Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club based in
Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
,
Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...
, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the
English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adopted their current name in 1885. Tranmere's regular
kit is an all-white strip with blue, or occasionally blue and green trim, their main colours since 1962. The club moved to its current home,
Prenton Park, in 1912. In 1995, the ground had a major redevelopment in response to the
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report is the report of an inquiry which was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, into the causes of the Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989, as a result of which, ...
. It now seats 16,567 in four stands: the Main Stand, the Kop, the
Johnny King
Johnny Cecil King (born 2 July 1942) is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He was a winger with the St. George Dragons for the last seven years of their eleven consecutive premiership-winning run from 1956 to 1966. He was ...
Stand and the Cowshed.
Tranmere played in regional leagues until they were invited to become a founder member of
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated t ...
in 1921. They finished as champions for the 1937–38 season, though were relegated out of the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
the following year. They dropped into the
Fourth Division in 1961, before winning promotion back to the third tier at the end of the 1966–67 season. Relegation in 1975 was followed by an immediate promotion in 1975–76 under the stewardship of manager
John King, and this time they survived for just three seasons in the third tier until being relegated once again in 1979. During the 1980s, they were beset by financial problems and, in 1987, went into
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...
. However John King returned to manage the club for a second spell and guided Rovers to promotion in 1988–89, which they followed up by winning the
Associate Members' Cup in
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...
and then promotion out of the play-offs in
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
.
The 1990s would prove to be the most successful period in the club's history as Tranmere remained in the second tier, and came close to reaching the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
with three consecutive play-off campaigns at the start of the decade. Under King's successor,
John Aldridge
John William Aldridge (born 18 September 1958) is a former football player and manager. He was a prolific, record-breaking striker best known for his time with English club Liverpool in the late 1980s. His tally of 330 Football League goals is ...
, Tranmere experienced a number of cup runs, most notably reaching the
2000 League Cup final. They were finally relegated in 2001 and then spent 13 seasons in the third tier, before two successive relegations saw them drop out of the Football League after an 84-year stay. Tranmere spent three seasons in the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
and then returned to the third tier of the Football League via successive play-off campaigns in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
and
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
. They were relegated from
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
in 2020 after clubs voted to end the season early due to the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
pandemic.
History
Formative years
Tranmere Rovers were, initially, formed as Belmont Football Club when the football arms of two
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
clubs – Lyndhurst Wanderers and Belmont – came together in 1884.
On 15 November 1884, they won their first game 4–0 against Brunswick Rovers. This was a
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
, as there were no leagues until 1888.
Under the presidency of
James McGaul
James Hannay McGaul ( – 14 December 1921) was an English businessman who was mayor of Birkenhead. He was a building contractor with a business in Liverpool, but devoted his spare time to football and public office. He was president of Tranmere ...
, the team had a successful inaugural season, losing only one of their fifteen matches. An unrelated, disbanded side had played under the name "Tranmere Rovers Cricket Club (Association football section)" in 1881–82. On 16 September 1885, before their second season began, Belmont F.C. adopted this name Tranmere Rovers.
Tranmere is historically a large village that was subsumed within the later expansion of the town of
Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
.
Tranmere played their first matches at Steeles Field in Birkenhead.
In 1887, they bought Ravenshaws Field from Tranmere Rugby Club. In 1895, their ground was renamed
Prenton Park, although it was 25 years later that the team moved into the current stadium of the same name.
Tranmere first wore a kit of blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks. In 1889 they adopted orange and maroon shirts, but in 1904 returned to wearing their original kit.
In 1886, Tranmere entered their first competition: the Liverpool and District Challenge Cup; in 1889, they entered the
West Lancashire League. They joined
the Combination
The Combination was a league during the early days of English football. It had two incarnations; the first ran only for the 1888–89 season for teams across the Northern England and the Midlands, and was wound up before completion. The secon ...
, a much stronger league, in 1897, and won the championship in 1908.
In 1910, continuing their movement through the leagues, they entered the
Lancashire Combination
The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 it ...
and in 1912 they showed their ambition by moving to the present Prenton Park site, with an 800-seat stand.
Tranmere won the Lancashire Combination Championship in 1914
and
Stan Rowlands became the first Tranmere player to receive an international cap when he was selected to play for
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
.
Rovers continued to play throughout the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, although their players were criticised for avoiding military service, despite being employed in the local shipyards.
Inter-war years
![Tranmere Rovers 27 August 1921](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Tranmere_Rovers_27_August_1921.jpg)
Following the expulsion of
Leeds City
Leeds City Football Club was the leading professional club in Leeds, England, before the First World War. It was dissolved in 1919 due to financial irregularities, after which Leeds United was established as a replacement.
History
The club was ...
Reserves in 1919, Tranmere were able to enter
the Central League
The Central League is a football league for reserve teams, primarily from the English Football League. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as the Final Third Development League until the 2015/16 season.
The league was formed in 1911 and ...
. Their timing was excellent as the following season, four Central League clubs – including Tranmere – were invited to join the new
Division Three North
The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...
