we started a cracking run of results. Firstly, in a hard fought game at home against Wolves we won 1-0 with the Chief scoring, and then breezed past Barnsley 4-0 in the net round of the Worthington Cup, to reach the quarter finals! Then came an away game that will alway remain with me for heart stopping action. December 4th we played Bolton at the Reebok Stadium. In all honesty I did not fancy our chances much, but went along for the hell of it anyway. Absolute delight rang through the SWA when Parky drilled a low shot home at the opposite end in the first half to put us 1-0 up. It’s always good to watch the action replays at the Reebok! I couldn’t believe our luck when Dave Challinor of all people sneaked a shot in after a scramble infront of the goal to put us 2-0 up right infront of the SWA! Joy turned to anxiety as Bolton pulled one back, and then absolute despair as they equalised not long after. I felt gutted as the Bolton fans near us were singing “Who are yeh - who are yeh?” Barely a few minutes later, Parky picked up a loose ball in the Bolton half, ran with it and then passed to Scott Taylor on the edge of the area. My first reaction was “What did you pass it to him for - you should have carried on with it yourself”, but could not believe it when Scott Taylor somehow curved a low shot into the corner to score and send the SWA into delerium! The next thing that happend was the entire SWA was singing back at the Bolton fans “Who are yeh - who are yeh?”!! I won’t forget the look on Scott Taylors face as he came over the to the away fans with clenched fists held high after scoring that goal. Click here for next page |
