Raindrops Kiko Falling On My Head

Brighton & Hove Albion Women host Southampton Women at the People's Pension Stadium

The Seagulls are back in Crawley to host Southampton Women in the Subway Cup. It’s group game 3 of 5 and we have won one and lost one. The Saints are going well in WSL2 but the Albion are still big favorites. We all know that it doesn't work that way in one-off games though. It’s a very wet afternoon in West Sussex with steady rain expected for most of the day/ Being a cup game, Dario has rung the changes again. It’s Baggers 🧤 in goal with Marit and Jorelyn in front of her. Marisa is left back and Rachel as right back or wing back. It’s hard to tell. In the middle are Nadine and Fuka. It’s a first choice attacking line up of Fran, 10, Michelle, 9, Rosa on the left and Carla on the right. Going for it today. We are all cramped into the West stand, meaning that the ‘Atmosphere’ section have been imposed on the Grumpy Old Farts section. They arrive, complete with the Samba Band. There may be drums 🥁, lot of drums 🥁🪘. Sussex by the Sea has never been so loud, or so Latin 🪇. Lets hope the team hit the ground running. Let’s go Brighton, let’s go…

The Seagulls start with good energy and get a couple of early chances. Carabali is in the middle of it and blasts from range. It settles down into the usual possession based game where the defence are very busy backwards and forward or side to side. Passes forward are too hopeful and mostly intercepted. Rosa is looking confident in the box though. Another chance from a corner goes to Marit. The Saints fans are making a good noise as they get a corner but the rowdy Seagulls support soon drowns them out. It’s still raining steadily but it doesn’t dampen the Samba vibe.. Rosa gets the ball past the right back but she is blocked and held to stop her getting to the ball. The ref blows and giving it to the defender. Very odd decision. The two well organised defensive lines of the are stopping the Seagulls playing through them. Poor passing is letting them down too. Michelle tangles with one of the Saints on 20 and there are team talks as the injured Saint receives treatment. The Seagulls and the ref are ready to restart but there are no Saints as they are all still chatting. The ref looks cross. The first good chance comes on 24 as a great cross by Carla is put just wide by a stretching Rosa. A minute later and Michelle uses her strength to beat the defence but her shot hits the post. The Seagulls are playing too slow in transition, letting the Saints settle back into their shape. The Saints would love to take the lead and a mistake by Jorelyn gives then a corner on 45+2. They get no joy and the half end 0-0 on 45+4. The Saints will be the happier of the 2 teams. The Seagulls need both more energy and precision. Important team talk for Dario and Captain Fran now.

There are no changes for the 2nd half. The Seagulls start with a bit more energy. The ball is put into the box by Fran but it hits Carla on the back and everyone chooses to pass instead of shooting. The chance to shoot eventually comes to a centre back, it’s Marit, and she puts it well over. Albion are pressuring higher up the pitch now. Michelle tries to roll a defender, who, knowing she is beaten, just throws herself to the floor earning a free kick. The rain is persisting or it’s pissing down again now. The war drums are going, trying to drive the Seagulls on. Some good passing in the box ends with Marisa at the edge of the box. It takes a good save from the keeper to tip it over the bar. Getting closer. A Southampton corner leads to their best chance. It’s a great ball in but the striker can’t get any contact on it. The Saints are keeping the ball better and putting the Albion under pressure for a few minutes. A third corner comes closer but she can’t get enough on it. There are some changes on the hour mark. It’s Carla and Rosa making way for Kiko and Moeka. It looks like a back 3 with Marisa moving up to wing back. Rachel seems to have moved into the midfield 3. A long ball from Marit in defence finds Kiko on the wing. She passes to Michelle, Rachel back heels it and Kiko fires into the top corner from close range on 68 ⚽. 1-0, deadlock broken at last. Hope that sorts out the nerves and we can kick on from here and finish it off 🙏. The Samba band 🥁 is having a very good stab at “Kiko’s on fire”. The Saints get a chance but it’s from miles out and easy for Baggers to collect. Jorelyn hits a long ball over the top to the running Fran. She has a lot to do but chips the keeper from close in on 70 ⚽. 2-0. Getting there. Super Fran. The drums are really going now. Albion have stepped up the tempo now. Fran goes down in the box but play continues. Rachel kicks the ball out so Fran can get treatment. The Saints re-start with a throw-in but instead of giving the ball back, they start to play👀. There is another incident with Michelle. As she is running forward off the ball, the defender runs across the back of her taking them both down. It’s surely a free-kick to Brighton but it’s not. The crowd are not happy, and nor are Michelle and Captain Fran. She really doesn’t know what she is doing and the polite feedback that we provide helps let her know that she has got it completely wrong. As if she can’t tell from the players reactions. There are two more changes on 81. Going off are Marisa and Rachel. Coming on are U19 striker Elliana Martin and Caitlin Hayes. Some fresh legs up front and shoring up the defence for the last 10 minutes. Marit moves across to her usual right back position and Caitlin goes in the middle with Jorelyn. Elianna is straight into the action after a Saints defensive mistake lets her onto a great long ball from Jorelyn. It’s a difficult chance but needs a good save from Stanson. The resulting corner is headed just wide by Caitlin. Subs having a good impact. It’s just the final ball that is eluding the Seagulls. It’s good to see Elianna making a nuisance of herself on the left. Fuka, who, is scrapping for every ball, gets deliberately pushed over off the ball but the officials are nowhere to be seen. Baggers gets a song from the band. She’s had a quiet game but she’s not forgotten. Fran makes way for U19 defender Emily Gay on 87. Big cheers for Super Fran. It’s Captain Carabali now. Minami seems to be loving a bit of advanced full back play on the left. She combines well with Elliana who gets a deep cross in. It’s saved but spilled and Kiko doesn't need to be asked twice to poke it home on 90+2 ⚽. 3-0 and a brace for Kiko. Brighton keep pressing but the whistle goes before they can take a corner.

Well, that may have been a bit tedious at times. We had the ball most of the time but did very little of any note for much of the game. The Saints defence was well organised and trying to play through the non-existent gaps in their 2 close lines of 4 like we are Barcelona was a bit of a stretch. Especially when the pace was so pedestrian. There were chances but the performance was largely unconvincing before the changes. The subs bought energy and different options. Kiko did seem to be standing in huge amounts of space a lot of the time but she was where she needed to be when it mattered ⚽⚽. Her running destroyed the tired defence and gave us something to cheer about. Can’t wait to see more of Elliana. It may have been Dario’s plan all along to play with the ball and keep a clean sheet early on then go in for the kill at the end. Very Serena like but it worked whether that was how it was intended or not. It’s a good way to win a game, just not great for the spectators and their nerves. The Saints fans seemed to enjoy themselves. Singing "When the Saints”, predictable, “Auld Lang Syne”, weird, and “Is this a library?”, inaccurate. The Samba Band certainly upped the noise level. “Kiko’s on fire was the best. It was improving with every goal she scored. Let’s hope it continues to improve at pace. The formation was a bit confusing at times again with Rachel in at right back, wing back and centre mid all at the same time. It was good to see Jorelyn play as she has been on the margins this season. She had a fairly consistent game and those long balls are amazing ❤. Not seen her partnered with Marit before but they did ok. Nadine and Fuka worked hard in the middle. A good alternative pairing to Jelena and Maisie when needed. The result was good and looked comfortable in the end. It was unconvincing early on and the Saints must have been hoping for penalties as they didn’t really get a chance. We’ll put it down to the poor weather. Anyway, it’s done now and we move into the international break. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks.

