A cracking game, virtually end to end the whole 90 minutes - and this could so easily have finished up as Ranger's first-ever 7-7 draw, so many goalscoring chances did both sides create. But make no mistake - Rangers thoroughly deserved the win, as for all but a 20-minute second-half spell they were so much classier than Tranmere.

The new lad from Arsenal, Jerome Thomas, started in the Leroy position, with Thomson and Gallen up front, a midfield of Rose Peacock and Langley - and with Evans in goal, a back four of Forbes, Shittu, Palmer and Bignot.

In a must-win game if even the remotest chance of making the play-offs is to come off, Rangers started brightly and then got better. With Rose and Peaock linking defence to attack with great effect, Rangers always had the upper hand. The passing and movement was as good as anything we've seen on our travels this season, and when a move did break down, the determination to win the ball the back and build again was evident.

At times it was men against boys, no more so than when Tranmere attacked and they kept running into a man mountain in the shape of Danny Shittu, enjoying his best 90 minutes in a Rangers shirt to date. "Chim-chiminy, chim-chiminy, chim chim che-roo, who needs Sol Campell when we've got Shittu..." went the chant from the Rangers fans, around 700 in total.

Thomas, out on the left, was being fed a lot of the ball and was helping stretch the Tranmere defence.

It was only a matter of time before a goal would arrive - and arrive on cue it did, Andy Thomson poking the ball home from close range to give Rangers a half-time lead. This was a confident first-half performance overall - although if there was any anxiety, it was with the hesitation of Rhys Evans in the Rangers goal. Twice he came for the ball, only to change his mind and induce momentary panic in his defence.

Our back four was very square all afternoon, relying heavily on the offside trap. As most teams do, Tranmere tried to drop balls over the top and as the half wore on, and aided by Evans's hesitation, they came ever closer to doing so. A one-goal lead, so the half-time consensus had it, wasn't nearly enough. Sure enough, despite an evenly-matched opening quarter of an hour of the second-half, more of the same from Tranmere saw them getting their timing right and springing Rangers' offside trap.

When this happens every defender runs back to cover in almost comic fashion at times, and the necessary blocks and clearances were anything but calm and controlled. It was heart-stopping stuff to watch. There was similar panic too at times in the Tranmere defence, with Thomson denied a justifiable penalty claim when he was wrestled to the ground when racing a defender with only the keeper to beat. Thomson did well to get a shot in at all - and deserved better when his second attempt was headed off the line.

And then Tranmere scored twice in a relatively short space of time, to take an improbable lead. In fact their two goals - near identical in being close-range shots from low crosses in from the right - came at a time when Rangers, as only they can, had departed from the flowing, one touch football of the first-half to a game of centre-circle head tennis, and boot everything long. But then, equally inexplicably, they began to play it on the deck again, utilising the width of the pitch with the speed and skill of the impressive Thomas on one side, and the sheer brilliance of Langley on the other.

With Gallen and Thomson running off each other, as in that 15-minute spell at Chesterfield a million years ago, an equaliser was always on the cards. It came from a precision left-footed volley from Langley, buried low in the opposite corner, and if any player deserved one today, he did.

With the minutes ticking down, Rangers launched yet another attack and a cross from (it may have been) Griffiths was headed back into the six-yaed box and there was Thomson, back to his predatory best, to head over the line. Cue pandemonium.

So a well-deserved win and a lot of encouragement to take from the performance. Thomas visibly gained in confidence as the game progressed and I for one hope he can provide that width and pace on the left that no-one has really managed effectively all season for Rangers in that position. Playing 4-3-3 works for us in these circumstances, and provides just the right width. There was a notable lack of aimless crosses in to the box throughout the afternoon, and three goals from the right sort of crosses merely underlines the futility of such tactics.

All in all, a very satisfying afternoon on the Wirral.

Dave Thomas