TRANMERE’S last-gasp victory over Brighton was dubbed a reward for “perseverance, character and guts” by Ronnie Moore. The manager also admitted: “For once the luck turned in our direction.”
Rovers took the points with an injury-time strike from skipper Antony Kay after surviving a strong penalty appeal at the other end a couple of minutes before.
It represented a 180-degree turn in fortune for Tranmere, who went out of two cup competitions as a result of last-minute goals at the hands of Peterborough and Scunthorpe over the last fortnight.
Moore went on: “Football has a habit of kicking you in the stomach and we found that twice in the last fortnight.
“Now Brighton have had a little taste of it,” he added.
“It wasn’t a sparkling performance but the game is about keeping going for 90 minutes and we did that. If we win seven or eight games with 93rd minute goals this season, I’ll be happy to take that.
“It is difficult to play when the pitch is heavily and wet. We got ourselves into good wide positions all afternoon but we did not put the ball into the right areas.
“The move that brought the goal was a good one and Ian Moore’s strike against the upright was terrific. Antony Kay could not get to the first rebound but he put away the second one after Chris Shuker’s shot was saved.”
Tranmere’s third straight home victory in League One moved them to within four points of the play-off zone. They travel to Hereford on Friday (Boxing Day) and play host to Walsall on Sunday, December 28.
Moore said: “It was a massive result for us. We’ve had a heavy schedule, playing two matches a week for the best part of two months. Now the players can have a bit of respite before the game on Boxing Day. It has put us in good heart for Hereford.”
Kay’s late strike also silenced the critics in the crowd and turned the boos that greeted the substitution of striker Chris Greenacre into cheers at the end.
Moore said: “People should think about their criticisms before they start moaning and groaning. It’s human nature for people to start shouting ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’ when things are not going well.
“But Chris Greenacre has had a back problem for the last month and he was beginning to struggle with it. ”
The 20-minute cameo marked the end of Wilson’s month-long loan from Doncaster.
Rovers have an arrangment to bring full-back Ryan Shotton back to Prenton Park on an extended loan from Stoke in the new year, a move which will be balanced by John Johnson’s return to Middlesbrough after the Walsall game.
Centre-back Ben Chorley and midfielder Ian Moore will be missing through suspension when Tranmere travel to Hereford after collecting five bookings this season.
