Tranmere boss Nigel Adkins admitted his side’s 1-1 draw at Sutton “felt like a defeat” after Louis John rescued a point for the division’s bottom side with a late equaliser.
Rovers seemed on course to end a run of eight successive away league defeats this season by claiming victory at Gander Green Lane thanks to Ben Goodliffe’s first-half own goal.
But, with just two minutes left of regulation time, Tranmere were pegged back by John’s leveller as the spoils were shared.
Adkins, whose side were on course to win back-to-back league games for the first time since February, took plenty of positives from Rovers’ performance but conceded the late goal was something of a sucker punch.
He said: “We were hard to beat. We didn’t lose, let’s remember that. But it feels like a defeat.
“It’s a very invaluable point on the road. It took some good, resilient performances to get that.
“We’ve seen a committed performance from the players, who have had to do the ugly parts of the game and at the very end you’ve seen the appreciation from the players and the supporters together.
“At this moment in time, we’ve come away from home and seen a committed performance. I’ve seen some flashes of good stuff, we haven’t lost which is important because we’ve spoken about addressing our away form.
“This is a step towards doing that.
“It’s exactly as we thought the game would be.
“You can see the direct nature of the opposition and you’ve got to give them credit that’s what they do. They’re top of the league for most direct balls and we knew we had to go and deal with that and halt their momentum.
“Ultimately, we got done in the last minute by a scrappy little knockdown which has gone through peoples’ feet.”
After struggling to string results together so far this season, Matt Gray’s spirited Sutton side are on their best run to date as they try and fight their way towards safety.
This was a third league game without defeat, their longest run this term, and manager Gray said: “It’s four unbeaten now in all competitions when you include the FA Cup.
“It’s the sixth good performance. Today was probably the lesser of the six, the other five I was reasonably pleased with the majority of the games.
“I felt we weren’t at the levels I want in the first half. I didn’t feel we deserved to go in behind, but I wasn’t happy with the performance.
“There was a real spirited and together display in the second half.
“We looked like the side most likely to get the second goal and although it came late I’m thankful we got it.
“We didn’t work the keeper as much as we would have liked. But we kept probing and I didn’t feel threatened down the other end.
“I was waiting for that little bit of a spark or some quality and it’s come from the end with a corner.”
[(Monterrey) Strength]: 1. Monterrey lost to FC Cincinnati in the first round, ranking only 12th in the table. They have to win this game for a qualification spot, indicating full motivation.2. Veteran Sergio Canales scored a goal in the last game, once helping the team tie the game.3. Monterrey won 2 of the last 3 games in AH, revealing recent performances in line with expectations.[(Monterrey) N...
[(Molde FK) Strength]: 1. Molde FK are 13th in the league table, facing a risk of entering the relegation zone. Thus, they aim to take 3 points in this home game.2. Molde FK won 4-1 over Stromsgodset in the last league game at home, ending their 3-game losing streak and boosting their morale.3. In the last 5 encounters between both sides, Molde FK have the upper hand with 4 wins and 1 loss.4. The ...
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[(HJK Helsinki) Strength]: 1. HJK Helsinki were unbeaten in the last 5 games, showing outstanding recent form.2. HJK Helsinki scored 13 goals in the last 5 games, averaging nearly 3 goals per game and indicating full offense.3. HJK Helsinki have the upper hand with 37 wins, 24 draws, and 14 losses in 75 encounters between both sides.4. HJK Helsinki won 4 of the last 5 games in AH, performing over ...
[(Santos FC) Strength]: 1. Alvaro Barreal scored 4 goals for Santos FC in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A this season, the top scorer of the team.2. Tiquinho made 3 assists for his side in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A this season, the top assist of the team.3. Santos FC won the last 2 encounters between both sides, giving them a better mentality.[(Santos FC) Weakness]: 1. Santos FC were win...
[(Valerenga) Strength]: 1. Valerenga are 16th in the table, only one point ahead of the relegation zone. They are motivated to take points to move up in this game.2. Mathias Grundetjern scored a goal in the last game, once helping the team tie the game.3. Valerenga were unbeaten with 1 win and 1 draw in the last 2 home games, performing well at home lately.4. In the last 10 encounters between both...
[(Stromsgodset) Strength]: 1. Stromsgodset are only 2nd from the bottom of the table. They urgently need to take points to move up, showing full motivation in this game.2. Marko Farji played 16 league games this season, scoring 6 goals and providing 3 assists. He is important in the team's attack.3. Stromsgodset were unbeaten with 2 wins and 1 draw in the last 3 encounters between both sides, givi...
[(FC Akron Tolyatti) Strength]: 1. FC Akron Tolyatti showed multiple scorers on offense, having 5 players who scored in two league games in the new season.2. FC Akron Tolyatti forward Gilson Tavares scored a brace in the last Russian Cup game. He is expected to perform well in this league game.3. FC Akron Tolyatti won 2-1 over Baltika Kaliningrad in the last Russian Cup game at home. They were unb...
[(Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas) Strength]: 1. As the defending champions, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas are only 7th with 26 points, far away from the top team. To get back into the title race, the team must go all out to earn points, so their desire to win is beyond doubt.2. Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas forward Arthur Cabral has performed impressively since joining from SL Benfica this summer, ...
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