Nigel Adkins refusing to walk away from Tranmere job as pressure mounts

Beleaguered Tranmere boss Nigel Adkins understands the frustration of the home fans after his side were booed off following a 3-1 defeat to Colchester at Prenton Park.

United were ahead after nine minutes when Jack Payne was brought down in the box and Lyle Taylor calmly fired home from the spot.

Just after the half-hour mark, Taylor slotted past Luke McGee in the Tranmere goal from six yards for his and Colchester’s second.

Rovers gave themselves a lifeline just after the break when substitute Kristian Dennis stabbed the ball home to half the deficit.

But the points were all-but safe with 27 minutes remaining when Owura Edwards fired home from the edge of the box to make it back-to-back wins for the U’s for the first time this season

Tranmere have now lost four of their last five and chants of “We want Adkins out” could be heard coming from sections of Prenton Park in the second half.

Adkins said: “I get the frustration because we’re in a really difficult position.

“We’re doing what we can but results dictate and that’s football and the life of a football manager.

“We’ve got a terrific owner here and he’s got a decision to go and make and at the moment he’s been fantastic.

“It’s about us sticking together and there’s a lot of hurt in the dressing room but it’s my hometown club and it’s not nice.

“I’ll speak to the owner, he wants the best for this football club, I want the best for the football club and I’m going to give it all that I’ve got.

“I’m not going to walk away from anything, let me make that clear.

“We’re in a mire and in a fight and I’ve got belief in my coaching staff and my players.

“We’re up against it but I’m not going to walk away.”

Colchester boss Danny Cowley was thrilled with his side’s efforts.

He said: “That was probably our best away performance of the season.

“We knew Tranmere would be a wounded animal and would come out with a real intensity and aggression and we wanted to try and stamp our authority on the game and we did that really well.

“It’s tough but I have a responsibility to do everything I can to lift the players and support the ownership and do everything I can.

“We got the first goal through the penalty and after that we played with real control.

“We had a good rhythm to our play and were able to switch the play well and get overloads in the wide areas.

“It’s an 11-man job. It’s about the top end of the pitch getting pressure on the ball, it’s about the midfield picking up second balls and it’s about the back line defending our goal – we did that really well.

“We should have got the third goal before they got one back and had plenty of chances to do that.

“We just had to defend well and then pick them off on the counter, which is what we did.”