THE GROUND
Prenton Park
Prenton Road West
Prenton
Wirral
CH42 9PY
Tranmere Rovers celebrated 100 years at Prenton Park in 2012 after spending nearly 30 years in a nearby ground of the same name.
The 16,567 capacity stadium has three sides less than 20 years old, including the Cowshed Stand, which is home to visiting supporters.
The Main Stand is the oldest part of the ground, having been completed in the late 1960s.
There is room for 2,500 away fans behind one of the goals at Prenton Park.
THE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
It is approximately 222 miles from Griffin Park to Prenton Park by road.
Drivers should take the M6, M56 and M53 towards Birkenhead, then leave at junction four and follow the B5151 to the ground.
There is a large car park at Prenton Park but places have to be booked in advance.
Many of the streets around the ground are for residents only.
The nearest station is Rock Ferry, which is just over a mile from the ground, while Birkenhead Central is a little further away and Liverpool Lime Street is more than three miles away on the opposite side of the River Mersey.
Rock Ferry and Birkenhead Central are served by Merseyrail services, and to get there involves changing at Liverpool Lime Street.
To reach Liverpool Lime Street supporters have to take a Virgin Trains service from Euston.
The Supporters’ Association will be running coaches to every game this season – details of times and prices will be announced in due course.
THE RECENT HISTORY
Tranmere Rovers are the division’s second longest serving team, after Oldham Athletic, having been relegated from what is now The Championship in 2001.
That ended ten years in the second tier, during which they reached the Play-Offs for a Premier League place three times and also reached the League Cup Semi-Final and Final and the FA Cup Sixth Round twice.
They almost went back up in 2005, finishing third and losing in the Play-Offs and were generally a top half team before the appointment of John Barnes in the summer of 2009.
Barnes was sacked after seven points in 11 games and even though Rovers only took 14 from their first 19 fixtures they survived thanks to wins in their final two games.
They finished 18th in 2010/11 and 12th in in 2011/12 when Les Parry, who had been in charge since Barnes left, was sacked.
Ronnie Moore – a former player and manager at Prenton Park – came back as manager and Tranmere put together a promotion push last season.
They spent most of the first half of the season at the top of League One after remaining unbeaten in their first 12 league games, winning nine of them.
They remained towards the top of the table through Christmas and when they won at Griffin Park in January they had breathing space at the top.
It all started to go wrong from then on, however.
They won only three of their last 17 games, losing seven of their last nine, and eventually finished 11th, seven points outside the Play-Off places.
THE MANAGER
Ronnie Moore returned to Prenton Park for his second spell as manager in March 2012.
He started his playing career at Rovers, making 249 league appearances for them, between 1971 and 1979.
After spells with Cardiff City, Rotherham United, Charlton Athletic and Rochdale he returned to Tranmere, ending his playing career with promotion from the Fourth Division.
By this time he assisting the hugely successful John King, with Rovers promoted to the Second Division in 1991.
Leaving Rovers to manage Southport in 1996, he moved to Rotherham United shortly after and spent eight largely successful years at Millmoor, winning promotion in both 2000 and 2001.
Appointed Tranmere Rovers manager in 2006, he was sacked after failing to guide them into the League One play-offs three years later.
Two seasons at Rotherham United followed before he left in 2011 and came back to Tranmere a year later.
THE TOP SCORER
Jake Cassidy was top scorer for Tranmere last season, despite only playing half the campaign with the Merseyside club.
Cassidy, 20, joined Tranmere on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers for the first half of 2012/13.
He scored 11 goals in 26 League One games before returning to the Championship side.
No player bettered that total although midfield player Andy Robinson scored ten.
THE KEY MEN
Tranmere relied on a few key players last season and have largely kept the same squad for 2013/14.
Goalkeeper Owain Fôn Williams played 45 of Tranmere’s 46 League One games last term while left back Zoumana Bakayogo played every match.
Defenders Danny Holmes and Ash Taylor played 43 and 44 games respectively while central midfield player Liam Palmer also played 43 while on loan from Sheffield Wednesday.
Midfield player James Wallace missed the second half of the season through injury but creative wide man Andy Robinson played 33 league games, scoring ten goals, and Max Power played 27 games.
In attack Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro scored eight goals in 28 games while top scorer Jake Cassidy hit 11 in half a season.
Among those leaving Tranmere this summer are wide man Adam McGurk, who made 27 league appearances last term, and former Liverpool attacker David Amoo.
Bakayogo’s future is also up in the air as he has not yet signed a contract for the forthcoming season and is expected not to do so while Palmer has returned to his parent club.
The Merseyside club have brought in defender Stephen Foster, who left Barnsley, and left back Evan Horwood, who left Hartlepool United.
Striker Ryan Lowe has joined after agreeing termination of his contract at Milton Keynes Dons.
THE FIRST MEETING
October 11 1958, Football League Division Three – Tranmere Rovers 1 Brentford 2
Brentford line-up: Cakebread; Wilson, Horne; Bristow, Dargie, Coote; Heath, Rainford, Francis, Towers, Parsons
Brentford goal scorers: Towers, Rainford
Johnny Rainford scored the winner as Brentford came back from Merseyside with the points.
THE LAST MEETING
January 19 2013, npower League One – Brentford 1 Tranmere Rovers 2
Brentford line-up: Moore; Logan (sub Hodson), Dean, Craig, Bidwell; Diagouraga (sub Hayes), Douglas; Donaldson, Forshaw, Forrester (sub Saunders); Trotta
Subs (not used): Lee, Kiernan, Barron, Reeves
Brentford goal scorer: Dean
Brentford’s long unbeaten npower League One run was ended by top-of-the-table Tranmere Rovers.
Click here for a full match report.
THE MEMORABLE DAY
December 17 2005, Coca-Cola League One – Tranmere Rovers 1 Brentford 4
Brentford line-up: Nelson; O’Connor, Turner, Sodje (sub Mousinho), Tillen; Brooker, Newman, Hutchinson, Tabb (sub Lewis); Owusu (sub Peters), Gayle
Subs (not used): Campbell, Bankole
Brentford goal scorers: Newman, Tabb, O’Connor, Owusu
Brentford scored three first half goals as they won at Prenton Park for the first time in more than 25 years.