Moore admits he was ready to rant at loss

Sep 3 2007 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

Ronnie Moore (158)

RONNIE MOORE admitted he would have been the manager venting his anger if Tranmere Rovers hed left Huish Park empty-handed on Saturday.

Steve Davies’ 96th minute free-kick rescued Tranmere a point from a 1-1 draw and prompted Yeovil manager Russell Slade to make angry criticisms of the performance of referee Ray Lee.

Moore said: “I would have been ranting and raving if we had lost that game. I am disappointed we only took a point from it. But when you are 1-0 down in the 96th minute you take anything.

“It keeps us in the top six and that is what we are looking to do. Our next game in the league at Carlisle is a difficult one but if we perform as we did in the first half at Yeovil there will be a lot of good things to look forward to.”

Moore joined Slade in making general criticisms of the referee. He said: “I wasn’t happy with the referee’s performance. But it was the same for everyone, to be fair. There were a lot of stupid yellow cards.

“I do think he made the right decision for the free-kick (that led to Tranmere’s goal). Russell is upset because we equalised in the 96th minute but when he looks back he will be happy that he got a point from the game.”

Moore added: “We had enough of the first half to be ahead at the interval. Their goalkeeper made two world-class saves from Steve Davies in the first half. So it was third time lucky for Steve with the injury-time free-kick. He was just the lad to step up at that moment. He has thunder in both feet.

“When he was taking it I was thinking ‘just make sure the keeper has to save it.’ But he put it on a postage stamp in the top corner.

“If Yeovil had five goalkeepers they could not have got close to it.”

Moore acknowledged Tranmere’s football had not been as penetrating in the second half.

He said: “We did not move the ball quickly enough. When you’re playing against the diamond shape that Yeovil use you have to get your full-backs involved.

“Really we needed Robbie Stockdale and Shane Sherriff to push on with a little bit of tempo and get our wingers into the game.”

Tranmere return to action in the Johnstone’s Paints Trophy tomorrow when they play Morecambe in a first-round tie at Prenton Park. Rovers have brought the kick-off forward to 7pm and cut admission prices in the hope of attracting more families and children to the game.