POTM: Not hard today as there were few stand out performances. Kiko completely changed the game when she came on. Well done and thank you 🏅.

The ref was ok most of the time but made a couple of howlers for fouls on Michelle who she seemed to take against. Makes you wonder if the refs are making mistakes to try and get VAR into the WSL so they don’t have to make the big and difficult decisions any more. Just a thought. The lino in front of us was good and actually flagged for fouls like a proper assistant ref. It was refreshing to see. Well done.

The Scran’O’meter loves to be back at the home of yummy pizza. Today, it is a Margarita 🍕, 9/10 and chips 🍟 10/10. The Lattes ☕ 7/10 and doughnuts 🍩 8/10 were great too.

See you soon

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

A bit wet here

Supporting CopaFeel!

DvD killed the Dario Stars

Brighton & Hove Albion Women face Arsenal Women in the WSL at the Emirates Stadium

The Seagulls are in North London to play the Gunners. Last time we were here, we got a bit battered.  Since then, we have beaten them at Crawley.  That was just before they beat Barcelona in Lisbon to be crowned Champions of Europe again. They are on a poor run of form at the moment so we catch them at a good time. They lost to Lyon in the week and haven’t won since the opening day of the WSL.  The Albion are sporting their new away kit which is a light purple/mauve. It looks nicer when you see it on the pitch than it does in the shop. Our 2 Arsenal loanees, Michelle and Rosa, are not eligible for the squad today. Starting up front are Carla in the 9 and Fran in the 10. WIde of them are Kiko on the right and Rachel on the left. Behind them are Captain Maisie and Jelena. The defence comprises Caitlin and Charlize in the middle with Marissa and Maelys as full backs. That looks like a conventional back 4. The Gunners lineup is formidable with Russo, Smith, Manuum and Foord up front. Leah is still injured after the Euros so Katie Reid is in the central defence with Catley. The bench is even more frightening 😱. We're hoping the sun is going to come out at some point to shine on the 369 of us in the away end. It took 2 coaches to get us all here.  One for the ‘Atmosphere’ section and the other for the ‘Grumpy Old Farts’ section. There is some dodgy 70’s/80’s football songs then North London Forever. The Albions take the knee and we’re off. Let’s go Brighton, let’s go.

The teams are feeling each other out for the first minutes. Both making mistakes in possession. First chance goes to Olivia Smith from a cleverly worked corner but with Kiko closing, she blasts it just over. They come even closer as Chiamaka has to scoop a Katie McCabe cross out from under the crossbar. It’s recycled and she saves again from Foord. Brighton attack for a spell but can’t get a chance. Russo plays in Smith but she buries it deep into the side netting. Brighton lose it in the middle of the pitch. Arsenal break and Smith's early cross is accidentally deflected by Marissa past, a wrong footed, Chiamaka into the net. Arse. 1-0. The Gunners are owning the left wing and Mpome is often outnumbered 2 or 3 to 1. She is playing really well but needs more support. Arsenal are dominating but are too pedestrian to threaten the Albion defence too much. Some great build up by Maisie and Kiko gives Fran a great chance from the corner of the 6 yard box. She tries to chip DvD who makes an easy catch. It would have been nice to see her smash that. Some patient build up on the left and Jelena lobs a cross into the box. Kiko tries to bundle it in but collides with DvD and McCabe. Brighton are getting good possession at times but Arsenal are a little better on the ball. Foord beats Mpome to get in a good cross but there is no-one at the far post. Super Fran is having great game. Come on Fran, give us a goal. Brighton defending well from the front. It’s working as Arsenal have not had much of a chance since the lucky goal. Which wasn’t a chance at all. The outnumbered Seagulls are making more noise than the Gooners. Fran plays in Kiko but DvD makes a good save at the near post. It leads to a corner which goes just over DvD and threatens to go in but is cleared. Kiko picks up a ball in the midfield and runs at goal. She has Rachel to her left but chooses the long shot. DvD makes a good save, spills the ball and recovers it. It’s the last kick of the half. Fairly even apart from the small matter of the goal.

Brighton need to start with calm heads to not let Arsenal build any momentum. They get a flurry of corners but the Seagulls are defending very well. It’s time for an Albion corner but it goes straight into the side netting!! What a waste. Arsenal have the ball but it’s moving without energy. It’s McCabe that finally gets a shot on target but it’s an easy catch for Nnadozie. Fran plays a great pass down the wing for Kiko, she dummies it and McCabe flattens her without getting near the ball. Then claims Kiko dived. Well you would know about that! Carla forces a good save from DvD after a throw in. A Katie McCabe corner forces a great save from Nnadozie and a great goal line block from Maelys. Brighton’s high press leads to a great cross from Kiko, it finds Carla and DvD is forced into a great save to keep it out of the net. Russo is played through, Nnadozie comes flying out of her box to smash it into touch and flatten Alessia at the same time. It looks a clear foul on Russo but fortunately it's ignored by the ref.  The play is right in front of us as Foord cross hits Maelys in the face at close range on 62. She drops like a stone and looks to be unconscious initially. An increasing number of medical staff come onto the pitch to help her out. Arsenal use the stoppage to make their changes. It's Frida, Olivia and Mariona going off. On come Beffy, Stina and Kira. There are a huge number of medical staff on the pitch still and Maelys is stretched off 10 minutes after the incident to great applause round the ground. Marit Auee comes on in her place. Arsenal have impatiently waited 10 minutes to take their corner but it comes to nothing. It’s a bit end to end for a while without any chances. Maisie is injured and is replaced by Nadine. Arsenal get another corner as Stina is causing problems for the backline. It’s a curly one from McCabe and Stina glances it off the top of the bar. Phew! The Gunners get a free kick on 85 as Jelena is penalised for having Beffy Mead run into her following Nnadozie’s headed clearance. Our new keeper seems to be a little bit adventurous. Stina misses the resulting chance again. Kiko charges past McCabe only to get tripped by Beffy. DvD gets a hand on the free kick and the second phase shot goes wide. It is only the 2nd offside as Mead is caught out on 88. Caitlin Foord is replaced by Chloe Kelly and the Euros hero comes on the big cheers. The Brighton backline holds strong and forces Russo to shoot wide. There are to be 13 added minutes 😲. Certainly enough time to equalize. Kiko and Beth are still not getting on. An Arsenal corner is quickly cleared. Kelly gets a chance but it’s a cross and ends up with Nnadozie. Brighton have a good spell of possession that ends in a Kiko cross that's claimed by DvD. It’s Arsenal’s turn for a good spell with the ball. Stina gets a chance as she runs onto a through ball from Little. How she misses the goal we will never know but she somehow drags it wide. Kiko is replaced by Tahira Heron. Arsenal keep the ball but the Brighton defence holds firm. Chloe Kelly gets the first booking on 90+12 for a body check on Charlize. DvD punches the free kick clear then lands on Caitlin who takes a while to get up. There is just time for one last heart attack moment. Little sets Stina away, Nnadozie comes miles out of her box and then misses Stina and the ball. The defence somehow manage to mop up the resulting mess. Arsenal take the resulting corner very short to run the clock down and the whistle goes on 90+13. A tight game and an unlucky loss for the Seagulls who can be both pleased with the performance and disappointed with the result.

