Tranmere boss Mellon unapologetic after being sent to the stands

Posted Wednesday, September 18, 2019 by PA

Micky Mellon was unapologetic after he was sent to the stands whilst his Tranmere team roared back from two goals down to draw with Peterborough in a thriller at Prenton Park.

Mo Eisa and Ivan Toney gave Posh a two-goal cushion mid-way through the second half but their lead was wiped out by Liam Ridehalgh and a spectacular strike by Ollie Banks.

In-between Rovers’ goals, Mellon was dismissed from the technical area for an altercation with the fourth official but he was in no mood to back down after the match.

He said: “We want to give the fans something worthwhile to watch. We’ve had a few years of trying to get to nights like tonight, to run toe-to-toe with a Peterborough team, who let’s being honest, cost a fortune.

“I think you saw tonight that when we’re determined to hit the tempo of the game we’ll be a match for anybody.

“I think the goals when they came (against us) were a wee bit against the run of play, but they’ve got some terrific players at that end of the pitch.

“They time wasted. I raised my voice because it was mayhem at the time. The fourth official comes towards me and puts himself ‘this’ far away from me. I’m not going to accept that, so I moved him out of my personal space.

“I can’t even apologise to the Tranmere fans or my chairman for my behaviour. My conscience is completely clear. I don’t care because I went upstairs and had a great view of Ollie Banks’ goal anyway.”

The visitors led in the 54th minute when Rovers committed too many players up field, allowing Eisa to sting them on the counter attack.

Their advantage was quickly doubled as Toney side-footed home a Joseph Ward cross from close range.

But Rovers responded superbly and when Ridehalgh found the net with a diving header from Darren Potter’s cross, the stage was set for Banks to equalise with a sensational 30-yard half-volley that flew into the top corner.

And Rovers nearly won it in injury when Christy Pym leapt to tip George Ray’s injury time header around the post.

United manager Darren Ferguson said: “It was always going to be a tough game. We didn’t start for the first 10 or 15 minutes. They were right at us.

“We still had, I think, the better chances. Second half we’ve gone two up but the changing point was the next goal. That was always going to be the key moment in the game.

“They’ve put a hell of a cross in and it’s game on. This place is hard when it gets going and they get a head of steam up. They were throwing balls forward quickly.

“The second goal, you’ve got to put your hands up and say the boy’s hit an unbelievable strike.”