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Stefan Payne
The loss of James Norwood in the summer left a huge gap for manager Micky Mellon to fill, but his acquisition of Stefan Payne seems to be paying off.
Following an unspectacular few years at Bristol Rovers, you could forgive fans of the Prenton Park club for being underwhelmed by the purchase of Payne, but he’s repaying the faith of his manager and sits atop their scoring charts with 4 goals in eleven games.
Despite his poor performances for the Gas, Payne was a vital cog in Paul Hurst’s Shrewsbury Town side before his move to Bristol Rovers, and was a crucial part of the side that reached the play-off final and Checkatrade finals of 2018, and Payne is slowly rediscovering the form he showed during that campaign following his summer move.
Kieron Morris
Technically another summer signing, Morris moved to Prenton Park on a permanent deal in June following an impressive loan spell for Rovers in last year’s League Two campaign.
Formerly on the books of Manchester United as a teenager, Morris broke into the Walsall team as a youngster, becoming a regular at the Bescot at only 21-years-old until his departure, to Tranmere, on loan this January.
After impressing Rovers fans during that six-month stint, Micky Mellon made his move permanent in the summer following Walsall’s relegation from League One.
As expected of a player experienced in the third tier, Morris has started the season in great form and will be a test for Sunderland’s full-backs at the Stadium of Light this evening.
Manny Monthe
A hugely popular figure on the Wirral, the Cameroonian centre back bizarrely sits top of Tranmere’s assist table this term despite playing at the heart of the Rovers defence!
The towering defender was plucked from non-league football by everyone’s favourite vegan football club, Forest Green Rovers, having fallen down the ladder after his youth contract at Queens Park Rangers had expired and, under the tutelage of Micky Mellon, has grown into a key player at Prenton Park.
Standing at 6ft4 and as strong as they come, Monthe is a monster of a centre-back and is as aggressive as he is cultured. He’ll provide a real challenge for our forwards on what is sure to be a cold and blustery night on Wearside this evening.