TRANMERE will look to defensive strongman Ian Goodison to put some steel into the fight to fend off the threat of relegation at Dean Court tomorrow afternoon.

The Jamaican centre-back returns to the side against Bournemouth after a two-game ban caused him to miss the defeats to Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday that have left Rovers close to the League One drop zone.

Manager Les Parry said: “Ian is important to us, there’s no disputing that.

“We conceded six goals in the two games he missed and before we lost 4-0 at Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday there were only a handful of games where we were beaten by more than two goals.

“When the opposition see Ian is suspended I’m sure they are glad about it.

“He’s back for the Bournemouth game and it can’t come quickly enough.”

However, Parry’s relief at having the vastly-experienced 38-year-old marshalling the back four is countered by the disappointment of losing skipper John Welsh, also through suspension.

Parry rates the 27-year-old midfielder as Tranmere’s “most influential player.”

He said: “Welshy is involved in 20 to 25% of everything we do as a team. He breaks play up, he creates things, he is brave and he leads by example.

“He is going to be a big loss and whoever fills his shoes has got to do a decent job because they are replacing a player who is on the top of his game.”

Parry’s hopes of injecting the creative talents of Andy Robinson back into the side will hang on a late fitness test. The attacking midfielder has missed the last two games with a groin strain and Parry is anxious about the dangers of rushing him back too early with potentially decisive games to come over the next few weeks.

Parry said: “I’m a little bit apprehensive about forcing Andy to come back too soon. We are getting to the stage where an injury like a sprained ankle can put a player out for the remainder of the season because there isn’t that long to go. If we go too early with Andy we could end up putting him out for the rest of the season.”

Tranmere will have six games to play after the encounter with Bournemouth – four of them at home and three of those against teams involved in the relegation struggle.

Parry’s is confident that another seven points, taking Tranmere to 50, will be sufficient to secure League One status. But current form is not encouraging with the last 11 games yielding one win and just six points. The defeat at Sheffield Wednesday was the heaviest of the season.