Firstly, the news that Maelys is OK. She has a concussion but is up and about. That was a really even game despite the Seagulls losing it. The difference was a lucky deflected goal and the visitors had more good chances on goal. Arsenal wouldn’t have had much to moan about had they drawn or lost it. It says a lot when you play the Champions of Europe and their goal keeper is POTM. The Seagulls should be very proud of their performance. So different to this fixture last season. We have as good as we got if not better today. The Albion were certainly the better side for the last 20 when we least expected it as the Gunners game changers had come on. And they had a full squad to pick from (Leah excepted and she is a huge miss) where the Albion were short of 2 of their key strikers as they are not allowed to play their parent club. The sun coming through the gap in the Clock End was a lovely way to end the day. We were probably happier to see the 13 minutes added than our hosts as we never felt that we couldn’t get back into it. It was worrying to see Bex on crutches at the end but she was on the pitch with the squad so it can’t be that bad.

POTM: Goes to Super Fran for being involved in everything good that happened. A special mention to Nnadozie whose great keeping kept the game in reach even if it was a little unconventional at times.

The officials, well Kirsty, were as you would expect when playing the Champions of Europe. They were not quite untouchable but always got the benefit of the doubt.

The Scran’O’meter loved the Felafel wrap from WonderDoner 8/10. We didn’t try to take any drinks in. Bottles of water were sold with lids intact. But soft drinks were sold in re-usable cups. Doughnuts were yummy as well as the Gunners Gummy sweets. We heard a rumour about pick’n’mix but couldn’t track any down.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

In early at the Emirates

Filled up now

Sally's first visit

Waking for the Hammers to Fall Over

Brighton & Hove Albion Women face West Ham Women in the WSL at the Victoria Road

The Seagulls are away to the Hammers on an Autumn night in Dagenham. Brighton have 2 wins in the bank so far but are smarting after losing away to Spurs on Saturday. They are 6th in the table having beaten tonight's opponents who sit bottom on zero, nought, nada, nil points. Both teams are on 3 points in the cup with the Hammers leading on goal difference. With the 3 Championship , sorry, WSL 2 clubs in the group, it’s likely that one of tonight's teams will top the group. So this is the decider. Winner takes it all. We would like to thank our hosts for being a lot more accommodating tonight and letting us sit down. Back in February they made us stand on the open terrace behind the goal. Their plan to freeze us that time failed because we enjoyed a lovely bit of late winter sunshine. There was no fan coach today so it was just the 24 stops on the District Line from Victoria to Dagenham East. The club house is open to away fans but is hosting a wake. Whether it is for a Daggers fan or West Ham's league form, we didn’t want to ask. There is a really changed line up for tonight. Big cheers for Baggers in goal. Love her. The defence is a lopsided back 3 /12. Caitlin is in the middle with Captain Carabali on the right and the right footed Mpome on the left. A bit further up on the left is Rachel McLauchlan playing as a wing back instead of a full back. Pep would be pleased to see the odd formation. In the middle is Bex Rayner and Fuka Tsunoda. Carla Camacho is in the 9 with Michelle on the left and Tahira Heron on the right. Some new faces for us to watch then. Ex Seagull Megan Walsh is in the Hammers goal. She is good. Lets hope she has a bad night. Vivian Asseyi is on fire this season but fortunately on the bench tonight. Shekira Martinez who was on fire after arriving in January has had a slow start to this season. Long may that continue. Riko Ueki can also be good but is also on the bench. The teams are warmed up. There is surprised applause as the players take the knee. Off we go. Come on you Seagulls.

The Seagulls are on the front foot and get the first shot. It’s tame from Michelle from outside the box and an easy stop for Megan. They are getting closer as Tahira Heron’s cross is tipped over the bar. After 5 minutes in the opposite half, Baggers gets to touch the ball after a dodgy back pass from Caitlin. The ball is back up the pitch and the visitors are dominating again. Jorelyn will be pleased to see Carla has borrowed her Judo manual with a well performed tackle/throw of a hammers defender. Seagulls fans are making a lot of noise in our little bit of the stand. Brighton have West Ham penned into the final third and are being patient. Another Heron cross but it’s way too long. Rosa gets space at the edge of the box but her shot hits the post. It rebounds to Carla. Her shot is almost straight at Megan who can’t control it and it’s in the net on 16 ⚽. 1-0. Need to make this dominance count for something. A long Hammer pass is controlled by Maelys who gets steam rollered 🚜 by Wandeler who gets booked. The hammers first chance comes on 18, it’s rushed and the shot is wide. The first Seagull in the book is Bex Rayner who challenges the midfield runner but goes down first. The runner is clear of Bex when she decides to fall over to get a foul. The Hammer’s first corner is on 21. They recycle if but it comes to nothing. Michelle breaks and is brought down at pace but no yellow for the challenge. Brighton are soon back in control. Come on Brighton echos round the ground. Hold the front page. It’s nearly half an hour into the game and the home fans have finally made their presence known with a horn and some half hearted chanting. It’s scrappy in the final third as the Seagulls are pressing high. Michelle cuts in and curls one from outside the box and it goes just wide. The Hammers make a mess of the goal kick but Rosa’s shot is straight at Megan who keeps hold of it this time. Martinez breaks and is clear but just goes a bit too wide and runs out of pitch. The corner is punched by Baggers but the spinning ball is cut back and prodded into the net on 27. 1-1. Boo. To us ,it looked like the ball was out before it was cut back in but the lino would have had a difficult job because the line is a bit wonky. Need to get back on it and into the lead again. A fantastic Brighton move down the other end, Jorelyn picks out Tahira wide in space. Carla runs onto the through ball. The cross is great but Michelle can’t get a meaningful contact. West Ham are much more positive now and a good break sees them shoot just over. It’s starting to get a bit end to end. And getting a bit scrappy as Bex is pulled back in the centre circle leading to another Hammers yellow. Hammer are on the front foot and get another corner. Their fans have woken up briefly. The corner is cleared fortunately. In a fantastic move, Michelle pinches the ball at the half way line, runs to the by-line and cuts back for Carla who hits it just wide. A much more open game now. Bex Rayner is down in the middle and getting treatment. She hobbles off and is replaced by Nadine. “There’s only one Bex Rayner”. Brighton are being pressed back now. The Seagulls fans trying to drive them forward. Love a marauding centre back and Maely charges up the pitch and tests Megan from range. It’s on target and needs to be saved. A third Hammers yellow on 44. A free kick then a corner leads to a West Ham break and Tahira does very well to put it behind, The corner looks wasted but as they head back towards the Seagulls goal, it looks like Baggers fouls the striker who gets to the ball first. The ref is saved from the decision by it being off-side. Baggers will be a little relieved too. As are we. Into the last of 4 added minutes and Brighton are pressing again. It’s even at the break and anybody’s game in the 2nd half.

