AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson was keen to focus on the positives despite seeing his side miss out on the League Two play-off places following a 3-2 defeat to Tranmere at Prenton Park.
Harvey Saunders put Rovers ahead in the 35th minute, racing clear and slotting the ball past Nik Tzanev after the Dons failed to clear the danger.
Rovers doubled their lead just before the break when Rob Apter netted his 13th goal of the season with a lovely strike from the corner of the box.
The Wombles halved the arrears 10 minutes after half-time when substitute Josh Kelly scored his first goal for the club, calmly placing the ball past Luke McGee in the Rovers’ goal.
But Jackson’s men faced an uphill battle when John-Joe O’Toole received a straight red card for a nasty looking challenge on Chris Merrie.
And with 20 minutes remaining, Rovers took full advantage when Connor Jennings restored their two-goal lead before Josh Kelly grabbed a consolation for the visitors in injury time with his second of the game.
Wimbledon boss Jackson said: “From our point of view it was two contrasting halves today.
“I thought we started the game alright but then gave away a soft goal, and after that I thought we were poor and lost our way a bit.
“We came out in the second half on the front foot and then got the red card, which I thought was harsh, but to be fair to the boys they kept going and we nearly got something out of the game.
“The season is done in terms of getting into the play-offs but, on reflection, we’ve progressed massively this season and we just couldn’t get over the line, but we’ve moved on considerably from last season.
“It’s my job in the summer to keep making those improvements and if we keep moving the club forward like we have, then next season we won’t fall short.”
Tranmere boss Nigel Adkins said: “It was a well-deserved victory today with five goals for the fans, but it should have been a lot more from our point of view.
“There was some good football in a competitive game and we created some good opportunities with Luke Norris playing up front as a centre-forward.
“What a super goal from Rob Apter while Connor Jennings scored a great team goal and Harvey Saunders was a real threat in the first half with his electrifying pace and deservedly put us in front.
“From my point of view we played some good football, scored some good goals and got a well deserved victory, so great credit to the players.
“We should have scored a few more, but we’re creating chances and we’re scoring goals. Obviously I’m disappointed with the two we’ve conceded but let’s not be too negative.
“We’ve finished the season off well at home and got a great reception from the crowd, who really got behind the team today.”
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life after Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life without Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Pirlo sacked as Sampdoria head coach after dismal Serie B start
Andrea Pirlo has been sacked as Sampdoria's head coach after just over a season at the helm.
Pirlo, who managed Juventus for the 2020-21 campaign, has been relieved of his duties after an underwhelming start to their Serie B season.
After finishing seventh in Italy's second tier last term, the 45-year-old was given the green light to try and return to Serie A at the second time of asking.
However, an opening day draw with Frosinone was followed up with back-to-back defeats to Reggiana and Salernitana, leaving them second-bottom in the division.
During his time in charge, Pirlo won 18 of his 45 matches in charge (D10 L17), averaging 1.42 points per game, a total only bettered by his time with Juventus (2.15).
Sampdoria return to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris this weekend in search of their first three points of the season, welcoming Bari to Genoa on Saturday.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
