Tranmere 2, Luton 1

Sep 15 2007 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

SUBSTITUTES Craig Curran and Antony Kay put Prenton Park in the mood for a Friday night party after turning Tranmere’s encounter with Luton upside down in the final 10 minutes and to send Rovers top of League One.

The Hatters led for three quarters of a compelling encounter thanks to a fifth-minute strike by veteran front man Paul Furlong. They looked the better side in the first half. But as Rovers gradually wound up the pressure after the break, Luton’s nerves began to show.

The changes in personnel manager Ronnie Moore made at the three-quarter stage, introducing teenage striker Curran and versatile Kay also signalled a change in Rovers luck in front of goal.

Curran levelled the contest with a typical opportunist strike on 83 minutes.

Four minutes later the tall Kay brought the house down by heading home a deep free-kick from Shane Sherriff.

Luton were left wondering how the points had been wrenched from their grasp while Tranmere moved to the top of the League One table ahead of this afternoon’s programme.

Manager Ronnie Moore said: “I thought we thoroughly deserved the victory even if we had to wait for the substitutes to get the goals late on. I couldn’t have asked much more from my players and the crowd were magnificent. They rally do make this a special place on Friday nights.”

Tranmere found themselves a goal down on five minutes and to the obvious irritation of manager Moore, it was conceded from a set-play.

They were fortunate to survive when 38-year-old Furlong added a right-wing cross from Matthew Spring against the face of the crossbar, but from the resulting corner, swept by David Bell to the far post, Furlong outjumped Ian Goodison to power a header into the net via the despairing hands of goalkeeper Danny Coyne.

Luton, moving the ball with confidence, failed to take advantage of an opportunity to double their advantage on 17 minutes when David Edwards nodded Bell’s headed pass straight into the grateful arms of Coyne from six yards.

Tranmere were slower than the visitors to slot into a rhythm.

Gareth Taylor, back to lead the attack after spending three weeks on the sidelines with a broken rib, dominated in the air, winning a succession of headers and flicks. But Tranmere could not make enough of them in the first half.

Luton created another good opportunity on 32 minutes when striker Dean Morgan, cutting into the box from the left, fired his shot over Coyne’s crossbar from 15 yards.

Tranmere began to ask more serious questions of the visiting defence once the game moved past the half-hour mark.

When Sherriff ran beyond the far post to head a well rehearsed free kick from Paul McLaren goalwards, Luton captain Chris Coyne scampered back to head the ball off the line. Then from the corner Luton goal keeper David Forde smothered the ball at the feet of Chris Greenacre as he attempted to turn on a ball knocked forward by Ben Chorley.

When midfielder Steve Jennings played into space 10 yards from goal by Taylor’s knock down surprisingly attempted to play a pass towards Greenacre when a shot was the obvious choice, Tranmere’s best first-half chance was gone.

Forde denied Tranmere an equaliser within two minutes of the restart with a fingertip save to keep a rising 20-yard effort from winger Steve Davies out of the top corner.

Soon afterwards Paul McLaren’s first time half volley from a corner by Shuker flew over the bar form a dozen yards.

Tranmere attempted to apply the pressure in search of an equaliser they were occasionally reminded of the visitors’ potency on the counter attack.

Bell forced Coyne to go full stretch to touch out a low 20-yard shot that was sneaking inside the right-hand post. The goalkeeper scampered to get enough of a touch on the loose ball to prevent Furlong from capitalising.

Chorley and then Taylor miskicked when chances came their way inside the box as the game moved past the hour mark.

Chris Greenacre could not make the most of a gilt edged chance on 70 minutes, mis-hitting his shot wide after an effort by Davies skidded onto his right foot 10 yards in front of goal.

Tranmere manager Ronnie Moore made changes after that, introducing Curran for Taylor and replacing midfielder Jennings with Kay.

And it wasn’t long before the changes brought a remarkable change of luck for the home side. Tranmere levelled on 83 minutes through Curran.

A long ball down the middle glanced off the head of Luton defender Coyne as Greenacre challenged and Curran was on to it in a flash, taking the ball into the box before steering it past Forde.

Then on 87 minutes Kay jumped above the Luton defenders beyond the far post to send a looping header beyond the reach of Forde and into the net – to the huge delight of Tranmere’s Friday night audience.

But goalkeeper Danny Coyne still had to make a fine fingertip save from Spring’s blasting 25-yard shot to keep Tranmere in front.