Tranmere manager Micky Mellon was delighted with the contribution of his new signings as Tranmere beat League Two leaders Leyton Orient at Prenton Park.
A late own goal from O’s defender Omar Beckles was the difference in a hard-fought encounter with the home side deservedly taking all three points.
Tranmere dominated for much of the game and could have taken the lead in the first half with Josh Dacres-Cogley and Kane Hemmings coming close while Orient’s best chance fell to George Moncur.
Rovers continued to press after the break and the breakthrough finally came with eight minutes remaining when the unfortunate Beckles deflected the ball into his own net after some fine work down the right from Dacres-Cogley.
Orient came close to snatching a point in injury time when Harry Smith headed against the bar while at the other end, Kane Hemmings wasted a glorious chance to add a second.
Rovers’ boss Micky Mellon said of his side’s performance: “I thought the players were excellent, we tried a few different things, kept going and I thought we were full value for the victory.
“All the qualities that we needed to beat the team that are top of the league we showed today and managed to get the goal that separated the two teams.
“We knew that we’d have to get most things right, on the whole it was a really good performance and a good time to win a big game.
“You can see why we worked so hard to bring Harvey Saunders in. He can defend from the front and his pace is electrifying and he’ll certainly get better.
“Jake Burton has progressed from being a development player into a first team player and I put my trust in him today while Logan Chalmers came on and did his bit as did Brad Walker.
“We felt we needed a big performance and to get a big result which we probably haven’t had so far this season.”
The defeat means it’s now seven games without a victory for Orient who were looking to extend their lead at the top of League Two with Stevenage otherwise engaged in the FA Cup.
O’s boss Richie Wellens said: “Let’s be realistic, this is a tough away game and a difficult place to come.
“Up until they scored the goal I don’t think there was anything in the game.
“I said at half time that the only way I could see them scoring was on the counter and that proved to be the case.
“It’s a tough loss but we just need to work through it and keep going with what we are telling the players.
“There were a lot of spells where we were not good enough and not playing the way we want to play.
“I think we’re in a rocky period so we just need to work hard and we’ve had a few things go against us lately with injuries and suspensions.
“We’re not as cohesive as we were a few weeks ago, but the only way we can fix that is by spending time on the training ground.”
