TRANMERE ROVERS v SWINDON TOWN: A potted history (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

TRANMERE ROVERS v SWINDON TOWN: A potted history

6:00am Friday 25th January 2013 in Sport By Sam Morshead

OF ALL the 31 games played between Tranmere and Swindon at Prenton Park, the clash on May 19, 1993 stands out prominently.

It was the second leg of the First Division play-off semi-final, with Town taking a 3-1 advantage into their trip to the Wirral.

John Moncur opened the scoring for the Robins before Mark Proctor’s neat finish pulled Rovers back into the tie and Pat Nevin capitalised on Fraser Digby’s fumble to get Town hearts racing.

However, Craig Maskell restored Swindon’s two-goal aggregate lead and even a late Kenny Irons penalty wasn’t enough to take the tie to extra-time.

It cued mass celebrations from the travelling Town fans, who haven’t had a great deal to celebrate at Tranmere over the decades.

Swindon have only won six times at Prenton Park, including on each of the last two occasions, conceding 51 times and scoring 36 in the process.

The first meeting between the teams in the north west came in March 1959, when Jon Skull’s goal was scant consolation in a 3-1 defeat.

In the 1960s, this tie had a habit of producing high-scoring entertainment, with the four matches during the decade returning a remarkable total of 21 goals - including a 5-3 thriller in January, 1969 in which Town legends Don Rogers, Peter Noble and Roger Smart all got on the scoresheet.

Eight years later, Trevor Anderson secured a 1-0 win for the Robins but between that day and February 8, 2003, the Robins managed just one victory in 16 attempts.

Two goals from Billy Paynter, one from Anthony McNamee and Simon Ferry’s first in a Swindon shirt earned Danny Wilson’s Town a 4-1 win on Hallowe’en 2009 to end a five-match losing run at Prenton Park, while on their last visit - having already been relegated to League Two - Michael Timlin and Lecsinel Jean-Francois handed the Robins a 2-0 victory.