NEW BOYS TRAN-SFORM MICK’S GOAL SHY ROVERS
TRANMERE Rovers fired a warning shot to their promotion rivals after finally hitting the goal trail in an impressive victory over FC Halifax at Prenton Park.
James Norwood struck a double in the first 15 minutes before going off with a head injury ten minutes later.
Debutant Larnell Cole and Dylan Mottley-Henry then sealed the win after the break.
The Shaymen twice responded with goals from Matt Brown and Daniel Batty but they were no match for rampant Rovers who finally look to have hit their stride, satisfying Micky Mellon.
He said: “The performance from start to finish was great. There’s things that we know that we need to get better at but to score four goals and the quality of them and the performance was very pleasing.
“We’re pleased to score at an early stage. It allowed us to keep ploughing forward, get the game plan going and the boys can take a whole load of credit for it.
“I thought Gerry McDonagh was outstanding. He led the line fantastically well with his athleticism and his height.
“I’m really pleased for Dylan Mottley-Henry. He deserves a goal. He’s worked his socks off since he’s been here. He puts a smile on your face.”
Tranmere made a positive start and were quickly rewarded when a telling cross from Jay Harris was turned in by Norwood after only six minutes.
On the quarter of an hour mark, a brisk counter attack from Rovers provided a second goal when Jeff Hughes’ bouncing halfvolley was chested into the net by Norwood on the line. The former Forest Green striker’s afternoon was done 10 minutes later – unable to continue with a head wound, replaced by Cole. The visitors pulled one back in the second half through a Brown header but immediately from the restart Rovers reaffirmed their two-goal advantage with a deflected debut strike from Cole. A suicide pass from Connor Oliver allowed Mottley-Henry to sprint half the pitch for Tranmere’s fourth before Batty provided a consolation for wellbeaten Halifax, who could not live with Tranmere’s attacking arsenal. Disgruntled Town manager Billy Heath said: “It was a really poor start and that’s the last thing you want when you come here. In the second half we got ourselves back in the game, but 30 seconds later the game’s finished. “What we need to do now collectively is go back to where we were. We’ve got to start stopping teams from playing like we’re doing. If that means playing the most hard-working players and being destructive and ugly to start with, then that’s what we’ll do. “Teams aren’t having to do a lot. Every single goal today was an individual mistake We’re too open and free at the minute.”