Match Report | Tranmere Rovers 2-0 Shrewsbury Town

Shrewsbury Town's League Two campaign got off to a losing start as strikes in each half condemned Salop to defeat at Prenton Park.

Despite arguably shading a keenly-contested first half, Town fell behind to a scrappy Jordan Davies strike on 35 minutes.

Charlie Whitaker doubled the hosts' lead early in the second half, finishing smartly from the edge of the box on the counter-attack.

Salop pushed for a way back into the game and had late chances to reduce the deficit, but couldn't find a way past Harrison Male as Tranmere held on for the points.

Team news:

Boss Gavin Cowan set Town up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with one forced change from last week's Carabao Cup win over Salford City.

Luca Hoole came in for Sam Stubbs, who was suspended following his sending-off against Salford.

Will Brook started in goal behind a back three of Hoole, Will Boyle and Josh Ruffels, with Arkell Jude-Boyd and Kevin Berkoe the wing-backs.

Tom Sang and Will Gray made up the midfield two, with Isaac Fletcher in behind a front two of George Lloyd and Josh Davison.

Tranmere lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with new signing Harrison Male in goal behind a back three of Brad Faulkner, Nathan Smith and Peter Brough.

Jack Senior and Toby Conlon sat in a central two, with Jordan Davies and Will Vaulks providing width.

Tom Ince and Charlie Whitaker played off lone striker Jake Ironside.

Referee: Jamie O'Connor. Assistant Referees: Anthony Moore & Jordan Brooks. Fourth Official: Matthew Moss.

Report:

Town started the brighter of the two sides. In the third minute, Tom Sang delivered a delicious ball into the box and George Lloyd got a good header on it, glancing his effort narrowly over the bar.

Two minutes later, Town continued to press Tranmere's goal with another fine delivery, this time from Jude-Boyd. Boyle won the battle at the back post but could only head the ball a yard wide of a diving Male.

The hosts had their first big chance of the game in the 19th minute, Will Brook pushing a looped effort over the bar with a diving save after Davies met a half-volley from the edge of the box.

Town's best opportunity of the half arrived in the 32nd minute. The ball dropped to Boyle in the box, who delicately volleyed a pass across goal for Ruffels, whose effort on the volley forced another diving save out of Male, who tipped it over the bar.

Tranmere made the breakthrough in the 35th minute. The ball bounced around a crowded box with both sides scrambling for possession before it dropped to Jordan Davies, who drilled a shot towards Brook. The keeper got something on it, but it wasn't enough to keep it out, and the ball trickled over the line.

Whitaker forced Brook into a smart low save in the 40th minute after a neat piece of skill from Davies opened up space for the Tranmere attack.

Town almost levelled in the final minute of the half in dramatic fashion. Jude-Boyd dinked a lovely floating cross to the back post, where Lloyd met it with a powerful downward header. Somehow, a crowd of Tranmere bodies scrambled the ball away, with what looked like five defenders throwing themselves in front of a flurry of Town efforts to keep it out.

Town picked up where they left off after the restart, once again the livelier of the two sides. Another header from Lloyd, this time from close range, forced a sprawling save out of Male, who pushed the ball behind for a corner.

Salop pressed again in the 57th minute as a sustained spell of pressure led to a low, drilled effort from Jude-Boyd on the edge of the box, which flashed narrowly wide of the far corner.

But Tranmere struck on the counter-attack in the 62nd minute to double their lead, Whitaker finishing smartly from the edge of the box.

The visitors made a flurry of changes as they searched for a way back into the game, with substitute Jack Gbodé causing plenty of problems down the wing. He forced a save out of Male, who could only parry the ball back into play, before winning a free-kick on the edge of the box with a piece of skill. Sang's delivery from the resulting set-piece was met by Gbodé, who battled well in the air, but Male claimed his header comfortably.

Despite Town's late pressure, Tranmere held firm to claim victory on the opening day of the League Two season.

Teams:

Tranmere: Male, Faulkner, Smith, Brough, Senior, Conlon (Finley 65), Davies (Okoro 73), Vaulks, Ince (Baker-Richardson 89), Whitaker, Ironside (Turnbull 89).

Subs not used: Scott, Veevers, O'Connor.

Shrewsbury: Brook, Hoole, Boyle, Ruffels, Jude-Boyd (Aiston 88), Sang (England 82), Gray (Turner-Cooke 65), Berkoe, Fletcher, Lloyd (Gbodé 65), Davison.

Subs not used: Proctor, Pendleton, Anderson.

Attendance: 7,826.