. On 27 August 1921, as founder members of the division,
they won their first
Football League match 4–1 against
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
at Prenton Park.
At this time the team were managed by
Bert Cooke
Herbert Michael Cooke was a football manager. He managed Tranmere Rovers from 1912–1935, the longest spell of any manager at the club. He oversaw their first Football League match in 1921.
Management career
Born in Birkenhead in 1882, Co ...
, who did so for 23 years in total, the club record for longest serving manager.
In 1924, local youngster
Dixie Dean made his debut aged 16 years 355 days. He played 30 games for Rovers, scoring 27 goals, before being transferred to
Everton for £3,000.
In the 1927–28 season, Dean scored a
record 60 League goals for Everton.
After Dean's departure, a string of talented youngsters also left for
Division One
The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...
clubs, leading to Cooke's reputation as a shrewd businessman.
Among those sold was
Pongo Waring who – having scored six goals in the 11–1 victory over
Durham City – went to
Aston Villa for £4,700. Waring retains the record of scoring most goals for Villa in a single season.
In 1934, an FA Cup tie between Rovers and
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
was watched at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
by 61,036 fans, then a record crowd for a game involving Rovers.
One year later,
Bunny Bell netted 57 goals during the 1933–34 season, and nine goals in the 13–4 Boxing Day 1935 victory over Oldham Athletic.
As of 2011, the aggregate of 17 goals in one game remains a
league record.
During this same period, Tranmere made several appearances in the Welsh Cup, reaching the Final on two occasions. In 1934, they lost 3–0 to Bristol City in a replay, after a 1–1 draw. The following season, they went one better by beating local rivals Chester 1–0 to win their first silverware since joining the Football League.
Rovers won their first championship in the Football League in 1938 with victory in Division Three North and, hence, promotion to
Division Two for the first time.
It is still Rovers' only championship in the Football League. However, they were relegated the next season winning six matches – the record for the worst performance of any team in Division Two.
Creation of the Superwhites
Prenton Park emerged from the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
largely unscathed. Tranmere rejoined the peacetime Football League in Division Three North and stayed there until the 1958 restructuring of the football league's lower divisions. Manager
Peter Farrell led Tranmere to finish 11th in the final season of the Northern Section, securing a place in the new national
Division Three
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the fo ...
where they were, again, founder members.
The final match against
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
, also fighting for a place in the higher league, attracted a crowd of 19,615, which remains the highest ever attendance at a Prenton Park league match.
In 1961, Tranmere's inspirational captain
Harold Bell left the club. Bell had been picked in the first game after the Second World War in the 1946 season and did not miss a match until he was dropped on 30 August 1955, a total of 459 consecutive appearances for a British team, a record which held until 2011.
Rovers certainly missed their captain, and were relegated to
Division Four
The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...
for the first time in 1961.
![Tranmere Rovers FC League Performance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Tranmere_Rovers_FC_League_Performance.svg)
The club brought in
Dave Russell as manager who made some revolutionary changes.
Tranmere had worn a kit of blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks since 1904 – the same colours as local rivals,
Division One
The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...
club
Everton. Russell introduced an all-white strip to set the teams apart; these have been Tranmere's usual colours since.
Russell also developed a successful youth policy which included England international
Roy McFarland
Roy Leslie McFarland (born 5 April 1948) is an English former football manager and former player. With Derby County, he played 442 league games, helping him to earn 28 caps for England.
Playing career
Born in Liverpool, McFarland was a player f ...
among its graduates.
Russell guided Rovers back to Division Three in 1967,
a year before a new 4,000-seater main stand was opened, and Rovers reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time.
Three years later the club's record attendance at Prenton Park was established as 24,424 supporters witnessed Rovers draw 2–2 with
Stoke City in the FA Cup.
In 1972,
Ron Yeats
Ronald Yeats (born 15 November 1937) is a Scottish former association footballer. He was a key defender in the rejuvenation of Dundee United in the early 1960s. He then spent a decade at Liverpool captaining them to six trophies in the mid-1960 ...
was installed as player/manager.
He strengthened Tranmere's connections with local rivals Liverpool by recruiting several former teammates such as
Ian St John
John "Ian" St John (; 7 June 1938 – 1 March 2021) was a Scottish professional football player, coach and broadcaster. St John played as a forward for Liverpool throughout most of the 1960s. Signed by Bill Shankly in 1961, St John was a key me ...
, and bringing in
Bill Shankly in a consultancy role.
This team saw one of the most memorable Rovers results of all time when, in a League Cup tie in 1973, Tranmere beat First Division
Arsenal 1–0 at their former
Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was sit ...
home.
However, Tranmere returned to the Fourth Division in 1975.
The following decade was among the bleakest times in the club's history, with the team usually in the lower reaches of the Fourth Division, beset by financial problems, and attaining crowds of less than 2,000.
In 1979,
Steve Mungall joined Tranmere from
Motherwell. He went on to make more than 500 league appearances for Rovers in a 17-year period. This spell saw Rovers rise up the league and make several appearances at Wembley. He remained with the club on the coaching staff before leaving in October 2000 to pursue business interests.
