Tranmere Rovers secured their first away league victory of the season with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Northampton Town at Sixfields on Tuesday, thanks to Bobby Faulkner’s 37th-minute header.

Darrell Clarke’s side survived a spell of early pressure from the hosts before Faulkner’s goal proved decisive, with Rovers defending stoutly after the break to claim an important three points on the road.

Northampton started brightly and Luke McGee was called into action in the ninth minute to prevent Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh’s effort from finding the top-left corner.

A minute later, the Rovers goalkeeper produced two more important saves to keep the hosts at bay. McGee went down well to stop Owen Dale’s first attempt towards the bottom-left corner before denying him again at point-blank range.

Matty Warhurst also went close as Northampton continued to threaten in the opening stages, with Tranmere having to withstand a barrage of early pressure.

Dale then squandered the hosts’ best opportunity of the first half midway through the period. With the goal at his mercy from inside the penalty area, he fired wide into the side netting, allowing Rovers to escape without conceding.

Having weathered the storm, Tranmere struck against the run of play in the 37th minute.

Captain Will Vaulks delivered a corner into the penalty area, where Faulkner glanced a header into the net to give Rovers the lead.

It was Faulkner’s second goal for Tranmere since joining on a season-long loan from Doncaster Rovers, following his opener against Walsall at Prenton Park last month.

Rovers nearly doubled their advantage before the interval from another Vaulks corner. This time, Charlie Whitaker connected with a header, but Northampton managed to clear the effort off the line.

Despite the hosts having created several opportunities in the opening 45 minutes, clear chances became harder to find after the break.

Northampton looked to respond, with Warhurst and O’Brien-Whitmarsh both seeing efforts blocked at the start of the second half.

Eight minutes after the restart, Faulkner was again important at the defensive end, making a crucial challenge at the near post to block Warhurst’s effort and preserve Tranmere’s advantage.

The Cobblers continued to search for an equaliser but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities as Rovers organised themselves defensively and managed the game well.

Northampton made four substitutions between the 70th and 76th minutes in an attempt to build momentum and increase the pressure on Tranmere.

However, Rovers stood firm, limiting their opponents to a couple of speculative efforts late on rather than allowing them to create any significant chances.

Having survived Northampton’s early pressure and taken their opportunity through Faulkner, Tranmere saw out the contest to secure a valuable 1-0 victory at Sixfields and record their first away league win of the season.

Match Highlights – To follow…

Post Match Interview – To follow…