Wembley 2000 - The early rounds
Wednesday 24th February, 2010
By Richard Ault

Continuing our look back at the momentous Worthington Cup run of 1999/2000 season, today we retrace the steps we took to book our place at the Twin Towers. 

Here, we take a whistle-stop tour of the earlier rounds, whilst later today we look at the semi-final with Bolton Wanderers - and give you an added treat that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.


Round One

Tranmere Rovers 4-3 Blackpool (agg)

Our journey started back on a late summer evening at Bloomfield Road on August 10, 2009.  Rovers travelled with a strong team, the likes of Santos, Koumas, Achterberg and Yates all starting the game.  Tranmere started well, Alan Mahon hitting the crossbar, but it was Blackpool defender Phillip Thompson that put into his own net to give the Rovers the lead.

The hosts hit back and took a 2-1 lead back to Prenton Park for the replay two weeks later.  Once back in home surroundings, John Aldridge's side took little time to exert their superiority on the tie.  Scott Taylor opened the scoring within half an hour, whilst David Kelly opened his account for the competition with a a goal on the stroke of half-time, followed by another shortly after the interval.  Little would he have known how his tournament would pan out.

The Seasiders pulled a goal back in the second half but Rovers saw it out safely, going through 4-3 on aggregate.

Round Two

Coventry City 4-6 Tranmere Rovers (agg)

The tie with Coventry City was a belter.  Putting the game in to context, when the Sky Blues rolled into Prenton Park they did so as an established Premiership team who had many top players.  Gordon Strachan's decision to leave most of them back in Coventry would come back to haunt him though, with quite spectacular consequences.

There was no indication of what lay ahead when, seven minutes into the first leg at Prenton Park, Gary McAllister classily slotted the ball past Achterberg at the Cowshed end of the ground.  It looked for all the world as though Coventry would go on and slip into a comfortable lead to protect back at Highfield Road, but that's not quite how it panned out.

With a typical John Aldridge team talk ringing in their ears at half-time, Strachan's side were running like scalded dogs within 20 minutes of the restart.  Inspired by silky youngster Alan Mahon, the Rovers backlash commenced.  On 50 minutes, Scott Taylor was on hand to score at close-range from a Steve Yates knock-down, before David Kelly took control.

First, 'Ned' latched on to a long clearance from Graham Allen to convert from a tight angle on his right foot, and on 63 minutes Tranmere found themselves 3-1 up as the former Eire striker netted from the edge of the box.  Coventry had to make a change, and they did, replacing youngster Gary McSheffrey with the experienced Paul Hall. 

That plan was deemed useless two minutes later though as stroppy ex-Liverpool defender David Burrows was sent off for an aggressive reaction to Alan Morgan's tackle.  By now Prenton Park was jumping.  Kelly completed his hat-trick as he converted Taylor's cross, and then he returned the compliment in stoppage time by setting Taylor up for his second of the night.

The newspapers the next day had Rovers right across the back of them, even the nationals.  At the time, we had been starved of such publicity for years, perhaps since 1994.  Little did we know, this was going to be the tip of the iceberg.

The second leg saw Strachan re-instate some first teamers.  Chris Kirkland replaced bumbling Italian Raffaele Nuzzo in goal, whilst Moroccan pair Mustapha Hadji and Yousseff Chippo came back in too.  McAllister gave Coventry the lead on 21 minutes at Highfield Road, as the comeback was threatened.  They clearly hadn't worked too hard on their defence though as Scott Taylor levelled within seconds with a fine header. 

Chippo put Coventry into a two-goal lead before the break but it finished 3-1 and Rovers powered through on what everyone thought would be a historic night for the club.

Round Three

Tranmere Rovers 2-0 Oxford United

After all the headline-grabbing excitement of the previous round, Rovers were on home soil again in round three with much more down-to-earth opposition.  Oxford United came to Prenton Park eager to try cause a mini upset of their own.

