County 0 Tranmere 1: COUNTY completed their pre-season campaign with a disappointing home defeat on Saturday.

Jim Gannonés side lacked sparkle and tempo, but they did create and miss a clutch of half-decent chances, and skipper Tony Dinning missed a penalty.

Gannon said after the game: éTranmere are a good side, and but for one foul either way we could have won the game today.

éIém a perfectionist though, and one of our targets is not giving away free-kicks in the defensive third. Unfortunately weéve been beaten by that again today.

éItés a tough lesson for the players, but Tranmere are a good side. Theyére very efficient and theyéve got players who play their positions very well.

éWeére still short of a bit of experience and quality in certain areas, but weére not going to have the quality theyéve got at this level.

éHopefully we wonét come up against too many quality sides like Leicester and Tranmere in League Two this season, but Iém quite pleased with some of the progress over the pre-season.é

Only goalkeeper Tim Deasy and Jamie McGuire remained of the recent clutch of trialists, with former Macclesfield stopper Deasy getting the nod to start in place of James Spencer.

Little went right for County in the early stages. Less than two minutes was on the clock when Deasy had to produce a cracking point-blank save from Gareth Taylorés header.

Tes Bramble replied with a shot which Tranmere ékeeper Gavin Ward saved comfortably, but it was Rovers who went in front after just 10 minutes.

County old boy Kevin Ellison floated in a peach of a free-kick, and there was Chris McCready who glanced home a powerful header from eight yards.

The Hatters blew a great chance to level matters on 21 minutes.

Bramble was felled by Ward in the Tranmere box, but skipper Tony Dinning could only strike a low spot-kick against the outside of the post.

Little Chris Shuker almost doubled Tranmereés lead following an excellent run and shot which was saved, but County hit back with Michael Raynes twice heading narrowly wide within a matter of minutes.

There was little to get the pulses racing early in the second period, but Keith Briggs was unfortunate to see a well-directed header superbly tipped round for a corner on 59 minutes.

Briggs saw a deflected shot comfortably saved minutes later, but Taylor came close to a second for Rovers when his bullet header fizzed inches wide with Deasy stranded.

Countyés best chance late on saw Damien Allen turn well before seeing his shot plucked away from the top corner by Ward.