The Seagulls are kicking off and kicking towards us. They are on the charge in the first minute as Tahira plays in Michelle but she is out wide and can’t quite find the target. It’s scrappy again but the Seagulls fans are making some noise. “Give me a B”. Brighton break through via Tahira. Jorelyn joins in. Fuka puts a great looping cross into Michelle but the defender just gets her head to it first. The corner goes straight out. Rachel is playing a good game in the middle, trying to move the ball from back to front. She gets a great chance as she runs with the ball, a quick 1-2 with Michelle and her shot into the top corner is within reach of Megan. Brighton fans are getting behind the team with a lot of noise. We’re skill pressing. West Ham miss an open goal on the break after a mistake from Jorelyn. Well clear and with only Baggers to beat but it's straight at her. Time for some changes on 63 and Fran replaces Carla and Charlize for Maelys. Both like for like. And Rachel is replaced by Marisa so a change around there. We’ll see who goes where. Some West Ham subs come on including Asseyi and Ueki. That’s not good. Fran starting to cause issues down the right. “Let’s go Brighton” . A couple of corners won. And another. All in front of Seagulls fans. It very close as it’s headed back in form the far post but Megan manages to collect the ball in the chaos. It’s all Brighton. Nadine gets the ball on the back of the head, she goes off briefly but is able to come back on. It's been 75 minutes and we finally hear “Come on you Irons”. The wake must be over. It is now. A Hammers throw in, a cut back that Caitlin clears straight into Ueki. It bounces to Martinez who smashes it across Baggers into the net on 78. 2-1. Gutted. Plenty of time to play yet. Tahira, has looked good and is replaced on 78. Hope she can make a difference🙏. Brighton are pressing for the equaliser but it’s looking a bit desperate. A move started by Michelle, finds Fran who plays in Rosa. She crosses the ball in, it almost goes in the top corner but goes just over. Not what she planned but so nearly in. Asseyi is rolling around on the floor after zero contact with Michelle. Megan is also down in the Hammers goal. “Stand up, for the goalkeeper” rings out from the away end after she has recovered with treatment 😶. Asseyi has also recovered and shoots just wide. Chances coming at both ends now. It’s got very desperate. There some are poor decisions being made and Fran is giving some robust feedback to the culprits. Come on Brighton. Need a bit of luck now. Seagulls getting some good crosses in but the defence is holding up well. Into 6 minutes of added time. Seagulls are camped out in the Hammers third. Kiko is getting plenty of the ball on the right. She gets into the box and goes down. It looks like a penalty from the stand but nothing from this ref who is miles away. Into the last minute and Rosa puts it into the top corner only for Megan to somehow get to it to keep it out. Baggers comes up for the resulting corner but it’s headed wide by Caitlin at the far post.. With no irony whatsoever, the last kick of the game is a free kick after Asseyi threw herself to the floor. All over in Dagenham with a disappointing loss. At least it didn’t go to pens and we will get home before midnight. Back to the District line to head home.

The Seagulls again regretting not being clinical early on. They were in control for the first 45 with the opponents relying on hitting on the break. It worked for them too, with a goal from the resulting corner. The Seagulls were so near, so many times, but needed a bigger lead. They played high risk football at the wrong times and needed to make their chances count. The ref didn’t help getting worse as the game went on. For all the moaning, it was a good watch and the Seagulls fans made a good noise cheering the girls on. Barely a peep from the hammers fans. Maybe still in the wake. It was a big improvement over our league visit here in February and at least we got to watch the defeat sitting down in comfort. We are still 2nd in the group and expect it to finish like that now. Coming up on Sunday, we have an away trip to the Emirates, and the luxury of going on the fans coach. Hopefully, the team will have saved some energy to put into that. After Fran has given them all an earbashing. She was very grumpy at the end, especially with the younger players, presumably not meeting the required standards. How ironic is it that we watch Tranmere three times, all away from home, and yet the first defeat we watch all season is Brighton against a team they beat 4-1 at home on the opening day. That’s football for you.

POTM: Goes to Fuka Tsunoda 🏅 who has 2 great feet and a lot of defermination. Watching her tackling and running with the ball is a pleasure. Great to watch. A really good addition to the team. Congrats.

The officials seemed Ok at the start but got worse. The ref missed a clear penalty for a foul on Kiko in the very lastI minute. Perhaps she was watching via VPN from another time zone and the match had already finished where she was. It was a tight call for the lino for the equaliser as the ball looked out before the cutback but had all of the ball crossed all of the line. It must be hard to tell when the line is so wonky FA Law 17 states: “A corner kick is awarded when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, on the ground or in the air, having last touched a player of the defending team, and a goal is not scored” It needs to be updated so the officials know what to do when there is a goal squiggle where the goal line should be.

The Scran’O’meter reported that the food looked nice although there were no veggie options. We took a picnic so it didn’t matter. There were no bag searches, bottle or bottle top checks and all bottles were sold with the tops on. Just as it should be. Progress.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Clouding over in Dagenham

We're here

Warm up time

Home of the Daggers

Sing a Song of SIx Goals

Tranmere Rovers visit Bromley FC in EFL2 at the CopperJax Community Stadium

The Rovers are away at the Ravens hoping to end the poor run of form having not won since Crawley in August. Bromley are in much the same form. It’s a new ground for us and a bit of a building site. It's Bromley’s 2nd season here and London City Lionesses moved here in the summer. There is some major investment going into the ground with all the stands looking new. It will be good when it’s finished. We’re in the bit that isn’t quite finished yet. It’ss part stand, part tent. The catering is practically non-existent but the pitch looks great which is probably more important. It’s very windy. We will need to keep the ball on the deck. Like that’s going to happen with 2 poor performing 4th division teams trying to play football. There are some injuries in the Rovers squad. Luke has been out for a while. Lee O’Connor and Nathan Bristow are also unavailable. Joe is in goal. Nathan, Jordan and Patrick Brough are the back 3. WIng back roles are filled by Cameron “Storming “Norman and Omari "running down the wing” Patrick. In the middle are Richie and Nohan. Up front are Josh Davison, Sol Solomon and Joe Ironside. We’ve not seen Ironside before. We just hope he’s more mobile than his namesake. That’s a very low bar that some Tranmere strikers have still failed to reach. No names to be mentioned, partly to save their pride and and also because we don’t have all day to list them 😶. Anyway, welcome to the Rovers Joe. Score lots of goals please. It’s cold and windy here, we’ve got no hot drinks or chocolate to cheer us up so let’s hope for some decent football. Up the flipin Tranmere!