1980s
Another relegation to Division Four in 1979
put the club in financial difficulties. Debts mounted throughout the 1980s, with insolvency forestalled through a series of friendly fixtures, contributions from fans and a £200,000 loan from
Wirral Council
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council, or simply Wirral Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in Merseyside and one of 36 in the metropolit ...
. This partnership proved an enduring one, as Wirral's logo still appeared on the shirts until 2011.
In July 1984 the club was sold to a Californian attorney, making Tranmere one of the first English clubs bought by a foreign owner. Nonetheless, in 1987 the club went into
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...
, with local businessman
Peter Johnson taking over control and ownership.
This proved to be a turning point in Tranmere's history, the club under his ownership enjoying by far the most successful period in its history, in which manager
John King took the team from the bottom of Division Four to the brink of English football's top league.
King's first task was to avoid the team finishing bottom of Division Four, which would have resulted in their relegation from the football league. Safety was guaranteed on the last game of the season with a 1–0 home win over
Exeter City
Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
.
The first full season (1987–88) of King's second managerial spell in charge saw Tranmere make their first appearance at
Wembley stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
when a good mid-season run of form saw them qualify for the
Football League Centenary Tournament
The Football League Centenary Tournament (also known as the Mercantile Credit Football Festival) was a friendly tournament held from 16 to 17 April 1988 at Wembley Stadium to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Football League ...
. Tranmere were the surprise stars of the event, beating Division One
Wimbledon and
Newcastle United before losing on penalties to eventual winners
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
.
The following season, King guided Tranmere to promotion as Division Four runners-up.
Their final game played to clinch promotion was against Crewe Alexandra, and was notable for the fact that both teams needed a point to gain promotion. The first half was contested as usual, but the second half, with the score at 1–1, both teams failed to attack each other's goals, leading to combined celebrations at the final whistle.
In the same season, they achieved a string of cup successes including beating Division One
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
.
Promotion was almost achieved in their first season in Division Three, losing 2–0 in the Play-off Final to
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
.,
a week after Tranmere's 2–1 victory over
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...
at Wembley in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
* Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
of the
Leyland DAF Trophy had clinched the club's first trophy.
A key element in Tranmere's success during this period was the form of striker
Ian Muir
Ian James Muir (born 5 May 1963) is an English former professional football striker who scored 146 goals from 330 appearances in the Football League playing for Queens Park Rangers, Burnley, Birmingham City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Swindon T ...
. He joined the club in 1985 and scored 180 goals in eleven seasons. He is the club's record scorer, and the first inductee to their
hall of fame.
Fellow hall of fame member
John Morrissey joined the club in 1986. The winger spent 14 seasons at the club, making 585 appearances.
Wembley years
In the 1990–91 season, Tranmere won promotion to Division Two for the first time since the 1930s, with a 1–0 play-off win over local rivals
Bolton Wanderers.
Once again, Rovers made an appearance in the Leyland DAF Trophy
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
* Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
, this time losing 3–2 to
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
.
This made the play-off victory over
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...
Tranmere's fourth appearance in a Wembley final in just over a year.
Former Liverpool player
John Aldridge
John William Aldridge (born 18 September 1958) is a former football player and manager. He was a prolific, record-breaking striker best known for his time with English club Liverpool in the late 1980s. His tally of 330 Football League goals is ...
joined the club in summer of 1991, signing from Spain's
Real Sociedad for £250,000; he would remain on the club's payroll for the next 10 years, scoring 170 times to put him behind only Ian Muir in the all-time scoring charts.
Aldridge also received 30 caps for the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
, and was the first Tranmere player to score at a
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
.
In 1993, Scotland international
Pat Nevin
Patrick Kevin Francis Michael Nevin (born 6 September 1963) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a winger. In a 20-year career, he appeared for Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell. He wo ...
joined the team, forming a four-man attack alongside Aldridge,
Malkin and Morrissey.
Tranmere reached the play-offs in three successive seasons missing out on promotion to the newly formed
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
through defeat to
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
in 1993,
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
in 1994,
and
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
in 1995.
1994 also saw Tranmere progress to the League Cup semi-final, where they faced Aston Villa over two legs. The home leg was won 3–1 by Tranmere, with Villa scoring their only goal in the 94th minute. The away leg was 2–1 to Villa until the 88th minute with Villa finally winning 3–1, so the match went to extra time and penalties. Tranmere were one kick away from the final but Liam O'Brien's sudden death penalty was saved by Mark Bosnich and they eventually lost 5–4.
A reconstructed Prenton Park was opened in March 1995, with the all seater stadium now holding just under 17,000 supporters. One year later, John Aldridge was appointed player/manager and held that position for five years;
he retired from playing in 1999.
2000 and beyond
In the 1999–2000 season, despite severe financial constraints, victories over a succession of Premiership sides led not only to a place in the sixth round of the FA Cup
but a place in the
2000 Football League Cup Final
The 2000 Football League Cup Final was played between Leicester City, in their third final appearance in four years, and First Division side Tranmere Rovers at Wembley Stadium on 27 February 2000. It was the 34th and last League Cup Final to be ...
against
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
– the first time Rovers had ever reached a major final.
