Town were pegged back this afternoon at The EnviroVent Stadium as they were forced to settle for a point against Tranmere Rovers.
Matty Daly had given Town the lead shortly before the break, the first goal Rovers had conceded in over 500 minutes of league action, but the visitors spell of pressure after the break was rewarded when Jordan Turnbull fired home from close range om the hour mark.
Both sides had opportunities to have taken all three points but resolute defences kept both attacks at bay.
Simon Weaver was forced into one change from the side that began the 2-1 win a week ago at home to Hartlepool. Jack Muldoon missed out with a minor injury and was replaced by Matty Daly.
The visitors also made one change from their previous game with top scorer Elliott Nevitt returning to the side in place of Paul Lewis.
Town were looking to build on their pair of victories so far this week and Grant almost pounced on an errant back pass in the first minute. Former Celtic-man Ross Doohan was quickly off his line to smother the danger.
The opening stages were punctuated by a number of stoppages to the game, all as a result of minor, niggly fouls which resulted in a lack of flow to the game.
On the quarter-hour mark Kayne Ramsey saved a certain goal. A deep ball to the far post was controlled by Nevitt who fired at goal with Ramsey at full-stretch to block the effort. Josh Hawkes then fired the rebound wide.
Daly responded almost instantly when his turn and shot landed just wide of the target.
After twenty minutes Kieron Morris picked up a loose ball and drove forward towards the Town goal, firing from distance but he failed to trouble Pete Jameson.
An interception and lung busting run from Jaheim Headley resulted in Town forcing a corner. Ramsey’s pass was then intercepted which resulted in a chance for Kane Hemmings but Rory McArdle recovered well to snuff out the danger.
It was Town who got the opening goal though when Daly calmly slotted home from outside the area after Luke Armstrong’s layoff. There was some good work initially from Grant after Daly’s threaded ball that split the defence with the forward seeing his effort rebound off the post before Daly struck.
There was a blow a couple of minutes before the break though when Joe Mattock limped off, being replaced by Josh Austerfield with Warren Burrell dropping back into defence.
Trailing at the break the visitors were hoping for a lift from the travelling support behind the goal they were attacking towards in the second-half. And Jameson had to be alert early on when Hemmings rose highest at a corner to head towards goal.
Rovers sensed their opportunity to get back into the game and Ethan Bristow’s cross was cleared at the last by Ramsey. From the resulting corner though Town failed to clear their lines and Jordan Turnbull was on hand at the far post to fire home.
Jameson was then on hand to punch clear after Nevitt’s powerful volley had taken a deflection off Austerfield.
Josh Hawkes then got the better of Ramsey to have a sight at goal but struck straight at Jameson.
With his Town side on the back foot Simon Weaver introduced Sam Folarin into the action, replacing Grant, with the hope that his pace could be the spark needed to get back into the game.
And Folarin was soon into the game when he ran at Bristow, forcing an error from the Rovers full-back that earned Town a corner.
Hemmings then responded by testing Jameson from distance, with Town’s keeper getting his fingertips to the ball to turn it wide of the goal.
With little under 15 minutes remaining and the game on a knife-edge the visitors made their first change of the afternoon when Rhys Hughes entered the fray in place of Hawkes.
Armstrong then arrowed a strike narrowly over the bar from the corner of the box after Burrell’s neat footwork had created some space for the Town forward.
Folarin nipped in behind the defence to get on the end of Pattison’s ball but his cross was just behind Armstrong and Rovers broke away, with Falkingham going into the book for bringing down Hemmings as Rovers looked to threaten.
Try as they might, both sides had to settle for a point which, on the balance of an entertaining afternoon, was a fair outcome.
TOWN: Jameson, Ramsay, McArdle, Mattock (Austerfield, 43), Headley, Burrell, Falkingham, Pattison, Daly, Grant (Folarin, 63), Armatrong.
Substitutes: Oxley, Ferguson, Welch-Hayes, Frost, Coley.
Goals: Daly (37)
Booked: Headley (60)
Tranmere Rovers: Doohan, Dacres-Cogley, Bristow, O’Connor, Merrie Morris, Hemmings, Hawkes (Hughes, 75), Turnbull, Nevitt, Simeu.
Subs: Hewelt, McAlear, Nolan, Jameson, Neill Byrne, Burton.
Goals: Turnbull (57)
Referee: Ollie Yates.
Attendance: 2,316.
