JAMES NORWOOD knows the only way to get over Tranmere Rovers’ Wembley no-show is to win the National League outright next season.
The Prenton Park attacker fronted up following the club’s below-par performance last Sunday.
He returned to Birkenhead to find the windscreen of his car smashed in by two stray footballs from a nearby pitch and it compounded a miserable day for the 26-year-old, who was desperate to prevent his former club Forest Green Rovers going up at the expense of his current employers.
It just didn’t happen for Tranmere at the National Stadium, and while manager Micky Mellon said that his players needed to “take their medicine” there was a sense within the Rovers dressing room that their players had let themselves down.
Norwood doesn’t disagree with that statement. In fact he says the Rovers squad are fully aware they let the fans down too.
“It’s got to be a case of just winning it next season now,” vowed Norwood, who spent four years at Forest Green between 2011 and 2015, where he scored 50 times in 165 appearances.
“We didn’t turn up on Sunday. They were all good finishes, but we have made mistakes in the build-up to all of Forest Green’s goals.
“We’ve let 15,000 people down and we’ve let ourselves down. I don’t know why we didn’t turn up, but we didn’t. It really hurt us because we went into the final playing well and with great confidence.”
Tranmere’s late first half meltdown was not in keeping with their character. So strong as the season reached its climax, most people were thinking after their 5-2 aggregate win over Aldershot in the semi-finals that they were the team to beat.
“We made sloppy mistakes we haven’t made all season really,” Norwood said. “They out-performed us and that is difficult to accept.
“I think this is going to be a steep learning curve for us all, it will be massive. Once the emotions settle down, we will need to find a way to use what we are feeling to our benefit next season.
Super Support
“We know that in big games we have got to turn up, and next year there will be no excuses if we don’t.
“Most of the time during the season we have done, we certainly did in the semis, but for whatever reason we didn’t at Wembley and it went horribly wrong for us.
“We couldn’t complete the basics. So close to half-time is what did it really. I had a good chance which their keeper (Sam Russell) saved well to give him credit. If it was an inch higher, I would have scored.
“Then at the other end, they go and wrap it up with two quick-fire goals. That just can’t happen in a big game.”
It was a long way home for all concerned and although Norwood returned to the north west to find an unpleasant surprise, he says the supporters were incredible in the capital.
“The fans need massive praise,” he added. “Last year they were good, this year they’ve been great. When Forest Green were lifting their trophy, all you could here was the Tranmere fans singing!”