Matt Elliott scored Leicester's opening goal, before Tranmere's
Clint Hill was sent off for a second bookable offence. Despite being reduced to ten men,
David Kelly equalised; but Elliot soon netted Leicester's second goal and Tranmere lost the match 2–1.
It was the last League Cup game to be played at the
original Wembley stadium
The original Wembley Stadium (; originally known as the Empire Stadium) was a stadium in Wembley, London, best known for hosting important football matches. It stood on the same site now occupied by its successor.
Wembley hosted the FA Cup fi ...
.
In 2000, the all-white kit was reintroduced and is still used in 2014.
That season they enjoyed yet another run in Cup competitions beating local Premier League rivals
Everton 3–0 at
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a association football, football stadium in the Walton, Liverpool, Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area ...
,
then
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
4–3 (after being 0–3 down),
before finally bowing out to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
.
They nevertheless struggled in League matches; Aldridge quit before Tranmere's relegation to Division Two ended a spell of ten years in Division One.
Brian Little was appointed as manager in 2003.
He took Rovers to a play-off semi final in 2004–05 and a best ever 6th round replay in the 2004 FA Cup where they lost to eventual finalists,
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
. At the end of the 2005–06 season, Little left the club and was replaced by former player
Ronnie Moore
Ronald David Moore (born 29 January 1953) is an English football manager and former player. He has taken charge of several clubs including Rotherham United, Tranmere Rovers and Hartlepool United.
He played for many different clubs in a care ...
.
In Moore's three seasons in charge, the club finished 9th, 11th and 7th, just missing out the play-offs in the final season.
Despite this, he was sacked in 2009 and replaced by former England winger
John Barnes
John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. He currently works as an author, commentator and pundit for ESPN and SuperSport. Initially a quick, skilful left winger, he moved to ce ...
, whose only previous domestic managerial experience was with
Celtic 10 years earlier.
It was whilst Barnes was manager that long serving Kitman, Mark Trevor, ended his 12-year 'Labour of Love' washing the kit of his local team. Having been at the club since 1997, he washed his last kit in August 2009 ready for the home game with
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
.
Barnes' reign lasted considerably less, it was a mere five months before long-serving club
physiotherapist
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...
Les Parry
Leslie Parry, Ph.D. (born 27 November 1957) is an English physiotherapist and former manager of Tranmere Rovers Football Club from 9 October 2009 until his dismissal on 4 March 2012.
Parry worked with Tranmere Rovers as physiotherapist since ...
was given temporary charge.
Rovers finished the season in 19th place in League One, avoiding relegation on the final day of the season thanks to a 3–0 victory at
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...
.
In June 2010, Parry was given the manager's job on a permanent basis.
He was sacked on 4 March 2012, after a 1–0 defeat by Chesterfield left them only one point above the relegation zone,
and replaced by Ronnie Moore for the remainder of the season.
Moore won six of his thirteen games in charge at the end of the season, guiding Tranmere to a comfortable mid-table position, as they finished the season in the top half for the first time in several years.
Moore then signed a new one-year deal with Tranmere, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2012–13 season.
Towards the end of the 2013–14 season, Moore admitted breaking the Football Association's betting rules, and was sacked by Tranmere when the club were just outside the relegation zone.
Assistant John McMahon took over as caretaker manager, but Tranmere were relegated to League Two on the final game of the season.
Rob Edwards was subsequently appointed as new manager.
On 11 August 2014, it was announced that former player and
Football Association chief executive
Mark Palios
Markos Palios (born 9 November 1952) is an English chartered accountant, football administrator and former professional footballer. In August 2014, it was announced that he and his wife Nicola were taking ownership of Tranmere Rovers F.C., where h ...
and his wife Nicola were taking a controlling interest in the club from outgoing chairman Peter Johnson. Mark Palios would become Executive Chairman of the club, with Johnson becoming Honorary President.
After a poor start to the season, the home loss to
Plymouth Argyle on 11 October 2014 saw Tranmere in last place in the Football League for the first time since 27 August 1987 after they had lost their first two matches of that season. Edwards was sacked as manager on 13 October.
Mickey Adams
Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional footballer and football manager. As a player, he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen-year professional career in the English ...
took over a week later, with the aim of saving the club from relegation to the
Conference. However, on 25 April 2015 Tranmere were relegated from the
Football League after another defeat to
Plymouth Argyle in the reverse fixture, ending their 94-year stay in the leagues.
Non-league years
Gary Brabin
Gary Brabin (born 9 December 1970) is an English former professional footballer, coach and manager who is the Sporting Director at Cymru Premier team The New Saints.
A midfielder with a 12-year career in the English Football League, he repres ...
was appointed as manager on 5 May 2015. It was a season of ups and downs, with home form suffering while away form was much more successful. It took a while for Rovers to adjust to life in the non-league, with erratic form during the season. Tranmere finished sixth, one place outside the play-off zone, in Gary Brabin's first season.
