Rockford's Love Child
Member
- Joined
- 15 Mar 2010
- Messages
- 13,905
- Player
- Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
- Manager
- John King
I thought it was a brilliant effort by the players tonight, and a victory that could prove pivotal to our season. We played some really slick football at times and constantly caught Vale on the counter-attack. However, we were good at both sides of the game this evening, and when the match became a scrap in the second half, we were up for the battle and fought like mad for the victory.
In the first half, I thought we were generally in control, playing the better football through midfield and always threatening on the break through Morris and Norwood in particular. Vale were very one-dimensional in their attacking play, and heavily reliant on long balls to Pope. After half time Vale upped the tempo and the match became a battle, but we defended superbly for the most part, while still showing the greater quality in the attacking third.
I don't think a single player had a bad game. The two centre halves were excellent again; McCullogh constantly ratted and broke up play and Perkins ran the game for long periods, particularly in the first half. I was really impressed with Morris once again, both for his attacking quality - it was his run and shot which led to the first goal - and for his willingness to get back and defend. Zoum had another excellent game and we were indebted to him for a goalline clearance at 2-1.
However, the man of the match has to be Norwood. I think this was the best game I have seen him play in a Tranmere shirt; he was absolute dynamite. His run and shot for the second goal was way above League Two level, as he was tracked by two defenders and scored from an acute angle, with only tiny portion of the goal to aim at. His pace, movement and workrate were phenomenal tonight and I think we owe him a huge debt for what he has done for us in the last 3-4 years.
Credit should also go to Micky for the tactical changes he made, switching to 451 and bringing on Gilmour when things started to get a bit hairy in the second half.
A massive sequence of matches, three of them at home, now follow for Rovers.
In the first half, I thought we were generally in control, playing the better football through midfield and always threatening on the break through Morris and Norwood in particular. Vale were very one-dimensional in their attacking play, and heavily reliant on long balls to Pope. After half time Vale upped the tempo and the match became a battle, but we defended superbly for the most part, while still showing the greater quality in the attacking third.
I don't think a single player had a bad game. The two centre halves were excellent again; McCullogh constantly ratted and broke up play and Perkins ran the game for long periods, particularly in the first half. I was really impressed with Morris once again, both for his attacking quality - it was his run and shot which led to the first goal - and for his willingness to get back and defend. Zoum had another excellent game and we were indebted to him for a goalline clearance at 2-1.
However, the man of the match has to be Norwood. I think this was the best game I have seen him play in a Tranmere shirt; he was absolute dynamite. His run and shot for the second goal was way above League Two level, as he was tracked by two defenders and scored from an acute angle, with only tiny portion of the goal to aim at. His pace, movement and workrate were phenomenal tonight and I think we owe him a huge debt for what he has done for us in the last 3-4 years.
Credit should also go to Micky for the tactical changes he made, switching to 451 and bringing on Gilmour when things started to get a bit hairy in the second half.
A massive sequence of matches, three of them at home, now follow for Rovers.