Season Preview: Top seven push has to be in sight for Micky Mellon’s Tranmere Rovers

Tranmere Rovers will be aiming to put last season’s play-off disappointment behind them as they get their League Two campaign underway on Saturday.

Having spent part of last season threatening to take one of the automatic promotion places, Rovers limped home and barely confirmed their play-off position as manager Keith Hill departed the club before the two-legged clash with Morecambe.

Hill was Rovers’ second permanent manager of the season following Michael Jackson’s departure after a dreadful start to the campaign. Tranmere will be hoping for more stability this time around with the return of Mickey Mellon to the dugout.

Anything Tranmere achieve this season will have to be done without James Vaughan. Their talisman and top scorer from last season retired at the end of the campaign and his goals and presence will be a huge loss to Mellon’s side.

Transfers

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Rovers have been busy in the transfer market with plenty of players coming in and out during the summer months.

Manny Monthe has joined fellow League Two side Walsall with Liam Ridehalgh, Paul Lewis, Sid Nelson, Mark Ellis and George Ray also joining clubs in the same division.

Danny Lloyd has made the jump to League One, signing for Gillingham while Kaiyne Woolery has moved north of the border and joined Motherwell.

Mellon has in turn brought in plenty of experienced heads for what is sure to be another long and gruelling campaign.

Nathaniel Knight-Percival scored at Prenton Park in the play-offs for Morecambe but he’s signed for the Rovers after arriving on a free from the Shrimps. Tom Davies joined the club not long after with the duo making up a very experienced central defence.

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Josh Dacres-Cogley comes in from Birmingham City and should slot in at right-back following Lee O’Connor’s return to Celtic and Otis Khan’s contract expiry. Joe Maguire will compete with Calum McDonald on the other side.

Ryan Watson, Chris Merrie and Sam Foley have come in to bolster the centre of midfield while Liam Feeney has joined permanently after his loan spell last season.

Callum McManaman has the potential to be a really exciting signing. His career has tailed off a little bit in recent years but not many sides at this level have ever had a Man of the Match in the FA Cup final among their ranks.

He will need to provide ammunition to an attack that may struggle without Vaughan. To compensate for the striker’s retirement Rovers have brought in three forwards.

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Emmanuel Dieseruvwe has joined from Salford City while Paul Glatzel, the Liverpool youngster, has joined on loan. They are joined by Elliot Nevitt who last season played for non-league Warrington Rylands and scored a hat-trick in the FA Vase final at Wembley.

Whether these three can combine to score the goals of Vaughan remains to be seen but it’s certainly some outside the box thinking from the Rovers hierarchy.

Manager

Tranmere fans were delighted when it was announced that Mickey Mellon would return to the club following a season in the Scottish Premiership with Dundee United. He led the Tangerines to a ninth-place finish, well clear of the relegation places.

Having led Rovers to two promotions in his first stint in charge, hopes are high that the club can once again push on under his stewardship. While Keith Hill united the Rovers fans for the wrong reasons, Mellon has the backing of the vast majority of the Prenton Park faithful.

Potential Signings and Targets

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While there is no such thing as a striker that guarantees goals, someone that comes pretty close would be welcomed at Prenton Park. Dieseruvwe, Glatzel and Nevitt all have plenty of potential, but it could also go the other way, so an experienced marksman could make a huge difference.

Another creative midfielder would not go amiss either with a lot of that particular burden falling on the wide players. Someone capable of linking play from the middle of the park would give this squad so much more.

Supporters will be hoping for another play-off push in what looks like a stronger division this time around. Clubs like Bradford City and Mansfield Town appear to have a good plan in place so promotion looks a tall order, but a decent stab at the play-offs and some attacking football will see Mellon given plenty of time to implement his ideas.

Key Player

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Kieron Morris showed plenty of quality when given the chance last season but Keith Hill seemed reluctant to use the talented midfielder as often as fans would have liked.

After a strong pre-season this time around, Morris will be hoping to nail down a starting place and his creativity will be vital to ensure a supply line to those in attack. The midfielder’s ability to shoot from distance should also be a key weapon for Mellon.

Young Prospect

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Having scored a plethora of goals at youth level for Liverpool, Glatzel will now take his first step into senior football after suffering a few injury setbacks.

The youngster is highly thought of at Anfield, and should he respond to the rigours of playing with senior professionals, he will thrive and score goals at this level. It’s probably not a long-term signing for Tranmere, but a good season here will benefit both player and club alike.

The biggest plus point of course will be the return of the supporters to Prenton Park. A number of fans were allowed in for the play-off encounter with Morecambe but Saturday will hopefully see a return of the crowds of the past. Strap yourselves in as it is unlikely to be a dull ride.

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