Socialist Republic Football Alliance 2016 - 17 Season: Curtain Raiser (Matchday #1, part 1)

Championship

Torpedo Tranmere  2   Marine  1

As with the inaugural event last term, the Football Alliance league season's curtain-raiser resulted in a defeat for the reigning champions, with Marine going down by the odd goal at newly-promoted Torpedo Tranmere following their short trip across the Mersey to Birkenhead.
In a suitably pulsating encounter, Tranmere, not at all overawed by the occasion of making their Championship debut, established a 14th-minute lead and held on resolutely in the face of the Mariners' sustained response, restricting the free-scoring champions to relatively few clear-cut chances whilst maintaining an attacking threat themselves. Marine did level, however, in the 63rd minute, but, far from being deflated, Tranmere were spurred on to take the game to their opponents in the latter stages rather than consolidate what would have been a hard-earned point and were rewarded for their efforts with an 87th-minute winner.