ANDY ROBINSON is too much of a scene stealer to have remained on the periphery of Tranmere’s fight to hold onto League One status.

The front man from just over the hill in Rock Ferry developed a track record of taking centre stage on previous visits to Prenton Park over recent years – usually with goals scored at Rovers expense for Swansea City or Leeds United.

The first home starting appearance of Robinson’s loan from Leeds was held up for more than a month by a groin injury. But true to character, he exploited the opportunity in the spotlight with a spectacular goal that ensured Tranmere will take the battle for survival into the final game of the campaign at Stockport County next weekend.

Rovers earned the precious three points with a compelling team effort that grew in strength and confidence the longer the contest went on. They rose to the challenge to a man and left physio turned manager Les Parry almost speechless with pride at the final whistle.

But Robinson was the name on the lips of the fans after his 66th-minute goal, curled into the top corner of the net from 25 yards, gave the home team a 2-0 advantage and knocked the stuffing out of a Millwall side chasing an automatic promotion spot.

Results elsewhere meant that Tranmere can go into the final round of matches with a chance of overhauling two of the clubs above them – Exeter City and Gillingham – and possibly a third in Hartlepool, who face the prospect of being docked three points this week by the authorities for fielding an ineligible player in a recent win over Brighton.

Robinson was given his opportunity in the starting XI because Tranmere had to be bold enough to give themselves every chance of an outright victory. They could not count on a draw being enough to keep them in the shake-up.

The response from players all over the pitch served to remind the largest crowd at Preston Park this season that Tranmere, on their day, can make themselves a match for any side in the division.

The were periods in the fraught first half when both teams were too pumped up to play coherent football. The action was fast, fierce and untidy.

But while Tranmere sometimes looked like the team trying to hang on, they defended so well that Millwall did not seriously threaten to seize an advantage.

The back line of Shaleum Logan, Ian Goodison, Marlon Broomes and Zoumana Bakayogo provided Rovers with a solid foundation on which they built their second-half dominance.

Broomes and Goodison did a particularly effective job in subduing the threat of Millwall’s classy front pair Steve Morison and Neil Harris.

Morison, the striker recruited from non-League football who has notched 20 goals this season, could find only a couple of half chances. One was fired across the face of goal from a tight angle on nine minutes and another hurried effort was lifted over the bar from a dozen yards half an hour later.

Tranmere, it must be said, did not put a threatening effort close to the target until Bas Savage flicked on a clearance to send Ian Thomas-Moore running through the inside right channel and into the box in first half injury time. Millwall defender Paul Robinson had no option but to risk a tackle and lost his gamble as Thomas-Moore tripped over the outstretched leg. Referee Neil Swarbrick, with a close-up view of the incident, pointed to the spot.

Thomas-Moore dispatched the penalty with icy calm in front of almost 2000 baying Millwall fans and the afternoon was transformed.

Tranmere, expecting Millwall to respond with greater urgency at the start of the second-half, were instructed to come out off the blocks even faster. Rovers did not simply raise the tempo. They began to find a touch of quality in their play.

Within 10 minutes of the restart the visiting fans in the Cowshed Stand began to show some impatience with their team. There was some groans when substitute Lewis Grabban headed wide of the target after finding a yard of space from right-wing corner by Chris Hackett on 57 minutes.

A minute later Tranmere should have added a second goal when Savage wriggled to the byline on the right and picked out the unmarked Joss Labadie with a perfect centre. The young midfielder’s header was close enough to David Forde for the goalkeeper to make a sharp save.

The missed opportunity did not prove costly because Andy Robinson’s big moment arrived soon afterwards. When Bakayogo and Thomas-Moore combined on the left to steer the ball into his path, he made the sweetest of connections and the ball hurtled beyond Forde’s reach and just inside the angle.

Robinson was in his element for the next quarter of an hour, teasing Millwall’s defenders with his close control and eye for the opening. He was confident enough to drive a low 35 yard free kick past the visitors’ defensive wall, forcing Forde into a full-length save on 70 minutes.

Millwall did not extend Tranmere goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi until the until the 89th minute and then the young Hungarian showed sharp reactions in stretching to push out an angled 12 yard effort from Grabban.