TRANMERE were given an early summer reminder of why local part-time teams can provide feisty pre-season opposition at The Kirklands last night.

Cammell Laird, of the Evostick First Division North, came within four minutes of claiming the scalp of their professional, League One neighbours from over the hill in Prenton.

First-half headed goals by Carl Clampitt and Sean Tuck put Laird ahead and while full-back Aaron Cresswell pulled a goal back before half-time, Rovers had to wait until the 86th minute to draw level through youth scholar Jay Gibbs.

The visitors created the lion’s share of the scoring opportunities in the final hour of the contest and wasted enough of them to have won the game comfortably.

Even so, the result was one for the Lairds management team of Alex Hay and Kenny Irons, both former Tranmere players, to be proud of and they could not fault the effort from their team.

Tranmere meanwhile enjoyed the benefit of being put through a competitive examination and a couple of tackles that flew in the first half showed both teams were serious about their business.

Manager Les Parry, splitting his squad for two games last night, fielded trialists Khatim Abbaoui, Maxine Blanchard and Steve Connor in his line-up at Laird.

French defenders Abbaoui and Blanchard were busier than they might have expected during the opening 20 minutes, as Tranmere conceded two headed goals.

Tall Laird’s striker Clampitt nodded powerfully into the top corner of the net from a well-flighted free-kick on the left by Chris Adamson in the 16th minute.

Three minutes later the visitors’ defenders were embarrassed again. Adamson, a schoolteacher, again provided a sharp delivery from left and Tuck lost the attentions of his markers to guide a low header past keeper Joe Collister’s left-hand post.

Connor, a former Everton trainee who has been working with Tranmere’s Football in the Community unit, produced some enterprising runs down the left. The equally diminutive figure of Ryan Fraughan was busy through the centre as Rovers’ youthful line-up attempted to ease some of their early embarrassment.

Connor’s run and cross from the left set up Tranmere’s first opportunity of the night, which was headed narrowly wide of the left-hand post by Cole Stockton in the 21st minute.

Rovers pulled a goal back from an unexpected source in the 33rd minute. Left-back Aaron Cresswell, one of five established professionals in the starting line-up, caused confusion in Laird’s box with a low left footed free-kick from the right that bounced past two defenders and deceived goalkeeper Liam Cannon before running into the net just inside the left-hand post.

Tranmere twice went close to an equaliser in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. Striker Terry Gornell wriggled through a couple of home defenders to run clear into the box but his shot caught the trailing leg of substitute goalkeeper Phil Palethorpe.

Soon afterwards Palehtorpe, who was on Tranmere’s books a few years ago, made a fine, stretching safe to keep out a long-range effort from Abbaoui.

Stockton was denied on the hour by a last-ditch tackle by Tony Randall following neat work by Gornell.

As Tranmere kept up the pressure for an equaliser they were occasionally vulnerable to Laird’s ability to mount quick counter attacks. From one of them, Collister had to make a sharp, one-handed save to keep out Tuck’s crisp, 18-yard shot.

Tranmere’s pressure finally brought the reward of an equaliser from defender Gibbs, who drilled home a first-time shot from a dozen yards following good work on the left by Cresswell and John Welsh.

Rovers sliced through the home team’s tiring cover in the final minute to set up a clear-cut chance for Fraughan to win the game but the midfielder slid his effort wide from close range.

CAMMELL LAIRD: Cannon, Adamson, Richardson, Gardiner, Randall, Atherton, Andrews, Lipson, Tuck, Corrigan, Clampitt. Subs: Palehtorpe, Tesny, Dunkerley, Bowen, McDonnell, Owen, Lewis.

TRANMERE: Collister, Abbaoui, Cresswell, Benson, Blanchard, Gibbs, Gornell, Welsh, Stockton, Fraughan, Connor. Subs: Appleton, Conchie, Courtney.

REFEREE: Dave Croft.

TRANMERE also had to fight back to draw 2-2 at Heswall after going two goal down to part-time opponents from the other side of the Wirral.

Goals from experienced striker Ian Thomas-Moore, who lobbed the goalkeeper, and a fine individual effort from youth trainee Dale Jennings, earned Rovers a draw after they dominated the later part of the contest.