This column was again written before our last match – a long Tuesday night trip to Birkenhead, provided of course that the fixture survived last weekend’s rain-laden storm! Just judging by short clips on ‘Quest’ of Tranmere’s home games, the Prenton Park pitch looks to be the worst we have faced since we returned to the Football League five years ago and, if you were there, it brings back memories of Dartford and the ‘ploughed furrows’ at Halifax – Happy days! Whatever, it’s the same for both teams and a visit to the Wirral provided a good opportunity for our Rovers to claim a long-awaited win after the defeat to high-flying Wycombe last Saturday. To be fair the Adams Park pitch was nothing like as good as our own surface here and had obviously taken a lot of rain beforehand. I have to agree with Manager Ben Garner that in open play Rovers were the better team for most of the game but missed chances and some poor defending ruined the afternoon – the ‘Chairboys’ scoring with their first attack after we started so well. Let’s hope the boys in blue today can gain revenge for our opening day defeat at Blackpool – I know we can do it so please get behind our lads this afternoon.
PROUD SPONSORS
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Unlike the Share Scheme money that is transferred monthly into the Football Club’s account the money raised by our highly successful 50/50 Draw has always been handed over in ‘chunks’ as it is dependent of course on how many tickets are sold. Cup matches come into the equation in a big way and we have had quite a string of home ties in both the F.A. Cup and the E.F.L. Trophy but most have been quite poorly attended compared to League matches. Now that Rovers have unfortunately departed from all the knock-out competitions for this season the Committee have been able to commit to a sum for this campaign and we have decided on the same figure as last season of £23,000 for the Rovers Youth Academy and the first payment of £16,000 was made into the Academy’s account last week. The balance will follow as and when we can but certainly by the end of the season. All this is possible of course thanks to the generosity of you, the loyal Rovers’ ‘punters’ who cough-up your hard-earned pounds at every home game. To boost the sum raised we hold a ‘Super Draw’ whenever we have sufficient unclaimed prizes to hand and we have another of these lined-up for the Easter Monday fixture against Burton Albion when we are hoping to have a 1st prize of £2,000 plus 2nd and 3rd cash prizes as usual. We will give you more details in forthcoming matches. The Supporters Club’s two Somerset-based Branches have also been busy fund-raising for the Youth Academy and I am hoping that our good friends in the Norton Radstock group will be able to make a presentaion of their own in the next few weeks but more details anon as they say. Thanks for supporting us and our branches and please keep buying those tickets!
Jim Chappell.