TRANMERE ROVERS pushed the self-destruction button last night as David Raven and Adam McGurk both saw red in injury-time before Jeff Hughes clinched this five-goal thriller from the spot to inflict Rovers’ first defeat of the season.

Joss Labadie climbed off the bench to smash home a fine 25-yard free-kick – albeit with a deflection from the Notts County wall – and had appeared to salvage a well-earned point for Les Parry’s men.

But Raven was given his marching orders for a second yellow card in the 94th minute before McGurk was adjudged to have handled Alan Sheehan’s shot on the line two minutes later.

Referee Michael Naylor consulted his assistant before pointing to the spot and while the clock read 97 minutes, Jeff Hughes had ice running through his veins to convert and leave the travelling Rovers faithful heartbroken.

The evening had started so positively for the visitors when John Welsh broke the deadlock on ten minutes but little did Parry know this was to be anything but Tranmere’s third straight 1-0 win of the season.

It took a wonder strike from County full-back Julian Kelly to level things up shortly after the break before Krystian Pearce’s header on the hour gave the Magpies the lead.

Labadie looked to have ensured Rovers’ unbeaten start to the season continued but a match that had simmered all night – ten yellow cards were shown before Raven’s second – blew up in Tranmere’s face in stoppage time.

After a stuttering start Parry’s side began to work their way into things – McGurk cut in from the left, played a neat one-two with Enoch Showunmi before unleashing a curling effort only to be denied by the sprawling fingertips of Stuart Nelson.

From the resulting dead-ball it was the visitors who bagged the opener – midfielder Welsh hammering home after a well-rehearsed low corner from the right found him in acres of space on the edge of the area.