Tranmere Rovers target magic seven when Stevenage head to Birkenhead

Tranmere Rovers will be eager to make it seven wins on the bounce in all competitions as they welcome a resistant Stevenage to Prenton Park on Tuesday (February 9).

A 3-1 victory against Port Vale last weekend propelled Keith Hill’s Tranmere Rovers into third place, the highest that the Birkenhead-based side has ranked in League Two so far this season. 

A home fixture against the side placed 21st in the league table would seem favourable at a glance, but Alex Revell’s side’s are enjoying a recent upturn in form which has seen them lose just twice in their last nine league games.

Sandwiched between this run was the reverse fixture result against Rovers, a 0-0 stalemate between Tuesday’s opponents which was the last time that Tranmere played a match in which they did not come out on top.

The Boro are a much more difficult side to beat now with a good defensive record to show for such improvements, having conceded fewer goals than any other side in the bottom half this season. However, the issue remains that they are rarely punishing teams.

Their impressive defensive record is not matched by their goal-scoring figures, having only converted 21 times from 26 matches this season.

It is obviously an area of concern for Revell. Action was taken in the January transfer window with the recruitment of Luke Norris, Mathew Stevens and exciting prospect Jahmal Hector-Ingram; with Boro only six points from the drop zone, these acquisitions will have to provide an instant impact to keep Stevenage from relegation worries.

Lower half mediocrity is but a distant memory for Tuesday night’s home side, and they themselves bolstered their side in the transfer window.

Most notably, Hill brought in Alistair Crawford and veteran striker David Nugent on deadline day. This business from an outsider’s point of view seems exciting for Tranmere – with the Super Whites becoming a force to be reckoned with at this crucial stage of the season. 

It must be said that the striking options of both James Vaughan and new signing Nugent are brilliant for League Two, even if it is a little throwback. The latter, however, has yet to feature for Tranmere since signing as they emerged from Saturday’s victory with no fresh injury concerns.

The Boro are set to give David Stockdale another appearance after his arrival on an emergency loan to cover for the injury to Jamie Cumming. Hector-Ingram, who has yet to feature since linking up with Stevenage, looks in doubt for the clash whilst fellow new recruit Jack Roles also seems unlikely to contribute.

Both sides carry threat which each other should be wary of going into the match. Vaughan leads the scoring for Tranmere and is the second-highest scorer in the division with 16 goals so far in the league, only bettered by Cambridge United’s Paul Mullin.

But, despite Stevenage’s low figures in regards to scoring, their options in attack are by no means poor. Norris scored his first goal for the Boro on Saturday and has come close in games prior to that; he carries significant threat and is definitely one for Tranmere to keep an eye on. 

Elliott List should also be listed as a danger. Having scored twice in his last three games, the forward seems to be developing well into his reformed role on the wing and possesses great pace that could unlock any defence.

Whilst Tuesday’s visitors are becoming an increasingly trickier customer, Tranmere’s form is scintillating. They’re probably the least ideal side to be facing at this moment; but Stevenage will be well up for it, despite it looking to be a very tough challenge.

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