Tranmere started the
2016–17 season brightly, ranking at the top of the table at the end of August, gaining Gary Brabin the manager of the month. Form later dipped which resulted in one goal scored in the next four games, with the 1–0 defeat to
Sutton United
Sutton United Football Club is a professional football club in Sutton, South London, England, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They play home games at Gander Green Lane in Sutton about 11 miles so ...
on
BT Sport
BT Sport is a group of pay television sports channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe and BT Group, they first launched on 1 August 2013. The channels are based at the former International Bro ...
resulting in Brabin being sacked on 18 September 2016.
Assistant manager, ex-Southport boss Paul Carden took the reins on an interim basis. On 6 October 2016, former Tranmere player
Micky Mellon
Michael Joseph Mellon (born 18 March 1972) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player who is the manager of Tranmere Rovers. As a player, he was a midfielder for clubs including Bristol City, West Bromwich Albion, Blackpool, Tran ...
was appointed permanent manager. His first game in charge was against cross-border rivals
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
, and a 2–0 victory for Tranmere. Despite a 2nd-place finish and a club record 95 point haul, this still was not enough to gain automatic promotion back to the league. Tranmere faced
Aldershot Town
Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spring ...
in the play-offs. A goal from
James Norwood
James Norwood (born 5 September 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Oldham Athletic.
He started his career with Eastbourne Town, making eighteen senior appearances before signing for Exeter City in July 2 ...
and a brace from
Cole Stockton
Cole John Stockton (born 13 March 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for League One club Burton Albion. A physical forward, he has good finishing skills with his right-foot.
Stockton overcame a serious bout of ...
in the first leg away at the
Recreation Ground
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...
saw Rovers take a 3–0 lead back to
Prenton Park for the second leg, which ended in a 2–2 draw, Norwood and Stockton once again on the scoresheet. This gave Tranmere a 5–2 aggregate win and their first
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
appearance in 17 years. On 14 May 2017, Tranmere suffered a 3–1 defeat in the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
play-off
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
* Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
at the hands of
Forest Green
At right is displayed the color forest green.
''Forest green'' refers to a green color said to resemble the color of the trees and other plants in a forest.
This web color, when written as computer code in HTML for website color display, is w ...
,
Connor Jennings
Connor Joseph Jennings (born 29 October 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for League Two side Tranmere Rovers.
Jennings started his career with Stalybridge Celtic in the 2008–09 season, staying with them unt ...
with Rovers first goal at Wembley since the
2000 League Cup Final.
Tranmere's 2017–18 season got off to a poor start, with 3 wins from the first 12 games. Tranmere slipped to 18th in the league, their lowest ever league position. A spectacular winter turnaround saw Tranmere move into the play-offs, where they would find themselves for the remainder of the season. This turnaround included a record breaking run of 9 consecutive home league wins. This record breaking stint was ended in February by a 4–1 defeat at the hands of eventual title winners
Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020.
Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 ...
. Tranmere responded to this defeat by winning 8 out of their next 9 games, finishing the season as
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
runners-up for the second time in as many years, qualifying for the play-offs. In the play-off semi-final, Tranmere met
Ebbsfleet United
Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the club competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football.
The club was formed in 1946 fr ...
at home. Tranmere came from behind twice to take the game to extra time, the full-time score being 2–2,
James Norwood
James Norwood (born 5 September 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Oldham Athletic.
He started his career with Eastbourne Town, making eighteen senior appearances before signing for Exeter City in July 2 ...
with the first goal and
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
loannee
Josh Ginnelly
Joshua Lloyd Ginnelly (born 24 March 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian.
Primarily a left winger, Ginnelly began his career in the Aston Villa youth system ...
with the second. An extra time free kick from James Norwood, followed by a goal from
Larnell Cole
Larnell James Cole (born 9 March 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Warrington Town. Born in Manchester, Cole began his career with Manchester United, before joining Fulham in January 2014. He had loan s ...
saw Tranmere run out 4–2 victors after extra time, sending Tranmere to
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
for the National League play-off Final. On 12 May 2018, a crowd of 16,306 were at Wembley for the Final against
Boreham Wood
Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 31,074, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly known ...
. Tranmere were
2–1 victors, their first trophy in 27 years, and were promoted back to the
Football League.
Return to the Football League
Under the chairmanship of
Mark Palios
Markos Palios (born 9 November 1952) is an English chartered accountant, football administrator and former professional footballer. In August 2014, it was announced that he and his wife Nicola were taking ownership of Tranmere Rovers F.C., where h ...
and the management of
Micky Mellon
Michael Joseph Mellon (born 18 March 1972) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player who is the manager of Tranmere Rovers. As a player, he was a midfielder for clubs including Bristol City, West Bromwich Albion, Blackpool, Tran ...
, Tranmere played in
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
for the
2018–19 season and finished 6th, thereby reaching the play-offs. On 25 May 2019, Tranmere secured back-to-back promotions, beating
Newport County 1–0 at
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
, with a goal from
Connor Jennings
Connor Joseph Jennings (born 29 October 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for League Two side Tranmere Rovers.
