RAY MATHIAS emerged as a hot candidate to take the vacant manager’s position at Tranmere last night.

Mathias, with a spell as Rovers manager in 2002-03 under his belt, is also the club’s longest serving player and a former captain and coach who first turned professional at Prenton Park in 1967.

The 62-year-old has enjoyed success in a managerial partnership with Paul Ince at Macclesfield and MK Dons since he last left Tranmere, and followed Ince into a short, less successful engagement in the Premier League with Blackburn.

Physio Les Parry has been in caretaker charge of team affairs at Prenton Park for five weeks since John Barnes was dismissed on October 9, while chairman Peter Johnson conducted negotiations with a number of candidates.

Rochdale manager Keith Hill and Bury’s Alan Knill have been linked to the post but the issue of compensation to their League Two clubs is a potential stumbling block to those moves.

Mathias is available, has first hand knowlege of the squad from attending home games on a regular basis and would welcome the challenge of trying to guide Rovers out of the League One danger zone.