TRANMERE aim to maximise support for Saturday’s crucial encounter with Yeovil Town by reducing admission prices to just £5 for all home stands at Prenton Park.
Rovers hope the fiver offer can generate the season’s best home gate as they battle to snatch a place in the League One play-offs.
Chairman Lorraine Rogers said: “This is a massive game for Tranmere as we fight to finish in the top six and secure a play-off spot. It is the last home game of what’s been a good season and we want as many supporters as possible at Prenton Park to cheer the team on and give us the best chance of winning.
“We’ve cut the price to £5 as a way of attracting as many supporters as possible. Our fans have been excellent all season and it would be wonderful to see a packed ground for this important match.”
Strong home form is driving Tranmere’s pursuit of the promotion dream. They boast 15 league wins at Prenton Park this season – a total bettered only by Leeds United. And an unbeaten run of 17 home league games, going back to a 3-1 reverse to Millwall in October, is the best in 20 years.
Even so, recession-hit attendances have often fallen below 6,000 over recent months. When Tranmere made a similar £5-for-all admission price offer for the game against Bristol Rovers at the start of this month, they were rewarded with an attendance of 8,119 as well as a 2-1 win.
Manager Ronnie Moore said: “The fans can make a difference by the coming out in numbers on Saturday. They can play a massive role in helping us to get the result we want.
“We are looking for one last home win, one last push. The more people who come in to lift the noise levels, the better the atmosphere will be. The players do respond to it.”
Moore added: “It’s great that the chairman and the board of directors have taken this initiative to get as many people as possible into Prenton Park. If the people of Wirral want to see Championship football here next season then this is the ideal opportunity for them to come and help us get there.”
Tranmere, currently holding sixth place in the table, are locked in a struggle for the final play-off spot with Scunthorpe, two points behind with two games in hand.
The Iron play the first of those games in hand at relegation-threatened Northampton tonight and play champions Leicester City at the Walkers Stadium on Friday.
So the race for sixth spot is sure to look different by the time Rovers kick-off against Yeovil.
Scunthorpe play their second game in hand against struggling Cheltenham Town a week tonight before hosting a potential play-off decider against Tranmere at Glanford Park on May 2.
Moore says he put aside the idea of travelling to the Sixfields Stadium to watch the Northampton-Scunthorpe match tonight admitting: “I don’t think I could sit through it.”
Instead he will keep an eye on the scores at home on Teletext.
He said: “If Scunny win their two games this week it will make things difficult for us but there is nothing we can do about it. We can only hope they drop some points and we need Northampton and Leicester to do a job for us. But whatever happens it will be absolutely essential we do our part by beating Yeovil. There are all sorts of permutations. But if someone were to offer me the scenario of going into the last game at Scunthorpe needing a win to make the play-offs, I would take it now.”
In addition to the price reduction for Saturday’s game, Tranmere are also providing match entertainment with an award-winning dance troupe performing on the pitch plus music and competitions for supporters.
Admission will be by cash on the turnstiles for the Kop, Paddocks and Johnny King stands. As usual, tickets must be purchased in advance for the Main Stand. Supporters who wish to us the Main Stand are advised to buy tickets in advance or arrive early on Saturday to avoid queues.
The office will be open on Thursday until 7pm.
Meanwhile Bas Savage is undergoing treatment at Prenton Park for the Achilles tendon injury he sustained in the 3-1 defeat at Leeds. Moore is hopeful Savage will be fit for the Yeovil game but says there is no prospect of frontman Chris Greenacre shaking off a ligaments injury in time.