Not to put too finer point on it, but they failed.  Inspired by the superb Tony Grant, on loan from Everton, Rovers were in control for much of the game.  That said, young goalkeeper Joe Murphy - making his debut - was called into action to save a first half penalty, but Tranmere were in control from then on.  The goals came within the space of six second half minutes for Rovers, Steve Yates and the aforementioned Grant striking to put Tranmere through.

Round Four

Tranmere Rovers 4-0 Barnsley

When fellow First Division Barnsley arrived at Prenton Park on a cold November's evening, Rovers proved beyond all doubt that they meant business in the Worthington Cup this time around.  Belief filled the stands of Prenton Park before kick-off - although belief is all that filled them, with a paltry attendance of just 7,000 present. 

As if not wanting to make a song and dance about things, Tranmere were in front within three minutes, Andy Parkinson setting them on the way.  Alan Morgan doubled the lead with a neat free-kick shortly before half-time and the second half was a formality for Aldo's men.

Clint Hill added a third on 56 minutes, but the headline goal, and the one most fans remember, came just four minutes from time.  Winger Michael Black showed a rare glimpse of the quality John Aldridge had seen in him, and after picking the ball up on the left wing, he cut inside and delivered a fine, curling right foot shot in to the far top corner at the Cowshed end.  The goal summed up Rovers night, and their run to this point. 

There was even time for veteran goalkeeper Eric Nixon to get a run-out as Aldo introduced him as an 83rd minute sub in place of Joe Murphy.

With the exception of Coventry (on paper!), Tranmere had avoided any of the big teams in the competition so far.  As the quarter-final beckoned, the stakes were raised as Rovers drew a home tie with the millionaires of Middlesbrough.

Quarter Final

Tranmere Rovers 2-1 Middlesbrough

The Sky Sports cameras were at Prenton Park for this one, as Middlesbrough brought their cosmopolitan line-up to the Wirral in the middle of December.  Crucially, Boro were without Paul Gascoigne and Paul Ince, although whether either would have made a difference is debatable.  It's also immaterial.

Tranmere were on the rocks early on, their Premiership opponents having two goals ruled out within the first five minutes.  Robbie Mustoe and Hamilton Ricard left frustrated as David Elleray ruled the efforts out for handball and offside respectively. 

Brazilian superstar Juninho squandered the best chance of a poor first half under the Prenton floodlights, his shot beating Murphy in goal but not getting past Reuben Hazell on the line.  Shortly after that, and Bryan Robson's side were behind.

Rovers attacked the Kop end, and the outstanding Andy Parkinson fizzed a low ball in to the front post where David Kelly arrived and smartly converted with the inside of his foot.  Prenton Park went mad, as Ned wheeled away behind the net to celebrate close to the fans, soon to be joined by team mates.

Rovers had a penalty appeal waved away by Elleray when Scott Taylor was felled in the box, but it was the visitors that came back in to it, Juninho rattled the crossbar before Elleray then denied them a penalty after Ricard collided wit Murphy.  The collision left Murphy injured and he was replaced by Achterberg - that was to be the most significant decision of the night.

Just 11 minutes after the Dutchman's introduction he claimed a Boro cross and, as he often did, looked for the quick outlet.  Unmarked ont he halfway line was Parkinson, and Achto found him with a pinpoint long throw.  It caught the Premiership side on the hop, but what was about to follow will forever be remembered at Prenton Park.

Parkinson made a beeline for the Boro box, jinking past Premiership defenders one-by-one.  He jinked one way, then the other, before getting to the edge of the box and firing a superb strike in to the bottom corner.  The roof of the Cowshed stand nearly flew off.  The tie was all-but won and Parkinson would receive relentless media attention for months afterwards,

Middlesbrough pulled one back with around ten minutes to play, German full back Christian Ziege finishing well at the Kop end, but it didn't matter, nothing would deny Rovers.

For the first time since 1994, Tranmere had reached the semi-final of a major cup competition, and had a chance to banish the ghost of Villa Park 16 years earlier.  What's more, the draw pitted us against familiar opponents.

Later on today, we look at the two semi-final games with Bolton, and bring it to life with some superb archive radio commentary.