Jennings started his career with Stalybridge Celtic in the 2008–09 season, staying with them unt ...
in the 119th minute, thus securing their spot in
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
for the
2019–20 season.
By March 2020, the team were within the relegation zone, but with a game in hand on their nearest rivals and on a run of three successive victories. The cancellation of fixtures due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
meant that the season could not be completed, and a vote was taken by League One clubs on 9 June to resolve promotion and relegation issues on a
points per game (PPG) basis. This meant that Tranmere would be demoted to
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
for the 2020–21 season. Club chairman Mark Palios said that the decision was unfair and that he was considering legal action as a result. He also announced that 20 members of staff would have to be made redundant.
With the team back in League Two,
Mike Jackson was named as manager of Tranmere on 18 July 2020. He was sacked on 31 October 2020.
Keith Hill succeeded temporary manager
Ian Dawes on 21 November 2020. He was sacked on 11 May 2021, after the side reached the play-offs but before the play-off matches had started. Tranmere were defeated by
Morecambe in the play-off semi-final. At the end of May 2021, it was announced that Micky Mellon was returning to the club, after spending the season apart managing
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
.
Colours and crest
Belmont F.C., the forerunners of today's Rovers, wore blue shirts and white shorts, as did the early Rovers, until a radical change in 1889, when a combination of maroon and orange shirts and navy blue shorts was introduced to "dazzle" their opponents in the
West Lancashire League.
These were abandoned in 1904 in favour of the earlier blue and white colours which have, in some form or other, remained until the present day.
In 1962, Dave Russell introduced a white strip with blue trim, saying "Tranmere Rovers should have a specific identity of its own, so on Merseyside there's now Liverpool's Red, Everton's blue and Tranmere's white".
Since then, the team have worn varying combinations of blue and white, moving back towards a more predominantly white kit in 2000.
The team's colours are reflected in their nickname of the "Superwhites".
Tranmere first introduced a badge on their shirt in 1962, wearing the coat of arms of the borough of
Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
, along with adopting their motto "''Ubi fides ibi lux et robur''", meaning "Where there is faith there is light and strength".
The crest was replaced in 1972 by a
monogram, and in 1981 by a simplified blue and white shield. In 1987, a complicated and confusing
crest was introduced, adapting the Birkenhead crest through the inclusion of a football and a TRFC logo. The simpler badge was adopted in 1997,
and modified slightly in 2009 to mark the club's 125-year anniversary.
The blue and white crest incorporated simplified elements of the Birkenhead civic coat of arms: the
crosier
A crosier or crozier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Cathol ...
and lion originally formed part of the
Birkenhead Priory
Birkenhead Priory is in Priory Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. It is the oldest standing building on Merseyside.
The site comprises the medieval remains of the priory itself, the priory chapter house, and the remains of St Marys chu ...
seal
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...
; the oak tree was a symbol of the Tranmere
Local Board
Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environmenta ...
; the star or
starfish represents
Bebington
Bebington () is a town and unparished area within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Cheshire, it lies south of Liverpool, close to the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula. ...
; the two lions represent
Oxton; and the crescents may represent the
Laird family.
For the 2021–22 season, Tranmere reverted to their pre-1997 badge.
Stadium
![Prenton Park 1986 cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Prenton_Park_1986_cropped.jpg)
Rovers played their first matches at Steeles Field in Birkenhead but, in 1887, they bought a new site from Tranmere Rugby Club.
The ground was variously referred to as the "Borough Road Enclosure", "Ravenshaw's Field" and "South Road".
The name "Prenton Park" was adopted in 1895 as a result of a suggestion in the letters page of the Football Echo.
Because the land was required for housing and a school, Tranmere were forced to move and the name went with them. The present Prenton Park was opened on 9 March 1912.
There were stands (also known as
bleacher
Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a ro ...
s) on both sides of the pitch, a paddock and three open terraces, the general format which remained until 1994.
Many improvements to the ground were driven by changes in
legislation
Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...
. The biggest change of all took place during 1994 and 1995. The
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report is the report of an inquiry which was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, into the causes of the Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989, as a result of which, ...
suggested that all stadia in the top two divisions of English football should no longer permit standing. The club's response was to redevelop three sides of the ground with entirely new
all-seater
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in professional association football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most association football and Ame ...
stands created – the Borough Road Stand (now the Johnny King Stand), the Cowshed and the new Kop, in addition to the existing Main Stand.
Capacity in the ground thus increased from 14,200
to the 16,567 of today.
On 11 March 1995, the new ground was officially opened at a cost of £3.1 million.
Attendances at the ground have fluctuated over its hundred-year history. Around 8,000 visitors watched the first game at the stadium, as Tranmere beat
Lancaster Town 8–0.
Prenton Park's largest-ever crowd was 24,424 for a 1972
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
match between Tranmere and
Stoke City.
In 2010, an average of 5,000 fans attended each home game.
