Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in
Merseyside. Historically in Cheshire, it is on the Wirral
Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of
Liverpool. The name Birkenhead is possibly from the Old English
bircen meaning birch tree, of which many once grew on the headland which
jutted into the river at Woodside. The earliest records state that the
Mersey ferry began operating from Birkenhead in 1150, when Benedictine
monks under the leadership of Hamon de Mascy built a priory there.
Distanced from the Industrial Revolution in Liverpool by the physical
barrier of the River Mersey, Birkenhead retained its agricultural status
until the advent of steam ferry services. In 1817 a steam ferry service
started from Liverpool to Tranmere and in 1822 the paddle steamer,
Royal Mail, began operation between Liverpool and Woodside. Shipbuilding
started in 1829. An iron works was initially established by William
Laird in 1824 and was joined by his son John Laird in 1828. The business
eventually became Cammell Laird. In addition to the ferries,
the Mersey Railway tunnel in 1886 and the Queensway road tunnel in 1934
gave rapid access to Liverpool. This opened up the Wirral Peninsula for
development, and prompted further growth of Birkenhead as an industrial
centre. The town's population grew from 110 in 1801 to 110,912 one
hundred years later and stood at 142,501 by 1951. In September
1932 thousands of unemployed people protested in a series of
demonstrations organised by the local branch of the National Unemployed
Workers Movement. After three days of rioting, police were brought in
from elsewhere to help quell the rioters.
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| Prenton Park |
Tranmere Rovers
were, initially, formed as Belmont Football Club when the football arms
of two cricket clubs – Lyndhurst Wanderers and Belmont – came together
in 1884. On 15 November 1884, they won their first game 4–0 against
Brunswick Rovers. This was a friendly match, as there were no leagues
until 1888. Under the presidency of James McGaul, the team had a
successful inaugural season, losing only one of their fifteen matches.
An unrelated, disbanded side had played under the name "Tranmere Rovers
Cricket Club (Association football section)" in 1881–82. On 16 September
1885, before their second season began, Belmont F.C. adopted the name
Tranmere Rovers. Tranmere played their first matches at Steeles Field in
Birkenhead. In 1886 and entered their first competition: the Liverpool
and District Challenge Cup. In 1887, they bought Ravenshaws Field from
Tranmere Rugby Club. In 1889, they entered the West Lancashire
League. They joined the Combination, a much stronger league, in
1897, and won the championship in 1908. In 1910, they entered the
Lancashire Combination and in 1912 showed their ambition by moving to
the present Prenton Park site, with an 800-seat stand. Tranmere won the
Lancashire Combination Championship in 1914. Rovers continued to play
throughout the First World War, although their players were criticised
for avoiding military service, despite being employed in the local
shipyards. Following the expulsion of Leeds City Reserves in 1919,
Tranmere were able to enter the Central League. Their timing was
excellent as the following season; four Central League clubs – including
Tranmere – were invited to join the new Division Three North. In
1924, local youngster Dixie Dean made his debut aged 16 years 355 days.
He played 30 games for Rovers, scoring 27 goals, before being
transferred to Everton for £3,000. Rovers won their first championship
in the Football League in 1938 with victory in Division Three North and,
hence, promotion to Division Two for the first time. It is still
Rovers' only championship in the Football League. However, they were
relegated the next season winning six matches – the record for the worst
performance of any team in Division Two. Prenton Park emerged
from the Second World War largely unscathed. They rejoined the Football
League in Division Three North and stayed there until the 1958
restructuring of the football league's lower divisions, when they
secured a place in the new national Division Three (founder members). In
1961, Tranmere's inspirational captain, Harold Bell, left the club and
was certainly missed as Rovers were relegated to Division Four for the
first time. They were promoted back to Division Three in 1967, a year
before a new 4,000-seater main stand was opened, and Rovers reached the
fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time. Tranmere returned to the
Fourth Division in 1975. The following decade the club were usually in
the lower reaches of the Fourth Division, beset by financial problems,
and attaining crowds of less than 2,000.
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| Prenton Park |
This Pieman was staying on Merseyside for the following day's Everton v Spurs match. The journey from Liverpool for this Friday evening League Division Four match was made by train from Liverpool to Rock Ferry Station. The walk to the ground taking just less than fifteen minutes. An entertaining match resulted in the home side defeating Scunthorpe United 2-1.
Attendance: 1,417
Programme: 40p (12 pages)
Subsequent visits to Prenton Park
- 22 November 1989 - Tranmere Rovers 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2 - League Cup, 4th Round - Attendance: 13789
- 09 October 2001 - Tranmere Rovers 0 Tottenham Hotspur 4 - League Cup, 3rd Round - Attendance: 12386
- 04 October 2019 - Tranmere Rovers 0 Tottenham Hotspur 7 - FA Cup, 3rd Round - Attendance: 12553
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