Direct rivals are Savage's main worry
Tranmere striker Bas Savage says his team's biggest opponents in the fight against relegation aren't high-flying Norwich and Swindon - but those in direct combat.
Tranmere striker Bas Savage says his team's biggest opponents in the fight against relegation aren't high-flying Norwich and Swindon - but those in direct combat.
Rovers face City tonight and then travel to fourth-placed Swindon on Monday. But Savage says it's the results against Walsall, Wycombe and Exeter - their opponents over the next fortnight - which will be most relevant.
"We have games against the big teams coming up and they are a challenge we're looking forward to," he said. "But the games with teams around us are the biggest games and they are coming up after Easter. Beating the teams around us will be the important factor."
Tranmere have slipped into the bottom four again after a 3-0 defeat at Brighton last weekend, and the fear at Prenton Park is that their fate will not be decided until the final game of the season, when they travel to bottom side Stockport.
However, Savage says the squad is confident that won't happen.
"It is natural to look at the league table and the teams around you," he said. "We know we need some points and we need to play better than we did against Hartlepool and Brighton.
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"You can create more pressure by counting up the points and looking at what other teams are doing. We just have to worry about ourselves, put our performances right and the rest will take care of itself."
Savage hopes the fans can provide the team with the extra kick they will need tonight.
"I hope the fans stick with this through the difficult matches and when things don't go so well and give us the support they have done for so long," he said. "I think it was a minority who booed us at the end of the last home game against Hartlepool. They pay their money, they expect better and we want to give it to them."
