31st August 1987

Tranmere Rovers v Exeter City 

By Special Correspondent

Exeter City's 100 per cent league record was smashed in Birkenhead last night, but the home side had City schemer Roy Carter to thank for their first home points of the season. Carter, under no obvious pressure, headed a low and pacy Eddie Murray cross past City 'keeper John Shaw 10 minutes from time.

It was a devastating blow to Exeter who had fought their way back into a com- petitive match with some neat football after being pinned back in their own half by Tranmere's deter- mined tackling for much of the game. Carter's unfortunate blunder followed just two minutes after Brendon O'Connell had accepted a neat pass from sub Tony Kellow before turning on the edge of the box to send a delicate shot past Tranmere's Billy O'Rourke for a deserved equaliser. Tranmere had earlier taker a 40th-minute lead wher full-back Mark McCarrick sprinted 20 yards to bullet a header past Shaw from Garry Williams' cross. The Birkenhead side had looked capable of swamping City in the early stages when O'Connell and Dean Edwards had fought a lonely battle up front without support from their overworked midfield. Paul Olsson caused problems with his accurate long-range pot shots and Keith Viney was effective coming forward on the breaks, but Carter's lapse was a cruel twist of fate as he was City' best player on the night.

Manager Colin Appleton may feel his side did enough to earn a point but Shaw's agility had kept City in the game early on with an excellent stop from Kenny McKenna and Ian Muir.

Tranmere
O'Rourke McCarrick, G. Williams, Hughes, Thorpe, Vickers, Mungall, Craven (sub Aspinall) McKenna (sub Malkin), Muir, Murray.

Exeter:
Shaw, Nisbet, Viney, Marker, Cooper (sub Kellow Batty, Edwards, O'Connell, Olsson, Harrower. Sub: Williams.

Attendance: 3,107.