SUNDERLAND v TRANMERE LET’S MAKE A PIZZA HISTORY Rovers hungry for first trophy in 31 years, but Papa Keith admits: We still want to eat at top table with big boys in cups
SUNDERLAND sensation Charlie Wyke has got the seal of approval from North East royalty – with Kevin Phillips backing the striker to bring both silverware and promotion to the club this season.
Black Cats legend Phillips (above) said: “It used to annoy me when people said that Quinny (Niall Quinn) put all my goals on a plate because the hardest part of football is putting the ball in the back of the net.
“A lot of the goals this season have been set up by Aiden Mcgeady but it still takes concentration and skill to be able to score.
“It would be interesting to see how Wyke goes in the Championship. But he’s a big guy who puts himself in dangerous positions.”
KEITH HILL had a wellknown pizza takeaway named in his honour in Birkenhead this weekend.
But all the Tranmere manager wants is for Football League clubs to continue to enjoy a slice of the action.
Hill will lead out his side against Sunderland in the Papa John’s Trophy at Wembley today.
And on the Wirral, Papa John’s has become Papa Keith’s to celebrate that achievement.
But while the League Two side battle it out for silverware, Hill believes it is crucial clubs like Tranmere still get the chance to pit themselves against the big boys in other cup competitions.
A wish which could be under threat in an era dominated by clubs with budgets that Rovers can only dream of.
Hill said: “I think there should be a connection throughout the leagues and I don’t believe in any type of snobbery.
“I don’t believe the bigger clubs have the right to dictate what happens in football.
“We should have a fair and equal chance of playing the bigger clubs in the Premier League in a cup competition – we should have a fair opportunity to pit our wits against them.
“This is a pyramid that’s unique to the world of football and we want that to remain.”
Those Tranmere supporters tucking into their Papa Keith’s while watching this afternoon’s clash with Sunderland would doubtless agree with him.
Particularly those who remember Tranmere’s cup adventures from days gone by.
The Super Whites reached the final of the League Cup in 2000 and also got to the semi-final of the competition in 1993-94.
Victory over Sunderland today, though, would represent their first trophy success since they won the Leyland DAF Cup against Bristol Rovers 31 years ago.
For a club that only regained their League status in 2018, it would also be a clear indication of their ability to bounce back from adversity.
And it would further endear 51-year-old Hill to the Prenton Park faithful.
“I don’t try to hide who I am,” he added.
“I’m just a working-class person with a great family, great family values and I want to show people who I am and the personality I have.
“It doesn’t suit everybody but I have no fear of showing the people in Birkenhead what I represent.”
With 17 wins in his first 26 matches in charge, Hill has already won a place in their hearts.
A win over Sunderland would only cement that further.
He said: “That’s the one shame in all this – that we won’t have anyone in the ground to watch us.
“But they’ll be watching at home, don’t you worry about that.”
Papa Keith’s can expect a busy afternoon.