Rovers were caught out by Southend wide man Simon Francis – once a loan player at Prenton Park – who burst past Andy Taylor and swept in awkward low cross from the right that induced a half clearance from centre-back Ben Chorley. Striker Theo Robinson seized on the loose ball and after his first effort was parried by goalkeeper John Achterberg, he put away the rebound.
The afternoon’s entertainment also featured a diverting subplot, centred around the adventures of Bas Savage.
The tall striker with the eye-catching purple boots became public enemy number one among the home supporters from the moment he rolled theatrically to the ground clutching his face following an early challenge.
Before half-time Savage was yellow carded for an offence that the locals reckoned warranted a red, catching Southend midfielder Alan McCormack on the head with a raised arm. In the second half Savage’s vehement protests after being knocked over a couple of times did not impress referee Dean Whitestone and when the big striker stretched into a tackle on Peter Clark and caught the centre back’s foot, howls for a red card flared again.
An intervention by skipper Anthony Kay may have helped to persuade Whitestone to consult an assistant, who must have advised that the incident was accidental and Savage stayed on the field.
In the second half Tranmere’s football found an extra bite and cohesion. They began to turn the tide in midfield, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Steve Jennings, Gareth Edds and Charlie Barnett but the equaliser on 63 minutes probably came sooner than they deserved.
Whitestone decided that Freedman handled when blocking a cross from the right by Chris Shuker. It looked more like a case of ball to hand at such close quarters and Tilson was unhappy that the referee acted on his own judgement rather than consulting the assistant, who had a better view and kept his flag down.
Ian Moore kept his composure while the Southend protests subsided and tucked the spot-kick into the bottom right-hand corner.
Tranmere squandered a couple of opportunities to take the lead through poor decision-making rather than wayward finishing. And the locals would have turned purple with rage if an 83rd-minute cross-shot from Savage had deflected into the net off Adam Barrett instead of skidding beyond the right-hand post.
The game was deep into the third and final minute of injury time when the wily Freedman, always looking to find a few yards of space, exploited room in abundance on the left from a long free-kick by goalkeeper Steve Mildenhall. Tranmere were short in numbers at the back as the low cross came in to the box and Betsy nailed the chance with a crisp finish.
Match Facts
SOUTHEND: Mildenhall, Sankofa (Betsy 84), Clarke, Dervite, Barrett, Francis, Christophe, McCormack, Moussa, Freedman, Robinson (Laurent 76). Subs: Barnard, Scannell, Joyce.
GOALS: Robinson 3, Betsy 90
TRANMERE: Achterberg, Shotton, Chorley, Kay, Taylor (Cresswell 54), Shuker, Jennings, Edds, Barnett, Moore, Savage. Subs: Kenneny, Gornell, Waterfall, Henry. BOOKINGS: Savage, Moore, Edds.REFEREE: Dean Whitestone (Northampton).ATTENDANCE: 6,506.NEXT GAME: Tranmere v Peterborough, Coca-Cola Football League One, tomorrow 7.45pm. Savage, Moore, Edds.
GOAL: Moore (pen) 63
REFEREE: Dean Whitestone (Northampton).
ATTENDANCE: 6,506.
NEXT GAME: Tranmere v Peterborough, Coca-Cola Football League One, tomorrow 7.45pm.
