Rovers reaping rewards of summer recruitment drive – Tranmere boss Micky Mellon

Posted Sunday, September 25, 2022 by PA

Tranmere boss Micky Mellon believes his meticulous summer recruitment is beginning to pay dividends after Rovers registered back-to-back away wins with a last-gasp 1-0 victory at Walsall.

Elliott Nevitt nodded home their winner five minutes into second-half stoppage time after fellow substitute and former Walsall man Kieron Morris’ drive was parried by Saddlers goalkeeper Owen Evans.

It was just reward for a strong final half-hour from Rovers, who had forced Evans into several saves and kept a fifth clean sheet in their past eight league games.

“The players are very, very fit – we recruited differently in the summer, we recruited young and we looked to bring in legs, people who could run,” said Mellon.

“Days like today I’m very grateful we were able to do that and bring players that could run the way they can right into the 90-oddth minute and get us valuable results.

“We are building on something. It was going to take time but now we have found a wee bit of a foothold and the players are coming back from injury and finding fitness.

“In the second half, we worked overloads well and overlaps well. The way they fought and defended when Walsall got a few free-kicks and a few corners was good.

“We stood up to it which is a great characteristic to have in a team and they just kept battling away: we continually looked threatening all afternoon and very, very solid at the back.

“It was a really good away performance and a really big three points.”

Walsall were left to rue Jacob Maddox’s glaring miss a few minutes before Nevitt’s goal extended the Saddlers’ winless run to 11 games in all competitions after a bright start.

“We’ve gone up one end, had a chance to score and win the game, then it gets cleared, we have a throw-in and two midfielders switch off, let their runners go,” Flynn said.

“It’s a kick in the teeth. It comes from our throw-in and that’s not good enough. I’ve been on about throw-ins all season.

“It’s a little bit embarrassing that I’ve got to take players to the side on the training ground to show them how to receive throw-ins and what to do. They are professional footballers.

“It’s concerning because the most restarts in a game come from throw-ins and we are turning over possession way too many times from something as simple as a throw-in.

“I have just told them they are letting us down, letting the supporters down.

“We are trying to build a team here that will get Walsall into the next division – it’s not going to be done in one transfer window and we’ve got to be positive and know things will turn around.

“But we do need a win.”