Supporters and rivalries
Tranmere Rovers had an average home attendance of 6,552 during the
2018–19 season, making them the 4th best supported club in
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
and 42nd in
The Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
as a whole. The club has a number of supporters' groups, including the Tranmere Rovers Supporters Trust; in 2010, the trust raised £12,500 for the club to sign
Andy Robinson
Richard Andrew Robinson OBE (born 3 April 1964) is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He was the director of rugby at Bristol until November 2016. He is the former head coach of Scotland and England. From September 2019 to Dec ...
on loan.
In 2011, they raised £200,000 and plan to purchase a controlling interest in Tranmere.
TSB (Tranmere Stanley Boys) is the
hooligan firm
Hooligan firms (also known as football firms) are groups that participate in football hooliganism in European countries. For groups in Latin America, see barra brava and torcida organizada.
Belgium
* Club Brugge – East Side
*RSC Anderlecht ...
associated with the club.
The club has been the subject of an independent supporters'
fanzine ''Give Us an R'' since the 1990s.
Despite being geographically closest to
Everton and
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, Tranmere's time in the lower leagues has meant that they have rarely met either club and have built up traditional rivalries with near neighbours
Chester,
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
and
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Iris ...
, all of whom are now non-league clubs. According to a survey entitled 'The League of Love and Hate' conducted in August 2019, Tranmere fans listed the more distant
Bolton Wanderers and
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
as their biggest rivals, followed by
Everton,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
and
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
, although the results are debatable as the census does not contain non-league clubs. Tranmere also had a fierce rivalry with
Wallasey-based near neighbours
New Brighton until the latter club failed to be re-elected to the Football League in 1951.
As of the end of the 2021–22 season, Tranmere had met the following teams most times in the Football League:
Tranmere Rovers Ladies
Tranmere Rovers Ladies Football Club were founded in 1990.
Based in the Wirral, they are affiliated with the men's team,
and play home games at Villa Park, the home of
Ashville F.C.
Ashville Football Club is a football club based in Wallasey, England. They are currently members of the and play at Villa Park, Wallasey.
History
Founded in 1949 by D-Day veteran John Dennett, Ashville initially entered the Wallasey Youth L ...
, in
Wallasey.
Between 1996 and 2004 they competed in the
FA Premier League National Division,
then the top tier of the
English women's football pyramid. Since 2011, they have played in the North West Regional League, Premier Division.
As of the start of the 2011–12 season, they have won the Cheshire Cup a record 11 times.
Players
First-team squad
Former players
As part of the club's 125-year anniversary celebrations in 2010, a
hall of fame was announced, initially honouring seven former players and managers:
Ian Muir
Ian James Muir (born 5 May 1963) is an English former professional football striker who scored 146 goals from 330 appearances in the Football League playing for Queens Park Rangers, Burnley, Birmingham City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Swindon T ...
, John Aldridge, John King,
Ray Mathias
Raymond Mathias (born 13 December 1946) is an English football coach and former player. He has spent most of his career in the lower leagues of English football. Mathias played for Tranmere Rovers between 1964 and 1985, and remains their reco ...
,
Steve Mungall,
John Morrissey and
Pat Nevin
Patrick Kevin Francis Michael Nevin (born 6 September 1963) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a winger. In a 20-year career, he appeared for Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell. He wo ...
.
Harold Bell holds the record for the most consecutive league appearances for a British team. He was picked for the first game after the Second World War in the 1946–47 season and did not miss a match until 30 August 1955, a total of 401 consecutive matches in the Third Division North.
Officials
Coaching staff
Managers
By the start of the 2020–21 season, the club had employed 30
managers
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
.
The first man to hold this position was
Bert Cooke
Herbert Michael Cooke was a football manager. He managed Tranmere Rovers from 1912–1935, the longest spell of any manager at the club. He oversaw their first Football League match in 1921.
Management career
Born in Birkenhead in 1882, Co ...
, appointed in 1912.
He oversaw the club's entry into the Football League
and remained in charge for 23 years, the longest spell of any manager at the club.
Major changes were not seen until businessman
Dave Russell took over in 1961. His introductions included the team's current all-white
kit and regularly arranged
floodlit
A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions. More focused kinds are often used as a stage ...
home fixtures on Friday evenings rather than the usual Saturday afternoon.
Rock band and Tranmere fans
Half Man Half Biscuit described the practice in their song "Friday Night And The Gates Are Low".
Tranmere's most successful period came at the end of the twentieth century. John King returned for his third spell at the club in 1987, having previously both played and managed the team.
He led them to a victory in the League Trophy,
and from the bottom of the Fourth Division to reach the play-offs for promotion to the Premier League on three occasions.
Success continued under King's replacement, John Aldridge, including an appearance in the 2000 Football League Cup Final.
From 2009, they were managed by former club physiotherapist, Les Parry,
until he was sacked on 4 March 2012,
and replaced by
Ronnie Moore
Ronald David Moore (born 29 January 1953) is an English football manager and former player. He has taken charge of several clubs including Rotherham United, Tranmere Rovers and Hartlepool United.
