Tranmere 1 Wolves 1 - match report

Richard Stearman was sent off for hauling back Ryan Lowe in the 18th minute and James Wallace followed him a minute before the break for a nasty lunge on Ethan Ebanks-Landell.

By then Lowe had put Tranmere in front on 34, and it took a spirited second-half comeback by Wolves to drag themselves back into the game via a superb equaliser from Dave Edwards on 54.

Wolves had the better chances but Tranmere had an effort disallowed through Kristoffer Peterson for offside in the 87th minute.

Head coach Kenny Jackett made two changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Leyton Orient on Sunday.

Both were enforced, with Edwards and Leigh Griffiths recalled for the injured Jack Price (knee) and James Henry (groin), who both came off in the last game.

Tranmere had an unfamiliar look to a defence left threadbare with right-back Danny Holmes (hip), Ian Goodison (thigh) and Jim McNulty (ill) all out.

They signed Everton right-back Matthew Pennington and Fulham centre-back Stephen Arthurworrey, both on loan, to make their debuts.

Wolves started in a 4-4-2 formation – changed from 4-2-3-1 against Orient – and looked to take the game to Rovers.

Bakary Sako forced an early leap from keeper Owain Fon Williams from an angled chip after 44 seconds.

Sako had the next chance in the 14th minute and should have done better than roll the ball wide after working himself into a shooting position following a one-two with Griffiths.

But the game changed in the 18th minute when Stearman recklessly pulled back Ryan Lowe as he was clean through on goal after the Wolves man had been caught napping from Andy Robinson's pass.

Wolves were all at sixes and sevens for a while as they tried to reorganise and Jason Koumas's resulting curling free kick flew wide on 19 and Wallace headed wide from Robinson's corner on 20 as Tranmere went for the jugular to cash in on their numerical advantage.

There was another scare for Wolves in the 25th minute when Arturworrey arrived late at the far post from another Robinson corner, but he couldn't quote connect.

The visitors had more defending to do in the 31st minute when Danny Batth blocked Robinson's shot from the edge of the box.

But they couldn't do anything to prevent Tranmere taking the lead.

Wolves failed to close down as Ash Taylor advanced forward from the back, and when Lowe peeled off the last man and the Taylor's chip dropped to him over the top, the veteran striker caught it early as Carl Ikeme came out and the ball squeezed in the far corner of the net.

Wolves looked uncertain and shaky after the disruption of Stearman's dismissal.

But they fashioned a chance and the best move of the game in the 39th minute when Michael Jacobs exchanged passes with Griffiths, turned a defender and saw his low shot tipped away by Fon Williams.

From the resulting corner on 40, Fon Williams came to Rovers' rescue again when he palmed away Batth's header at the foot of the post.

Tranmere's numerical advantage disappeared a minute before the break when Wallace earned his marching orders for a disgraceful studs-up challenge on Ethan Ebanks-Landell, who thankfully escaped injury.

Wolves swapped Ebanks-Landell for Scott Golbourne at the break which saw Sam Ricketts join Batth at centre-half and Edwards switch to right-back with Jacobs, Kevin McDonald and Sako in midfield.

And, in a determined, high-tempo start to the half, Wolves hit back to leave Tranmere on the back foot.

They kept the pressure on Rovers' back line from the first whistle, eventually levelling with a superb strike from Edwards, who unleashed a tremendous left-foot falling volley from 16 yards that Fon Williams could only help into the roof of the net after Jacobs had cut the ball back from the goalline on the left.

Wolves' tails were up and Jacobs, who had another high quality game, went desperately close with a chip that had Fon Williams at full stretch to tip over on 56.

But with both teams going for the win, it became end to end and Wolves had a double let-off on the hour.

Ridehalgh missed his kick in front of goal after the ball had been pumped back in when Taylor's point-blank header from a corner had been blocked.

Wolves remained on the attack and Griffiths saw a shot held after cutting inside on 61 before Jackett introduced Kevin Doyle for Jake Cassidy, who had had a quieter game, on 64.

Tranmere were indebted to Matthew Pennington after the on-loan Everton defender cut out a pass across goal intended for Jacobs from Griffiths, who had run half the length of the pitch.

As the game continued to go from end to end, the dangerous Kristoffer Peterson found himself clean through only to delay his shot and be shepherded out of danger by McDonald, who had a growing influence as the game wore on.

Wolves went close to a second goal on 72 when Ricketts's curling shot after cutting inside was tipped over by Fon Williams.

Jacobs then took out two defenders with a dummy 11 minutes from only for his shot to be blocked.

Sako was only a foot away with a free kick from 25 yards on 82 before Wolves' hearts were in their mouths on 87 when Peterson had an effort disallowed for offside, with a Tranmere player in front of Ikeme.

Wolves had the final chance in the fourth minute of time added on when substitute David Davis's left-foot shot was tipped away.

But the visitors will be pleased with a point but maybe feel hard done by that it wasn't all three after being the better team in the second half.