Micky Mellon hails important victory for Tranmere

Posted Sunday, August 12, 2018 by PA

Micky Mellon believes Tranmere edging out Cheltenham 1-0 was an important moment in the season for Rovers after they clinched their first Football League victory since March 2015.

Recently-promoted Tranmere maintained their unbeaten start to the League Two season as James Norwood burst the back of the net in the 12th minute with a stunning volley.

The Merseyside club overwhelmed Cheltenham in an exhilarating first 45 minutes but Mellon thought they should have secured the win by making the most of their chances.

“I think first half, we were very good,” said Mellon.

“We passed the ball well and got it back when we needed very quickly and created chance after chance. We were unlucky not to have more in the second half.

“It’s difficult when you’re 1-0 up and not to have in the back of your mind that you believe you are going to get sucker-punched here. So second-half, we didn’t get close to them and dominate like we did in the first half and the quality of our front men wasn’t as good. We had a lot of opportunities to put the game to bed. We could’ve had two or three goals.

“It’s still a good result because it is the first time we’ve won a Football League game for years. To get that off our back was really important and the crowd were magnificent. The atmosphere was electric. It’s a great bond we have with them now. They know when we need them to give the players an extra lift.”

Cheltenham suffered a bitter loss not only in defeat but also losing striker Manny Duku with a dislocated shoulder after he fell awkwardly just before half-time.

“He’s dislocated his shoulder, which is a shame because he’s only had a game and a half in professional football,” said manager Gary Johnson.

“He’s unlucky that he’s gone over and dislocated his shoulder. He’s at the hospital, so we’ll go and pick him up and see what the damage is. It’s difficult when you lose anyone at this stage of the season.”

And after a poor showing against Tranmere, Johnson hopes the progress of his side improves.

“It’s only two games into the season so we can’t look too much into our crystal ball just yet,” he said.

“I don’t think I’ve seen the best of them just yet in the two games but they are a bunch of new players, a few who have made debuts, so the potential hopefully gets better than where it is now.”

Mellon on the other hand wants to see more of the same.

“I’m very happy with a point away from home, a clean sheet and our first home win,” said Mellon.

“It’s took lot of hard work but we’re in a good place at the minute.”