Tranmere Rovers 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

The FA Cup third round game between Tranmere Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Prenton Park on Sunday January 3 2009.

The tiresome debate about Mick McCarthy’s team selections can remain on the back-burner after Matt Jarvis’s late goal ensured they did not need a replay to get past League One outfit Tranmere.

A second game, which would have come between crucial relegation matches against West Ham and Wigan, looked likely for long periods before Jarvis scored with a low shot with 13 minutes remaining against a stubborn Tranmere side to set up a fourth-round tie with Crystal Palace.

Having been physiotherapist at the club since 1993, Les Parry seems to have managed the transition to manager at Tranmere, although he is still working in his old role, impressively.

A likeable character who now has two columns in the programme, including his old physio’s page, complete with wisecracks, Parry is turning Tranmere around, having replaced John Barnes, initially on a caretaker basis, in October.

Wolves were clearly taking the game seriously, with just three changes to the team beaten 3-0 by Manchester City last time out, but the hosts more than shaded the opening period with a fluid 4-3-3 formation helping players to pop up between the Premier League side’s banks of four.

For all their hard work, Tranmere did not really threaten until just before the half-hour when they broke with real freedom.

From Nenad Milijas’ free- kick, John Welsh broke the length of the field, exchanging passes with overlapping centre back Ian Goodison on two occasions, before having a dipping shot held by Wayne Hennessey.

Hennessey held one long-range effort from Gareth Edds but threw the ball straight to John Welsh, who fed Edds once again, with the midfielder’s shot being tipped around the post.

From the corner that followed from Paul McLaren, Ian Thomas-Moore’s header was cleared off the line by Wolverhampton Wanderers, who finally created and opening when Chris Iwelumo glanced on Karl Henry’s cross only for Jarvis to slice horribly wide from close range.

After the restart, Wolves instantly showed more quality, with a Stephen Ward cross from the left finding Sylvan Ebanks-Blake six yards from goal but the forward’s header was somehow turned away by Tranmere goalkeeper Luke Daniels and hacked away by Goodison.

Despite being firmly on the back-foot, Tranmere went close once again when Edds lobbed forward hopefully and Terry Gornell knocked the ball out of Hennessey’s hands, but with Ward on the goal-line, he could only hit a shot against the outside of the post and wide.

Craig Curran’s lofted effort dropped well wide for the home team before Henry’s poor contact meant that his volley flew well wide at the other end.

But the game was eventually settled when Milijas slid through for Jarvis to beat Daniels with a low shot into the corner.