Neither side can get any quality possession on the ball and it’s scrappy. Lots of head tennis back and forth with the wind causing havoc. Josh gets a shot on 6 but it’s blocked. The next play of note is a Bromely corner. The ball is in the back of the net on 17. 1-0. They get a couple more chances. Joe has to make a good save on 22. It’s soon our turn to get excited as Omari has a shot on 25. Tranmere are attacking when the ball goes out for a Bromley throw in. For reasons known to no-one other than themselves, the officials give the throw to Rovers. Cameron crosses the ball in and Nathan Smith scores it with an overhead kick at the far post on 27 ⚽. 1-1. Level. Not what we expected but what a way to equalise. Get in Tranmere. The Bromley manager is incensed by the throw in that led to the goal. He says a bit to much and stomps (literally) across the pitch having been shown a red card. It is very funny but you probably had to be there. We are on the attack down the right again when Josh is tripped from behind. He lands on the ball and the ref gives a free kick against Josh for handball. Gobsmacked. We all are. Bonkers. The wind is impacting the play. The ball keeps going out on Tranmere's right. Both teams seems to doing it with no-one thinking to compensate or play down the other side. Bromley are back in the lead on 37. It’s another corner. Joe's very unhappy for some reason. He won’t leave the ref alone and gets booked for his persistence. Jordan is down injured in the play. Play stops again on 41 after a “collision” between Josh and the Bromley 17 Webster. Webster, who has been the chief moaner on the pitch, is injured and has to go off to change his shirt. The new shirt has no number on it. We wonder how the ref is going to book him now. Hope we get to find out. Jordan hasn’t recovered and is replaced by Jayden Joseph. It’s all Bromley for the last 5 but we hang on. We’re just one goal adrift at the break. 2-1.

There is a change at the break with Connor replacing Josh who was getting pushed around a lot for such a strong and physical player. It’s a bit of a howler from the Rovers on 48. The Ravens are attacking and Omari's clearance off the touchline hits Nathan’s outstretched hand. It’s blue on blue but the man with the whistle decides it’s a penalty. Never seen anything like. The man with the whistle is, by this point, struggling to even moderately impersonate a referee. Joe has no chance with the penalty. 3-1. There is a minor exodus from the Tranmere end heading in the direction of the pub but most of us stay put. Come on Tranmere. Inspired by the injustice, the Rovers are straight down the other end. The ball ends up at the feet of Omari right in front of goal. He’s a nice guy and far too polite to turn the offer down and smashes it into the net on 50 ⚽. 3-2. We’re on our way back. They SWA are having a bit of a Sway down the wing with Omari. The Whites are pressing for an equaliser. Joe is called into action to make another good save. Back down the other end and there is a scramble in the goal mouth. Cameron Norman does the honours on 60 ⚽. 3-3. We can win this now. Collective breath is held as Omari takes a free-kick from striking range. It goes miles over and we can breathe again. Bromley aren't happy to settle for the draw but Joe is playing a blinder. He keeps out a good header on 69. The Rovers break with Ironside leading the charge. He is brought down by Webster. He’s in a new shirt with the number on the back which is handy as the ref sends him off as the last defender. Ha Ha. The Raven’s number 4 is booked for moaning at the ref 😶. Sol has had a solid but quiet game and is replaced by Whitaker on 79. Pinnock, pillock more like, puts his long throw to effect on 80. Bromley are all over Tranmere now. Some shots are wide and some are blocked. Tranmere haven’t given up on it either. Whitaker and Kenneh both get chances on 90. Joe keeps us in it on 90+3 as he tips it over. He looks injured by the big landing but is up and ready to make a great low down reaction save on 90+4. Time has run out but the Ravens are allowed to play on. As soon as the Whites break with the ball, the whistle goes. How predictable. It’s a bit heated as the players mingle on the pitch with Andy having to shepherd some of his players away from the officials. A point saved that felt like a win. Someone go and check on the lads that went to the pub.

Well, it was a good game and not a bad result considering how it was going at some points. I wonder if the boys that went ot the pub at 3-1 tried to get back in. Never leave early. This is Tranmere and anything can happen although a 2 goal late comeback wouldn’t be on many people’s bingo card these days. A point on the road is better than no points. The comeback will be good morale for both the team and the fans. It was a good turnout too. It’s a sold out away end despite being 260 miles from Prenton Park. It’s a shame about the tent/stand and the catering. Hope that it’s just temporary and will be sorted some. We might be back here with the Seagulls in December but that is probably ahead of their timescale. We caught up with Tim to check that he had finished the everlasting sausage roll from Crawley. The boys were ground hopping today so came from a Croydon FC game that finished 6-0 and went on afterwards to a game at Chislehurst that finished 3-3. 18 goals in 3 games. A busy day that! A positive performance from the Whites in difficult conditions and poor officiating. We’ll catch up with the next at Swindle.

POTM: Goes to Joe for some excellent saves that kept us in contention 🏅. Worth 3 or so goals for us. Thanks Joe.

The ref was nowhere near good enough for this level of football. Got some big calls right and then some wrong. So inconsistent. He penalised the home team with two reds but let them get away with just falling over to get fouls. There was no middle ground with him. We were either providing him with some polite feedback or cheering him while the Ravens fans did the same. Should be shocking but it’s not these days.

The Scran’O’meter was grateful for the M&S sandwiches because the catering was practically non existent. Just expensive burgers and no fridge for cold drinks. No hot drinks or chocolate at all. Poor from Bromley. Are you Wycombe in disguise?

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Arrived at Hayes lane

A new ground

Playing away

Up the Tranmere

Meeting the Raven

Don't FROW It All Away

Newhaven FC host Forest Row FC in the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup 1st Round at Fort Road

The Dockers host the FROW in the 1st round of the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup 🏆. Hopefully we’ll get some good cup runs going this season. The Dockers are still in the PB and Vase but out of the FA Cup. The more that this team play, the better they will get. There is no Robbo today as he is on holiday. He started the season on fire so hope he’s having a great break. That 500th goal will come soon enough. It’s Captain Bailie in charge tonight. He is joined in defence by Dash, Tristan and Osei. Elliot and Charlie are in the middle. Up front are Teddy and Billy.. Out on the wings are Pacey and Ezra. There is a late change to the advertised keeper as Roman replaces Jonny. Hope Jonny is ok and that Roman gets a nice quiet shift between the posts. The FROW were promoted last season and have started this season very well. It’ll be a tough game for both sides.

