League One
December 8, 2012
Tranmere Rovers
2 - 2
Portsmouth
League One
15:00 +00:00, December 8, 2012
Prenton Park, England
Referee: D Webb
Leaders held by Pompey
Scoring Summary
| Tranmere Rovers | Portsmouth |
|---|---|
| Ash Taylor (31') | Gabor Gyepes (50') |
| Michael O'Halloran (74') | Jake Jervis (75') |
Teams
| Tranmere Rovers | Portsmouth |
|---|---|
| 1 Owain fon Williams | 13 Simon Eastwood |
| 5 Ian Goodison | 3 Jon Harley |
| 14 Zoumana Bakayogo | 33 Ricardo Rocha |
| 2 Danny Holmes | 16 Gabor Gyepes |
| 4 Ash Taylor | 18 Johannes Ertl |
| 12 Danny Harrison | 2 Mustapha Dumbuya |
| 10 Andy Robinson | 19 Darel Russell |
| 6 Liam Palmer | 8 Brian Howard |
| 11 Adam McGurk | 26 Nathaniel Mendez-Laing |
| 9 Jake Cassidy | 9 Izale McLeod |
| 20 Michael O'Halloran | 14 Paul Benson |
| Substitutes | |
| 33 Jason Mooney | Phil Smith 1 |
| 19 Michael Kay | Adam Webster 22 |
| 3 Paul Black | Lubomir Michalik 20 |
| 23 Donervorn Daniels | Lee Williamson 7 |
| 7 Joe Thompson | Scott Allan 23 |
| 17 Max Power | Jack Compton 11 |
| 16 Cole Stockton | Jake Jervis 17 |
| Substitutions | |
| Cole Stockton for Adam McGurk (72) | Jake Jervis for Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (66) |
| Lee Williamson for Darel Russell (83) | |
| Scott Allan for Izale McLeod (86) | |
| Yellow Cards | |
| Izale McLeod (30) | |
| Darel Russell (81) | |
| Lee Williamson (90) | |
| · Squads: Tranmere Rovers | Portsmouth | |
Tranmere missed the chance to open up a two-point lead at the top of npower League One as struggling Portsmouth earned a brave point with a 2-2 draw at Prenton Park.
After an even start, Tranmere's Adam McGurk had the first effort on target in the 20th minute but goalkeeper Simon Eastwood turned it round the post.
The league leaders took control with Liam Palmer bringing a diving block from defender Richard Rocha before Eastwood superbly tipped over Andy Robinson's curling effort.
The breakthrough arrived after 31 minutes as defender Ash Taylor rose to head in McGurk's pin-point cross from the right.
Boosted by the goal, Tranmere continued to press before the break and Eastwood had to rush out to clear his lines with Jake Cassidy looking to get in.
Portsmouth rallied after the interval and were level within five minutes of the restart as defender Gabor Gyepes headed home at the back post following Brian Howard's free-kick.
Rovers responded positively and restored their advantage in the 74th minute as on-loan Bolton striker Michael O'Halloran headed in Robinson's cross from the by-line.
But with home fans still celebrating, substitute Jake Jervis - who spent a month on loan at Prenton Park earlier in the season - equalised with a delightful curling effort.
Both sides pushed for the winner, with Palmer going closest only for Eastwood to save with his feet after the midfielder burst into the box.