United manager John Ward had just the one change scheduled for the starting line up for the trip to Prenton Park, with captain Paul Thirlwell slotting in to midfield to fill the gap created by the return to Deepdale of Joe Anyinsah.

A pre-match injury, picked up by Danny Carlton during the warm up, caused a quick reshuffle with 9-goal striker Danny Graham stepping up from the bench to lead the line.

The first action of a very slow start came on 8 minutes when McLaren floated a corner to the near post. Raven cleared it, allowing Westwood to gather the second delivery.

At the other end Aranalde showed good patience as he waited for an opening, holding the ball and dropping his shoulder before creating space for the cross. Goodison got a slight touch on that, doing just enough to put Garner off as he nodded his effort right at Coyne.

Myrie-Williams tried one from distance as things started to warm up, but he sliced it and watched in despair as it flew well wide of the target. McLaren was trying to find his range with his set pieces, picking out Kay in the 14th minute with an inswinging free kick. The big defender got there, but he couldn't keep the header down and sent the ball in to the crowd.

Although things were comfortable for the Cumbrians they gifted Rovers the opening goal in the 16th minute when McLaren and Myrie-WiIliams used a short corner routine to drag the defence out of position. McLaren then prodded a near post shot through the bodies, finding enough power to wrong-foot the defence. Raven tried to cut it out, but his intervention sent the ball in to the roof of the net, leaving Westwood with absolutely no chance.

McLaren put a header wide as Tranmere got forward in numbers again 60 seconds later, following good work out wide by Stockdale, and it was the home side looking the more comfortable as things started to settle.

The next real moment of incident didn't arrive until the 38th minute when McLaren took charge of a 26 yard free kick. Westwood had to be on his toes, and he scrambled across, getting a good hand to it and tipping it over. McLaren wasted no time with the corner, and that was only half cleared by a weak header from Keogh. Greenacre pounced, combining with some neat touches, and he thought he'd doubled the lead with a low shot that whistled past the keeper. It rattled back off the foot of the post, giving Aranalde the chance to shepherd it away for a corner as Zola raced in. Goodison put his header over from that one, not helped at all by two other Rovers players, who were going after the same ball.

The half closed with a very dangerous free kick, from just outside the 18-yard box, that brought the best out of Westwood. Unsurprisingly it was McLaren who took it, but the Carlisle stopper was equal to it, pulling off a fantastic save. The respite was short-lived, however, as the McLaren corner was flicked on nicely at the near post. Antony Kay then took one touch to lift it over his marker before smashing a completely unstoppable volley in to the back of the net, doubling the lead with what was a wonderful goal.

Half Time: Rovers 2 - 0 United

United started brightly after the break, penning Tranmere back, with Livesey unlucky not to score when Lumsdon whipped in a near post cross. Kay deflected it behind, and Keogh came even closer with a back post header that had Coyne stretching. Mclaren was in the right place to hack it away, with the Carlisle players all poised to celebrate what looked a certain goal.

Chances were still at a premium, so Zola took things in to his own hands in the 57th minute with a 33 yard speculative shot that skipped wickedly off the surface in front of Keiren Westwood. He was able to get his hand on to it, forcing it over the bar and behind for the corner kick.

The visitors should have levelled things up on the hour when Aranalde sent a deep cross towards a penalty area flooded with blue shirts. Bridge-Wilkinson headed it back across the face of the target, but neither Garner or Graham could apply the finishing touch and it bobbled away for a goal kick.

Tranmere picked up the pace themselves, and Sherriff almost found Greenacre with an early cross that Keogh did well to get clear. Two corners followed, but United did enough to see the moment through, despite more excellent set pieces from McLaren.

With the game falling flat Peter Murphy came on, bringing a tactical switch as John Ward pushed Gall forward to form a definite front three. Gall had a weak shot that flew right at Coyne immediately after the change, but the home side were keeping things very tight and snuffing out most of the Carlisle attacks.

Myrie-Williams crafted a half chance as the game went in to time added on, when he danced beyond two challenges before having a shot blocked, and Murphy thumped it away as it broke free towards the edge of the area.

Gall looked as if he'd scored with 60 seconds left when a low cross in to the area evaded everyone. The Carlisle substitute slid in at the back post, forcing the ball on to the woodwork, and it spun up in to the air, allowing the Rovers defence to bundle it clear. The visitors followed that up with a move down the left, but Garner sent his header wide when he himself clearly felt that he should have done better.

Goals

Rovers - McLaren (16), Kay (45)

Bookings

Rovers - McLaren (86)

United - Livesey (43), Bridge-Wilkinson (49)

Teams

Rovers: Coyne, Stockdale, Kay, Goodison, Taylor, Shuker (Myrie-Williams 9), McLaren, Sherriff, Jennings, Zola (Curran 74), Greenacre. Subs - Achterberg, Chorley, Ahmed.

United: Westwood, Raven (Murphy 79), Livesey, Keogh, Aranalde, Thirlwell, Bridge-Wilkinson, Lumsdon (Gall 67), Hackney, Graham, Garner. Subs - Howarth, Arnison, Smith.

Away fans - tbc