Despite the guile and dexterity of the perpetrators, one should only ever get your pocket picked once. It’s a shame Josh Thompson and Sam Walker had never learned this lesson, nor had Joe Dunne ensured they had buttoned pockets in their shorts after half time.

The afternoon was reminiscent of the woes at Milton Keynes, but at least I didn’t have a long drive home and could later take some solace from an oval ball victory over the French, and a hard ball success over the Black Caps. The aptly named Max Power had smashed the ball into the U’s net on 11 minutes whilst 999 eyes in the South Stand (my pal has a glass one) saw things differently from the referee and lino. How on earth could that ever have been a corner? Hence, Mr Stroud was firmly established as ‘Fagin’ and fussily conspired against the blue and whites at his every whistle.

Whilst the home crowd focused on his villainy, the increasing peril of the Birkenhead based Rovers went largely unnoticed during the first 45. The U’s even pulled level on 29 minutes after a scruffy pinball game in the Tranmere 18 yard area saw the ball drop fortuitously to Magnus who tucked it away. “Game on” we thought and merely 8 minutes later, Scunthorpe were two down; “let’s get in there” (or rather out of the drop zone)!

But four minutes before pie time, Akpa Akpro - the artful dodger incarnate - slipped a foot between the narrowing gap between Thompson and Walker and the ball agonisingly bounced over our line. I can’t help feeling Tom Eastman would have safely thumped it out of play and such larceny avoided. This set the pattern for the remainder of the game, as time and again, the U’s defence seemed to hold open our wallets and say take what you want. Our defence in the second half was shambolic, and on this occasion I do blame Joe Dunne. The Tranmere goals were almost a mirror image of what transpired at MK Stadium. Tom Eastman was our weak link on that day, and ever since then has not found much favour with the manager. One can understand Tom’s temporary shattered confidence, but I perceive that he was previously highly dependable and had just one single ‘nightmare’ game. By contrast, Josh Thompson looks increasingly vulnerable to positioning errors and a second clumsy and unnecessary penalty conceded in two games perhaps suggests both inexperience and naivety.

I didn’t ever expect to win this fixture, but equally didn’t expect to witness such an embarrassing drubbing. Yeovil must be rubbing their hands, given they don’t appear to need smash and grab tactics to gain victories. Six points conceded to Scunthorpe are increasingly looking like the defining moments of our season. Perhaps all isn’t lost yet just yet, but I am becoming increasingly resigned to visiting two from Grimsby, Wrexham, Newport or Forest Green next season unless we sort out a defence that leaves doors unlocked, windows agape, and our valuables on display.

Photo: Action Images

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