It's nearly a great start for the Dockers and it takes a good save to stop Billy from scoring in the first minute. FROW get a couple of chances but Roman does very well to keep the ball out of the net. Billy gets another go on 7. He gets past the keeper but puts it wide. Both teams are playing good football and getting chances. Pacey makes a late tackle on the No.7. He goes down screaming like he’s broken his leg when the tackle was boot to boot. His team mates are trying to get Pacey sent off but the ref gives a yellow which is even a little harsh as it was just a bit late and clumsy. No.7 soon recovers from his broken leg and it up and playing again. Teddy and Pacey are both playing well on the wings and covering a lot of ground. Teddy is being man marked by the No.6 who has him round the neck at one point. Sticking to the task or a bit excessive? The Dockers are joining up well and playing a good passing game. It could be a bit quicker and there are a few dodgy decisions but it’s a very young side. The last chance of the half goes to Forest Row and somehow it’s goalless at the break.

Into the second half and Captain Bailie is booked on 48 for standing still while the opponent runs into him. The ref struggling to get much right since the break. Ezra is clearly fouled in the box but the ref can’t have been watching. The first change comes on 58 as Pacey is replaced by Tommy Jupp. A good shift from Pacey, he covered a few miles. A good move down the left followed by 3 passes in the box sees Tommy come in at the far post to tap home ⚽. Newhaven are in charge now. Need to get a second sharpish. Ezra finally gets his penalty on 74. It’s softer than the one that wasn’t given earlier 🤷. It takes ages to be taken while Ezra is waiting. Ref doesn’t seem bothered about the keeper being off his line trying to intimidate Ezra until the last second. One of the FROW is booked for moaning. He isn’t moaning after Ezra doubles the lead from the spot ⚽. There is some confusion straight after the restart. The lino flags for something and the FROW get a freekick from the centre circle. No-one seems to know what has gone on there. Some more changes up front with Teddy replaced by Harry. The FROW No.18 goes down after challenging for a header. He doesn’t get the ball so tries to stop the game by rubbing his head. He makes a miraculous recovery but the crowd keep checking in with him just to make sure he doesn’t have a concussion. It’s the responsible thing to do. The Dockers are now running the ball into the corners to run the clock down. A new one for Fort Road that. Billy is replaced by Christian on 90+3. It’s all over in a couple more minutes. Second round here we come.

What a game that was. Some good football on display from both sides. The Dockers quality told in the end. The young team didn’t always make the right decisions but effort and skill can’t be faulted. The FROW had some big players and dominated in the air against the front 3 but with the ball on the floor, Teddy, Pacey, Ezra and Billy were great. Another penalty awarded to Ezra, same as last week. It wasn’t the one it should have been. The earlier one was a better shout but the soft one that was given will do nicely. They march into the 2nd round of the Sussex Cup. Will we see Robbo back for his 500th goal. Probably not as it is our international break now so we won’t see the Dockers until October. They have the weekend off but play Faversham Strike Force ,(Wow, what a name), in the Vase a week today. Good luck boys.

POTM: Roman kept the Dockers in the game with a couple of good early saves. Some other great performances out there too but it goes to the man that guards the net 🏅🧤.

The officials did OK mostly but the ref had a short spell in the 2nd half where he got everything wrong like booking Bailie. It came right in the end though. And what was that freekick after the restart about. The lino pointed something out but it’s a mystery to us.

Ferry Watch: The Ferry appeared about 8:50 so docked in good time. 👍

See you in a couple of weeks

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Behind the goal

No Robbo

I Love You Post of All

Brighton & Hove Actually Women host Aston Villa Women in the WSL at the Peoples Pension Stadium

The WSL is back and to celebrate we are at the Broadfield to watch as the Albion play host to the Villians. Villa are far from our favourite opponents as we lost twice to them, late on last season. We have yet to see the Albion beat them.  Hope today is the day.  There are lots of new faces in the Brighton team, and a surprising old one. First of the new signings in Chiemeka Nnandozie who has joined from Paris FC where we remember her playing against Chelsea at the Bridge. She has had a great summer, winning the African Cup with Nigeria. A new defender is Japanese international Moeka Minami who has signed from AS Roma. Also in defence is Maelys Mpome who has joined from Chelsea. A new face in the midfield is Fuka Tsunoda who played with Kiko at Uraka Reds. Up front is Aisha Masaka who comes from BK Haken. The most exciting news is that Michelle is back. Fresh from winning the Euros, hitting the headlines and winning the Young Player of the Tournament, she is in the No.9 shirt this season.  Also on loan from the Gooners is Ian Wright’s top prospect, Rosa Kafaji. Lastly, Carla Camacho, the young Spanish international who has signed from Real Madrid. Nikita left during the transfer windows to join London City as did Poppy (allegedly as there is no sign of her or an announcement yet). We have a new captain. It’s home grown hero and midfield demon, Maisey Symonds. In the back line today are Charlize Rule and Minami. Full backs are Rachel and Marisa. Joining Maise in the middle is Jelena. In front of them are Kiko, Fran and Maddie. Up front as the 9 is the mighty Michelle. The Villa news is that Katie Robbo has moved on to Everton and Ellie Roebuck has joined after being released in Barcelona's 17 player summer clearout. Rachel Daly is playing just behind Ebony Salmon. The fans have been moved around a bit with the creation of the ‘atmosphere’ section in the middle of the East Stand. We have remained in the Grumpy Old Farts Section in the West Stand. Joining us in the row behind us is the lovely Scooter. Can’t wait to compare outfits with him. It’s kickoff time. Excited? Let’s go Brighton, let’s go!

It’s the visitors with the first chance as Daly’s shot is blocked. Kiko forces a save just after. 15 minutes in and the Villa keeper is injured, disrupting the play. We can’t think where the ex-Arsenal keeper may have learnt to do that? Daly is causing a few problems for Brighton, as is Cankovic for the visitors. D’Angelo is injured again on 19 and there is plenty of time for team talks. The Villians get a flurry of corners before Daly is through on goal but is caught off-side. Shame. The first yellow goes to Chastity Grant for a foul on Michelle. Not sure that’s how fouls on Michelle work when playing Villa but it’s refreshing to see the fouler booked instead of the foulee. The Albion get the best chance yet but Maddie’s shot is well saved. Into the significant amount of injury time and Kirsty Hanson forces a save from Chiamaka. The second yellow goes to Oceane Deslandes for a foul on Kiko. 45+6 and the Seagulls finally have a corner which Maddie heads just wide. It’s still 0-0 at 45+9.

