“Did that half really happen?”, someone asked at half time. Yes, it’s a shame we can’t completely forget the first half.

Even at full time I heard a number of people describing our performance in the first 45 minutes and none were complementary. Mostly single words like, “atrocious” and “shocking” were used.

It should make no difference whether the reward is three league points or a potential round three money spinner, the effort, drive, desire, will to win (call it whatever you want) should be there every time. But I found it particularly troubling that this stuff was noticeably not present even with the prize being a possible trip to Old Trafford or the Emirates.

Tranmere were the ones who wanted it.

Actually, in truth there was little of the first half that sticks in the mind.

I recall Callum O’Dowda’s header. “Great header”, said my son. “What?”, said I. “Yes, great defensive header” he said with a wry smile. Problem was we were attacking (or feebly attempting to attack) at the time.

The defence were doing okay but didn’t look quite as solid as they had done recently. Perhaps that was a bit down to Andy Whing not being up to the standards he has just got back too.

There were plenty of others who also were not having good games. Tyrone Barnett had one touch that was more Anthrobus / Marvin Robinson than that of a million pound striker.

I was really pleased to see him back in the starting line up but what Michael Collins was all about I really don’t know. Playing just behind the striker (not that we did much striking) did not work. He looked lost and might as well not have been on the park. He has of course been out for a while so may have been rusty and on the radio after the game said that he had played that role before. (He didn’t say how good he was at it).

The only non-defender I thought was doing a better than at best merely okay job was Danny Hylton. But then I am unashamedly a big fan.

And to make matters worse, whilst being an improved version to the one we saw seven weeks ago, Rovers are not a very good side. They were quite spirited but not a quality football team, even for League Two. And their defence was there for the taking. At times they were unable to control the ball even when under no pressure.

Yet if any team deserved a half time lead it was them, not us.

Their goal was a finish which was out of keeping with what had gone before. When the cross came in Cole Stockton produced an inventive back heel type thing which I bet he could not do again if he tried over and over again. Some thought it was a fluke. Having watched the TV replay I don’t.

They should have added to that goal when Shamir Fenelon outmuscled / fouled (take your pick) but then showed no composure and missed an easy chance.

Post match Michael Appleton told us that the crowd was flat and that this makes it difficult for the players. It’s that old chicken and egg thing that football fans have debated for years.

Things are rather different now than they were in days gone by. Days when we could stand on terraces in quaint ramshackle grounds like, let’s say for example, the Manor Ground. (Wipes tear from eye.) Then it was 100 times easier to generate an atmosphere than it is in these sterile modern environments when we are obliged to sit. And to make matters even worse when it comes to OUFC we’ve only got three bloody sides. Yes, these are debates we’ve had over and over, but they are not going to go away any time soon. We are where we are and it appears to me that our manager just doesn’t get it. Given this environment how about it now being down to the players, more than it ever was, to do something to get the crowd going. Don’t go blaming those of us who turn up week in week out to watch football in such surrounds played by a team that is not winning many matches.

As the players came off for their cuppa (or whatever it is that they down these days) my meaningless advice was, “sort it out Appleton.” There were a few half hearted boos and an “Appleton Out.” The latter I believe wasn’t totally sincere, more an expression of the frustration of having watched a first half like that. Just imagine if that had been a Chris Wilder team what the reaction would have been like.

Give our manager his due though he did acknowledge that some players were “jogging” in the first half. Well excuse me, if he could see that why wasn’t he balling at them from the touchline to stop jogging and start ***ing running instead of waiting until half time to deliver some message of wisdom?

Whether such a message was forthcoming or the players decided amongst themselves that something had to be done I don’t know but the second half was a different affair altogether. It became a proper cup tie, one that the neutrals would really have appreciated and one that the home fans would have appreciated too, if only Tranmere’s name was not going into the hat alongside ours.

We started the second period so much better without looking to be in total control. Chances came and were spurned with surprising regularity. O’Dowda had an absolute sitter right in front of goal but put it wide. The only defence I think he can have is that when it came to him the ball had a lot of pace on it.

Danny Rose was just as guilty. He was a bit further out but the ball had less pace on it and he too should have done much better. I feel like saying these are professional footballers ffs but we are a League Two outfit and all players miss chances.

I turned to my wife and said one of these will go in soon, won’t they? It was as much a plea as a question. A few seconds later one had gone in. Barnett attacked a Rose corner with meaning. Owain Fon Williams in the Tranmere goal was rather animated in his protests. Again the TV replay gives the story – a push by Andy Whing, a not infrequent occurrence at corners.

We then went on to play some of our best football of the season. We were playing the ball forward into the danger area, with vision, movement, understanding and control. I recall one noticeable piece of play when, with the ball in the air for a considerable period of time, Danny Hylton knowing he had time and would have no trouble killing it as soon as it arrived surveyed the options and in an instant had moved it on again. That might even have been in the build up to our second which came just five minutes later. Joe Riley’s pass to Barnett was pin point and our on loan striker created and finished a chance out of what seemed like nothing. If only he had been producing this sort of stuff earlier in his time with us he would not be returning to his parent club with no guarantee of a return after the Bury game. Skill like that we will miss.

We were ripping the men from the Wirral apart and the game looked to be ours, particularly when Hylton put the ball in the net again. I couldn’t tell if it was offside on the day nor from the replays I have seen, but such was our apparent dominance that we would have expected to have gone on to win it anyway.

But that wasn’t to be, because our lead lasted only 12 minutes. As Jason Koumas brushed past an Oxford player as if he didn’t exist I commented that the lack of challenge was “scandalous”. I thought it was Collins but it was quickly pointed out to me as Koumas was finishing with aplomb from distance that it was actually O’Dowda. O’Dear. I’m not looking to slag the guy off at every opportunity I’m really not but that is absolutely sub-standard and turns wins into draws and draws into defeats.

Barnett nearly completed his hatrick in an exciting scrambled finish but as he didn’t, to win the right to face a Premiership side at the Kasstad we have to go up North and do the business on 16 December. Perhaps we were a little unlucky, but really only have ourselves to blame for not playing in the first half and then missing really good chances. But again this was another team we should have beaten.

So here we go again, just as last season, used up annual leave because my football team cannot put their opponents to bed.

Forget that until five o’clock on Saturday though because the most important game is the next one.