Two teams in contrasting form meet at Prenton Park on Friday evening, when Tranmere Rovers, still raw after the sacking of Micky Mellon, host Harrogate Town, still engrossed in a tense relegation battle.
Despite another unsatisfactory result in a draw at lowly Colchester United on Saturday, it was a point in the right direction, there seemed to be a lease of new energy in the performance that had been lacking at Prenton Park of late.
It was a stern display which highlighted many improvements and it was only a penalty with 20 minutes remaining that denied Rovers from the three points after Harvey Saunders’ first goal in White was cancelled out. A similar performance would stand Tranmere in good stead, as they search for their first win since the end of February.
Harrogate’s recent up-turn in results has seen them gain some ground between themselves and the bottom two. Eight points out of their last five is positive and a win on Friday would hand them another confidence booster in their search for survival.
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Team news
Tranmere
Rovers are expected to lineup in a similar way to how they have done in recent weeks..
The absences of Paul Lewis and Brad Walker, which came one after another, are both expected to last for a long period.
Top scorer Kane Hemmings’ return has handed many Tranmere fans with optimism, with a restoration to the squad imminent.
Kieron Morris hasn’t been seen in action since he was hauled off in mid February with injury against Bradford City. Morris, an ever-present in the Tranmere side, is an unknown quantity, with his return to the Tranmere squad unidentified.
Harrogate
Harrogate haven’t got any recent injury concerns to worry about, with them all drawn out and the squad that toppled Barrow is expecting to stay the same.
The USA international Toby Sims is one that won’t feature for Harrogate, with his straight red card against Crawley meaning he won’t be in action at Prenton Park.
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Likely lineups
Tranmere
Murphy; Cogley, Davies, Turnbull, Bristow; Merrie, Hughes, Hendry, Hawkes; Saunders, Hemmings
Harrogate
Oxley; McClelland, Ray, Canavan; Feely, Gotts, Foley, Brough; Garner, Whitfield, Young
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Players to watch
Joe Murphy (Tranmere)
The veteran shot-stopper has brought his experienced head to the table, keeping Tranmere in many games with some man of the match displays.
He's been forced into plenty of goal-mouth action as of late, excelling at making his body big, getting a strong hand to the ball and rushing out of his goal when needed.
With a tense run of games coming up, it will be crucial for him to continue his fine form as we reach the business end of the season.
Luke Armstrong (Harrogate)
Armstrong is into his second season at Harrogate, and another prolific campaign is on the cards, with him already matching his tally from last season.
With 12 goals to his name, Armstrong has proved to be a menace up front, often linking up with Alexander Pattison. His recent record against Tranmere is good, providing an assist earlier this season and one of two strikes against Tranmere in the league last season.
With four of his goals arriving since the turn of the year, he’ll be hoping to continue his level of performance and his attacking record against Tranmere if Harrogate are to chalk up a rare away win.
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Match details
Where is the game being played?
The game will take place at Prenton Park, Birkenhead.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is at 19:45 BST on Friday, March 31.
How can I watch?
The game is not on live TV in the United Kingdom.
You can follow along to the match through both teams social media and respective BBC's channel's
You can purchase a match pass or listen to the game via either club website, paying as little as £2.50 for commentary.
