Tranmere boss Darrell Clarke eager for more from his squad after Shrewsbury win
Clarke took to the helm of the club during the summer.
Tranmere manager Darrell Clarke said he would enjoy the moment after his side began their League Two campaign with a 2-0 win over Shrewsbury Town at Prenton Park.
Jordan Davies opened the scoring 10 minutes before half-time, latching onto Bobby Faulkner’s knock-down before firing home from six yards for his second goal in as many games.
Shrewsbury had looked dangerous in the early stages, with Josh Ruffels forcing a brilliant save from Harrison Male, while Davies had almost caught out Will Brook with a speculative lob at the other end.
The visitors were almost level shortly after the break when George Lloyd’s effort was cleared off the line, while Arkell Jude-Boyd fired narrowly wide.
But Rovers doubled their advantage in the 63rd minute when Charlie Whitaker weaved through the Shrewsbury defence before firing home from 18 yards to secure the points.
Rovers manager Clarke, who took over at Prenton Park this summer, said: “The performance was patchy but let’s enjoy the moment. It’s our first home win for six months and a clean sheet.
“The boys have given me everything and put their bodies on the line. We’ve had to defend well as they asked a lot of questions of us.
“It was a bitty performance at times and I’d have liked us to be better with the ball at times, but let’s enjoy the moment, it’s a two-nil win and a clean sheet.
“It was a good battling team performance. It was nowhere near the level I’d want us to be with the ball if I’m honest.
“The resilience, the blocks, the bodies on the line, the determination not to give anything away, I thought we defended superbly and we had to at times.
“I’d like to thank the fans who have turned up today, we really appreciate the support.
“Sometimes the hardest win is the first of the campaign and we’ve managed to get that in the first game, so we should all enjoy the moment.”
Despite the defeat, Shrewsbury boss Gavin Cowan felt his side had plenty of positives to take from the game.
“We’re hugely disappointed, especially for the brilliant travelling support we had today. It was an unbelievable following,” he said.
“Possession will be ours today and chances will be ours today, but it’s a results-based business.
“We’re not planning on being a nearly team and when we look at the stats I’m assuming they’re going to be in our favour, but ultimately we need to get three points.
“I think we just need a bit of an edge in front of goal and a bit of desire and we’re really disappointed with the goals we’ve conceded today too.
“We were the better team in terms of the performance but that’s not what it’s all about.
“I think we can take a lot of heart from the performance and how we played and there’s a lot of positives, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we’ve got to win football matches.”