‘Worst penalty shootout ever?!’ – Tranmere miss four penalties in a Carabao Cup Preliminary Round exit to Rochdale.
Following a 2-2 draw, the game had to be settled with a shootout, with the League Two new boys Rochdale winning it 2-1.
It means Rochdale will now head to Bradford City in the First Round, set for Saturday the 8th of August 8th. York City and Crawley Town will play in the second Preliminary Round tie on Monday, with the winners travelling to Watford in the First Round.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
WATCH THE PENALTY SHOOTOUT:
Team lineups, as per rochdaleafc.co.uk
Tranmere – Male, Senior, Slater, Turnbull (76’ Faulkner), Smith, Whitaker, Finley (61’ Okoro), Ironside (71’ Baker-Richardson), Conlon (61’ Ince), Davies, O’Connor (71’ Warrington).
Unused subs – Scott, Veevers, Brough, Mann.
Goals – 5’ Whitaker, 60’ Davies.
Rochdale – Ramming, East, Ebanks-Landell ©, Hayes (64’ Silcott-Duberry), Gilmour (72’ Pettit (90+1’ Bradley), Dieseruvwe, Adebayo-Rowling, Francis, Hannant (72’ Rodney), Sherring (64’ Moss), Bilongo.
Unused subs – Spaven, Waller.
Goals – 11’ East, 85’ Silcott-Duberry.
Asked if it was a game Tranmere should have won in the 90, Darrell Clarke responded: “Yeah, I think so. I think so. Frustrated we haven’t, if I’m honest with you.
“Very frustrated with the the the corner we conceded, set piece. Like I just said to my players, it’s going to be a long season for them to be conceding goals, set pieces, they’ll be every day.
“You know, it’s something that separates teams that are successful to not scoring goals from set pieces and not conceding goals from set pieces. So, I’ve marked the card with that one. got to be better.
“It’s not all despondent though if I’m honest with you. I thought we created a lot of chances, clearcut chances. I thought press first half especially was good. Should perhaps be three, four goals in that first first half period, make some changes.
“Have to just to just to be a little bit cautious with lads with minutes and and injuries and get some minutes into the boys coming off.
“So I hate losing games. I’m despondent at the minute, but I’m sure when I watch it back, it’ll be a fair amount of positives.”
Watch the rest of the interview below…
Rochdale’s Ian Watson said: “Yeah, I thought we started the game a little bit nervy, you could see that we we weren’t moving the ball as clean as what I know the boys can, what I’ve watched in training.
“But then I thought once they scored the goal, we started to come to grips with the games and then all of a sudden it looked like us and our concepts and our principles and I thought we controlled a lot of spells of the game and we asked for that today as well because we’re still three weeks off the start of the season and it can’t all be like guns blazing firing because we have to protect the boys physically as well.
“So we kind of looked at their moments where we had the ball, it’s okay, we can live here for a little bit and it kind of gives us that rest while we asked players to play 90 minutes who maybe weren’t ready.
“But I said to them in there like, I asked boys if they could play 90 and there wasn’t any like body language twisting of faces, they were always like, ‘yeah gaffer I can play no problem’.
“So that’s a testament to the group and as they are as characters and it showed how we reacted to to both goals and how we stayed in the game.
“But stayed in the game by being us, we didn’t stay in the game by changing who we are and trying to go direct we we wanted to keep the ball we wanted to try and move it Then we get a really good goal from the set piece.”
Watch the rest of the interview below…
‘Worst penalty shootout ever?!’ – Here’s the fan reaction after Tranmere miss four penalties in a Carabao Cup exit to Rochdale…
@MessyRAFC: That is the worst penalty shootout I’ve ever watched. A comedy show from the first to the last. Great effort from all involved 🤌🏼 #RAFC
@Chris4RAFC: Shocking pens but brilliant 2 saves from Nils
@Prentonian1: Mainly decent game, however absolutely unacceptable penalties from professional footballers. My 7 year old grandson could shoot better than them
@Dave1822UK: The pens the kids took at half time were miles better
@MiffaLadd: being shite is boring, being shite hilariously is a real art
@AndyBuchanan72: Positives to take out of the match, what is not acceptable is the pathetic set up and staffing levels pre game, if you are going to shoehorn everyone into the paddock and main stand at least staff it…
@Samattherovers: That was without a doubt the worst set of pens ive ever watched
@johnrtrfc: Can’t hold onto a lead, Penalties shocking, defence missing, good things but more bad unfortunately!
@matthew_j194: How the fuck do you miss 4 out of 5 penalties 😂
@JamesClark1996: Trying to forget about the shootout. Mixed bag today. Lots of good, thought we were good going forward, Davies the stand out, think we will get even better. But defensively it was poor, Faulkner looked so nervy & lack of depth there. Also centre forward is a problem. Worst Penalty shootout I’ve ever watched that! Roll on the 15th Aug for the proper stuff, not that bothered about a carabao cup run, money’s never that good, gives us less games to worry about injuries and on top of all that, it’s a competition we are never winning. #TRFC #SWA
@aaronhow177: Tranmere Rochdale with one of the worst but funniest penalty shootouts you’ll ever see
@ben_dallimore: Think maybe should practice pens from now on both teams were poor at the penalties perhaps the worst penalty shootout ever 😂 #TRFC
@EcxoesGaming: Same old shite, terrible defending, soft goals conceded, no backbone in the shoot-out
Absolutely criminal, should be in the next round. Sort out the defence and practice penalties 👍 pic.twitter.com/MfMFMkHGkU
— Alex (@Alexron_19) August 1, 2026