Thankfully D’Angelo has been replaced by Elle Roebuck at the break so she may have actually been injured. The first action is again a Villa shot with Rachel Maltby’s effort saved. It’s scrappy for a while with lots of fouls. There are 2 more bookings for Villians Wilms and Baijings. There are corners at both ends followed by more scrappy play and lots more fouls with Miri Taylor getting booked this time. Kiko can put us in front but just misses. The changes start on 73 as Fran is replaced by Nadine and Kiko by Bex Rayner. Michelle sees her shot blocked. There are more fouls and Marisa gets the first Albion booking on 84. Villa come so close with Wilms hitting the bar from a free kick. Carla Camacho makes her WSL debut as she replaces Michelle. Into injury time and the crowd go wild. Have we scored? No, Rachel Daly has finally been booked. Whoop de doop. To even things up, Maddie is booked. Maisie fires over to sum up the whole game in one shot. It ends, at last, at 90+6 without a goal. Drama, yes, but no goals.

That was a better game than is reflected in the result. It wasn’t exciting by any means and Serena will have seen better games but we didn’t lose to Villa. AAAnd Rachel Daly finally got the booking that has been overdue since last season. What little quality there was, ran out of luck for both team as they got closer to the goal. It made a refreshing change for the Villa players to be getting booked instead of the Brighton players being cautioned for the privilege of being fouled. They got 6 yellows in total, quite a collection for a game that was in no way aggressive. Brighton got 2 late as the ref tried to even things up a bit. Our new keeper looks good. She will take a little time to settle into the way we play out but she is an outstanding keeper. The defence looked a bit makeshift initially but worked very well. Minami looks so calm and collected, it’s like she has been at the Broadfield for a few seasons. What a signing. The team that Dario put out worked together very well and just needs to click, up front. He has recruited some firepower so it will surely come in time. There were speculative shots from both sides with Villa coming closest despite Brighton having more of the ball. It was good to see Charlize back after over 18 months out of the starting line up. She was solid at centre back and we already know what a good full back she is. A very good clean sheet to start the season and plenty to build on. Michelle looked good in the 9 and a few regular starts will hopefully see the goals and assists start to come. A shame she was denied a goal, she is owed something against the Villians after their treatment of her at Villa Park in April. Enough moaning, the WSL is back and we are unbeaten.  Up next is Newhaven at home on Tuesday before our own international break.

POTM: Goes to Moeka Minami 🏅 for a calm and competent performance on her WSL debut. Her assurance belied it being her first competitive Albion game. Amazing.

The officials could have ruined such a scrappy game but managed to keep the lid on it mostly by being very shouty. He did caution loads of Villa players. Saving the best for last. We approve.

The Scran'O'meter is back to it’s best with a delicious Margarita Pizza 🍕 10/10 and yummy Latte ☕ 9/10.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Back at the Broadfield with Sally

Got a new shirt

Back to Blunt

Newhaven FC v Seaford Town FC in the Peter Bentley Cup at Ford Road

The Dockers host the Badgers in the 1st round of the Peter Bentley Cup. The visitors tonight are new promoted to the SCFL Premier League. We hope they become regulars in the league, it’s nice to have rivals especially now that Saltdean have been relegated. There is a good crowd at Fort Road with 271 turning up for the derby game. There is no sign of Herbie in the Badgers squad, hopefully he’s just away and not moved on. The team news is that Lee is on the bench. A hat-trick tonight would see him clock up 500 goals in his Dockers career. That would be some super sub performance. Fingers and paws crossed. Up front is Ezra with Teddy on the left and Pacey on the right. Behind them are Charlie, Captain Blunty, and Elliott. The back line looks a bit makeshift with forward Corey in the middle with Tom. Harry is on the left as usual with Scott Smith on the right. No sign of Osei or Tarun tonight. Ex-Docker, Maz Vardy is in central defence for Seaford. They look like a big physical side with plenty of height. The Dockers will need to play well to impose their own game on the floor to get the win today. No penalties please. It’s a school night.

It’s an uneventful first 20. Then Ezra breaks from the middle. He is pulled back outside the box and the defender doesn’t let go until inside the box. Penalty to Newhaven. Seaford are complaining but should maybe have a word with their own player who should have let go outside the box. Harry steps up and makes no mistake ⚽. 1-0. It's just a minute later with a great chance down the right. Harry cuts into the 6 yard box and chooses a square pass from a yard out. It’s really congested in front of goal and the chance has gone. Passing probably not the best choice from there. It’s a narrow lead at the break.

The Dockers continue to create good chances but the Badgers keeper is having a great game. The first change at 60 is Lee coming on to replace Pacey who has worked his socks off all cross and behind the front line. Can he get closer to the 500 target tonight? The visitors get a couple of chances but good goalkeeping and defending maintain the lead. Teddy is booked on 72 for being fouled and not moaning enough. He is replaced a couple of minutes later by Dexter. The Badgers best chance of the night is a free kick but it’s over the bar. Tristan replaces Charlie who has been playing more like a 10 than a centre half for a while. The Dockers continue to press for a 2nd. It comes with the last kick of the game as Lee makes it 2-0 and 498 club goals on 90+5 ⚽. Into the next round.

That was a good performance from the boys. Kept working at it against a tough side and a keeper having a great game. Lee is one goal closer to his 500. 2 to go. Harry should have had a second goal but chose to pass. Need to test the keeper at that range when the 6 yard box is so congested. An earlier second goal would have made it less nervy, sitting on a single goal lead risks a Tranmere style ending with the points shared after leading for so long. But, a win is a win and hopefully the start of another cup run. No penalties is a bonus. Home time.

POTM: Goes to Captain Blunty. Very combative and always looking to move forward.

The officiating was unremarkable except for the weird booking of Teddy who seems to be one of those players who gets fouled a lot and then booked for it to add insult to injury.

Ferry Watch: It glided into view at 8:50. Perfect timing.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Got the last programme

Grass is looking good

Mon the Dockers

Let It Lee

Newhaven FC host AFC Varndeanians in the SCFL Premier Division at Ford Road

The Dockers ⚓ are finally back at home and host the V’s in the league. It’s nice to be back in BN9.  The end of summer is nearly here and it’s cooler by the Ouse tonight. Let’s hope the improving Dockers can continue to build into a good team. It’s going well so far.  There are a few changes tonight. Teddy starts in place of Dexter on the right wing. Tom Howard-Bold is in Blunty’s spot in the 8 and Charlie in the 10 replacing Corey Smart. There is no sign of Blunty tonight. Hope he’s just on his holibobs having a nice time and not injured. We’ve not seen the V’s for a couple of years so are interested to see them in action. After all, the last team to live at the Withdean is doing OK. We’ve have some musical accompaniment tonight as the V’s ‘Ultras’ have a drum 🥁. There is some last minute confusion as there is a change of ends.  The 'Ultras' pack up their flags and head for the Skate Park end.  For the last game of summer, let's do this.  Come on you Dockers. 

