Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Tranmere Rovers 12th with 58 points, Hartlepool United 23rd with 43, 15 apart. On recent form Tranmere Rovers sat only 16th league-wide over the last five rounds, well short of their 12th overall. Per game in the league, Tranmere Rovers were scoring 0.98 and conceding 1.04, Hartlepool United 1.13 and 1.7, against a competition average of 1.17 goals per team per game.
A win had eluded Hartlepool United for 5 matches. The five-game form split read 9/15 points for Tranmere Rovers against 3/15 for Hartlepool United.
13 meetings are on record — 3 won by Tranmere Rovers, 4 by Hartlepool United, 6 drawn, at 1.15 goals per meeting. Home advantage has meant little here: 23% of the meetings went to the host. Low-scoring is the pattern: just 0% of the meetings went over two goals.
Prenton Park in Birkenhead staged the fixture, a ground that holds 16,587. Hartlepool United led 1-0 at the break, and the second half added 1 goal for the 1-1 full-time score.