MANAGER Ronnie Moore admitted he felt “nothing but relief” after Tranmere snatched a 1-1 draw from their final home game of the League One campaign against Yeovil Town.
The point secured by Antony Kay’s 78th-minute equaliser was enough to guarantee Rovers will fight for a play-off spot in their last match showdown with Scunthorpe United next weekend.
Should Scunthorpe win or draw their game in hand at home to relegated Cheltenham tomorrow, Tranmere will require a victory at Glanford Park to snatch sixth place.
If Scunthorpe lose to Cheltenham, then a draw will be enough to take Rovers into the play-offs alongside Millwall, MK Dons and Leeds United.
Tranmere had the chance to put themselves in a stronger position with a victory on Saturday but were grateful to escape with a point as Yeovil enjoyed the lion’s share of the game’s goal-scoring opportunities.
Moore was left to speculate that the tension of the situation got the better of his players. He said: “I felt nothing but relief to take a point because we never got going. I can’t put my finger on exactly why but it may have been nerves.
“We are at a stage now where one mistake can cost you so much. So we were not positive enough in the attacking third of the field. We had one shot in the first half. That’s not like us.”
Moore added: “We said to the players at half-time, let’s lift the tempo of the game and we can win it. But we never really improved in the second half.
“When Yeovil scored I could see one or two heads go down and I did not like that. But they got going again and we scored a great equaliser. It was a terrific finish from Antony Kay and a great relief.”
The impressive form that gave Tranmere the second-best home record in the division, and helped them close the chase on the teams in the play-off places over the last two months, was missing this time.
Moore said: “We’ve told players that if they perform like that next Saturday, it will be a waste of time going to Scunthorpe. But I’m sure we won’t. I’m sure everyone will turn up and they will want to play.
“They have done brilliantly to get to this position and they just need not one more big effort.”
Moore believes Tranmere will have to post a seventh away win at Glanford Park to seize the prize.
“I fully expect Scunthorpe to beat Cheltenham on Tuesday,” he said. “That will put them two points in front of us so we will have to win on Saturday. We know now, bottom line, what we have to do.”
Striker Bas Savage, who missed the Yeovil game with an Achilles tendon injury, will be a major doubt.