There wasn’t much of note in the first half hour except a few Dockers missed chances.  On 31 minutes. Ezra hits a long ball, Lee gets between the ball and the last defender, controls it and puts it past the helpless keeper ⚽. That's what we came for. 1-0. With 5 to go to the break, Ezra sees his shot saved and then Lee’s is blocked. The hosts are still only a single goal in front at the break. Hope they don’t come to regret that in the 2nd half 🙏.

The Dockers come close extending their lead at the restart but neither Teddy or Harry can make it count. Need to extend the lead before the V’s get a chance to get back into it. The 2nd goal eventually comes on 62. A Dockers free kick is blocked but goes high, the keeper fumbles it in the 6 yard box and it’s somehow bundled into the net ⚽. It may have been Tarun. He gets the credit and it’s 2-0 to the home team. A few of the V's players and fans are giving Father Jack a hard time about off-side bur we really don’t care. He's not going to change his mind. The changes start on 65 as Ash is replaced at left back by Bailieeeeee 😍 . There are a few signs of life from the V’s but they can’t make it count. The Ultras start singing Sway of all things. Bless ‘em. JD running down the wing.  We hope he's that far out of position as JD is the no. 9.  There are some more changes as Charlie is replaced by Corey in the 10. Charlie has had a great game, very commanding, and shouty but in a good way, in the middle and a good leader on the pitch. The 3rd goal is another Lee special. The keeper comes out of his area for a bouncing through ball but misses it. Lee doesn’t and chips it home in style. Never mind the stand, name the town after him. Robboville? Leehaven? Big-ton? It’s all over on the pitch as far as the result in concerned but the Ultra don’t care. Teddy is replaced by Dexter. Lee is replaced Billy the whizz. Tarun is replaced by Smith and then it’s all over. 3-0 to the Dockers. A good night's work from the boys.

A great win for the Dockers. They were more in control than we have seen them recently. It’s starting to gel a bit more as they get into the season and are playing back to back games. It was a good away away at Cobham at the weekend that put them through to the 2nd qualifying round of the Vase where they will face Faversham Strike Force (sounds scary) at home in September. Robbo is very much at the heart of the attack. He is so good at getting himself between the defender and the ball. Hopefully others will continue to chip in with goals as well. Teddy and Ezra starting to look more confident. This young team can only get better if it stays together. That is it for the Summer ☀. A busy Autumn 🌦 of football starts here next week. Can’t wait.

POTM: goes to Captain, or should that now be General, Lee . Amazing energy, fantastic goals and a brilliant example for the rest of the boys.

Ferry ⛴ watch: The ferry crept im a 9:20 hoping no-one would notice it was late. We did notice. A stiff letter to DFDS is being penned as we speak.

Today, we are starting a new feature called “Utterly Ultra” Here it is:- The 15 or so youngsters  with the V's were fantastic today. Really did their club proud with the drum and the massive repertoire of songs. They stayed right to the death despite the 3 goal deficit. Awesome effort lads. Sway safe.

 The officials tried to let the game flow and yet still stop the players killing each other. Always difficult to do and they did reasonably well.   Father Jack did ok on the line on the stand side. Seems he is up for a cheeky selfie too. A few of the V’s players and fans were very upset about the 2nd goal but it was bedlam in the box. Who could tell what was going on or who did what. The ref maybe needs to get some Maths tuition though. For every free kick, he got to 9 ½ yards but couldn’t get all the way to 10 so the wall was 18 inches too close for every free kick. It’s not like he has to take his boots off to count to 10. He’s got 10 fingers. (If the ref has less than 10 fingers, we sincerely apologise and "As you were" mate).

Same time, same place next week

Love Tranmerkat 🐾

It's nice to be home

Mon the Reds

Down Town

Tranmere Rovers visit Crawley Town FC in EFL2 at the Peoples Pension Stadium

The Rovers are away to the ‘Red Devils for the 4th league game of the season. Form has been mixed so far but we are unbeaten in 90 minutes. Andy Crosby’s whites were knocked out of the League Cup by Burton losing on penalties. Since we lat saw the Rovs at Colchester, they have beaten Shrewsbury 4-0 and drawn with Gillingham at home. There are some changes to the squad as old favourite Ethan Bristow gets a start. Love a speedy full back. Charlie Whitaker replaces Connor up front. Crawly have had a dreadful start to the season and it would be 100% Tranmere if we allow the hosts to turn that around today. We came for the Pizza so lets stay for the football. We’ve met a few old friends and checked out the new away fan park behind the South Stand. Up the flippin' Tranmere.

Both teams get early chances. Omari gets a couple more but it’s scrappy and broken up with lots of fouls. Crawley get the best chances in the last 10 and should be leading going into the break.

It starts scrappy but Tranmere are gradually starting to get a bit of control. We get a couple of corners. Nathan Smith heads in the 2nd at the far post on 56 ⚽. Omari on the assist. There are more corners but it stays 1-0. The changes start after an hour. Connor replaces Josh up front. There are more on 73 as Taylan, Jason and Jordan replace Charlie, Nohan and Ethan. Our nerves are finally settled on 80 as Omari makes it 2-0 from the edge of the box ⚽. There are a few home fans leaving but all credit to most who are staying put. Omari gets a round of applause as he goes of to be replaced by Sol. It’s not pretty for the last 10.  The hosts get a few corners and could easily get one back at the death. They don’t and it’s a 2-0 win on the road for the Whiles. Whoop!

A win on the road continues the unbeaten run. We weren’t at all convincing in the first half but turned it around in the second. The SWA were great all the way through, Swaying down the wings with Omari and washing it down with Tequila. Crawley have 1 point from their first 5 games and it’s their worst start to a season for 15 years. Oopsy. It was an assist and a goal for Omari who is starting the season really well. It was good to see Sol again. It's been 4 years since we watched him put 2 past the Dockers at Ford Road. He’s got a way to go to be a starter and needs to be better without the ball but he’s young and popular and got his own song. Hopefully the Whites can build on this performance. It’s been a really positive start to the season. It wasn’t completely convincing display but then we're not really realistically expecting to set the league on fire this season. A steady building season is what we need. Tranmere are the only league team to have finished in a worst position for the last 5 consecutive seasons. The only way is up from there.

POTM: Omari for the assist and the goal. When he scores he scores. And the Tranmere sing.

Scan’O’meter thought the pizza was as good as ever. Still the benchmark at 10/10. A pity we didn’t know about the new fan park and sat eating it on the kerb. Did Tim ever finish that sausage roll. We’ll ask him at Bromley. No cans of drink were allowed to be taken in. Funny how the rules change between men's and women's football at some grounds but not others. The Broadfield and the AMEX for example.

Back here soon for the start of the WSL season

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

The Boys are back at Town

It's a good watch (in parts)