Tranmere Rovers manager Pete Wild admitted that Bristol Rovers fully earned their 2-1 victory, stating “all three was what we deserved.” The narrow loss positions Tranmere just one point clear of the League Two relegation zone after earning only five points from their previous 19 league matches.
Match Recap
Promise Omochere struck for Bristol Rovers shortly after entering as a second-half substitute, putting the visitors ahead. Tranmere’s Jayden Joseph leveled the score in the 71st minute, but Yusuf Akhamrich netted the winner in the 84th minute. This triumph marks Bristol Rovers’ seventh straight league win, their longest streak since 1953.
Joseph’s earlier error saw him dispossessed by Omochere, who fired home the opener. Despite the mistake, Wild praised Joseph’s response with the equalizer moments later. The second goal came when Akhamrich latched onto Shaq Forde’s pass from the right and slotted past goalkeeper Marko Marosi.
Pete Wild’s Post-Match Analysis
Wild reflected on Tranmere’s dominance but rued their failure to capitalize. “We were the far better team throughout the 90 minutes against a team that’s been right up there,” he said. “But ultimately, we’ve had a million chances in their box today, and we don’t take them. And then two times we switch off at their end, and we gift them two goals, after defending so well for 90 minutes.”
He emphasized personal accountability: “People got to take responsibility for their mistakes defensively and put the ball in the goal at the other end. As coaches, we send them over the white line with ideas and things that we want from them. They’ve got to go and deliver, score, and defend better.”
Wild noted, “One mistake probably hurts us, where they make five mistakes and we don’t hurt them.” On the late goal, he added, “We went all out to try and win the game. We got caught to go tight, stop the ball getting played around the corner, and got to do better one v one.” He stressed collective defending: “Not one person is at fault for every goal. There’s always two or three chances to stop goals, and we didn’t do that today.”
Relegation Fight Heats Up
Tranmere’s squad lacks confidence in front of goal, according to the 41-year-old manager. With three games remaining—starting with Tuesday’s trip to Cheltenham Town—they aim to create distance from the drop zone. Harrogate Town, Barrow, Newport County, and Crawley Town, the other bottom-five sides, have just two matches left.
“The season comes down to Tuesday night at Cheltenham to try and make sure we have a buffer going into the final two games,” Wild said. “The fans can see we are getting better as a team, but the lads have got to step up and be better in both boxes—and they’re going to have to do that in abundance on Tuesday night.” Bristol Rovers host Cheltenham on Saturday, April 25, at The Mem, seeking an eighth consecutive league victory.