He played for many different clubs in a care ...
.
In February 2014 it was reported that Moore was under investigation by
The Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...
, for breaching its rules against betting on competitions in which his club were involved. Three days later, he was suspended, and after admitting the FA's charges he was sacked on 9 April 2014.
On 27 May 2014, the club announced that
Rob Edwards had been appointed as their new manager. He was sacked on 13 October 2014.
Moving quickly to arrest the decline which had seen Tranmere slump to the bottom of
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
, former
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
manager
Micky Adams
Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional footballer and football manager. As a player, he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen-year professional career in the English ...
' appointment was announced on 16 October 2014. He left the club by mutual consent on 19 April 2015, when the club were bottom of the league with two matches remaining. He was replaced by
Gary Brabin
Gary Brabin (born 9 December 1970) is an English former professional footballer, coach and manager who is the Sporting Director at Cymru Premier team The New Saints.
A midfielder with a 12-year career in the English Football League, he repres ...
, whose contract was in turn ended in September 2016.
Micky Mellon
Michael Joseph Mellon (born 18 March 1972) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player who is the manager of Tranmere Rovers. As a player, he was a midfielder for clubs including Bristol City, West Bromwich Albion, Blackpool, Tran ...
was appointed manager the following month, going on to lead the team to two consecutive play-off Final victories in the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons and a return to League One.
After four years at Tranmere, Mellon moved to
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
on 6 July 2020.
On 18 July 2020, Mellon's former assistant manager
Mike Jackson was appointed as manager, however his tenure was short-lived. After only two league wins in his first 10 games Jackson was sacked on 31 October 2020 following a 1–0 home defeat to
Morecambe. He was replaced as first team manager on 21 November by
Keith Hill. Hill opened his reign with a 1–0 victory against play-off hopefuls
Carlisle United. His side were top of the form table (after 20 games) in February, the team's spine spearheaded by
Scott Davies,
Peter Clarke,
Manny Monthé,
Jay Spearing
Jay Francis Spearing (born 25 November 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool, where he is also a coach at their academy.
He started his career with Liverpool as a youth- ...
,
Paul Lewis and finally,
James Vaughan, who is still the youngest ever Premier League goalscorer since 2005. Hill was sacked in May 2021, after the team had reached the League Two play-offs but before the play-off matches took place. At the end of May 2021, Micky Mellon returned to Tranmere for a second spell as manager.
Full time managers are shown below (excluding caretaker managers).
Honours
Source:
League
*
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following th ...
/
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
/
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
(tier 3)
**Play-off winners:
1990–91
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
**Play-off runners-up:
1989–90
*
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated t ...
(tier 3)
**Champions:
1937–38
*
Football League Fourth Division /
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
(tier 4)
**2nd place promotion:
1988–89
**4th place promotion:
1966–67,
1975–76
**Play-off winners:
2018–19
*
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
(tier 5)
**Play-off winners:
2017–18
*
Lancashire Combination
The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 it ...
**Champions:
1913–14
**Division two promotion:
1911–12
*
The Combination
The Combination was a league during the early days of English football. It had two incarnations; the first ran only for the 1888–89 season for teams across the Northern England and the Midlands, and was wound up before completion. The secon ...
**Champions:
1907–08
Cup
*
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
**Runners-up:
1999–2000
*
League Trophy
The British Basketball League Trophy, often shortened to the BBL Trophy, is an annual cup competition for British basketball teams organised by the United Kingdom's top professional league, the British Basketball League. It is one of two peripher ...
**Winners:
1989–90
**Runners-up:
1990–91
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
,
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*
Welsh Cup
The FAW Welsh Cup ( cy, Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the mos ...
**Winners:
1934–35
**Runners-up:
1933–34
Records
* Highest league finish: 4th in
Football League First Division,
1992–93
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
* Best FA Cup performance: Quarter-finals
1999–2000,
2000–01,
2003–04
* Best League Cup performance: Runners-up
1999–2000
* Best League Trophy performance: Winners
1989–90
* Best FA Trophy performance: Semi-finals
2016–17
* Scoreline:
**13–4, against
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
, 26 December 1935
The aggregate of 17 goals in one game remains a
league record.
**9–0 against
Solihull Moors, 8 April 2017
**1–9 against
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
, FA Cup 3rd round replay, 14 January 1953
* Highest attendance: 74,313, against
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
, 27 February 2000, League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium
* Highest home attendance: 24,424, against
Stoke City, 5 February 1972, FA Cup
* Most goals (total): Ian Muir, 180
* Most goals in a season:
Bunny Bell (1934–35) and John Aldridge (1991–92), 40
* Most appearances: Ray Mathias, 637
References
;General
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;Specific
External links
Official website*
*
{{Good article
1884 establishments in England
Association football clubs established in 1884
Sport in Birkenhead
Football clubs in Merseyside
Football clubs in England
Lancashire Combination
English Football League clubs
Former National League (English football) clubs
EFL Trophy winners
Companies that have entered administration in the United Kingdom