MATCH OF THE DAY: Norwich 2 Tranmere 0

WES HOOLAHAN scored one and set up another as Norwich made it four home wins in a row.

Hoolahan took his own tally for the season to eight by netting a controversial penalty on the hour mark.

Then, with 10 minutes left, the midfielder crossed for Gary Doherty to make it two to the Canaries, beaten just once in their last 12 games.

But the major talking point was the hotly-disputed spot-kick that swung the game away from Tranmere, who still have their physio Les Parry acting as caretaker boss.

Rovers' John Welsh could barely get out of the way as Adam Drury's shot fizzed against his raised arm.

But ref Darren Deadman pointed to the spot and Hoolahan duly converted.

Parry groaned: "It wasn't a penalty - but it was, because the referee gave it. I have to be a little bit careful what I say about the referee because I'm still on a physio's wage.

"If I get done a week's wages by the FA my kids won't eat for two weeks! We never got the rub of the green off the referee all day."

Norwich boss Paul Lambert said: "We've had penalties against us that I never thought were right, so we'll take ones that come our way."

The spot-kick setback was tough on Rovers, who played superbly for the first hour.

They set out to frustrate the hosts with plenty of men behind the ball but then launched a series of probing counter-attacks.

In the ninth minute, their tactics almost paid off as Chris Shuker wriggled clear of Jens Askou before forcing Norwich keeper Fraser Forster into a scrambling save.

Forster's excellence then prevented Paul McLaren from firing the visitors into a 42nd-minute lead.

Shuker burst down the right before centring for McLaren, whose six-yard shot was brilliantly tipped around a post by Forster.

The tireless Shuker ensured the visitors remained on the front foot early in the second half as he worked a neat one-two with Michael Ricketts to open up Norwich.

Shuker darted clear towards the six-yard box but could not overcome the tight angle, firing his shot against the outside of a post.

With all their bright play, it was harsh on Tranmere when they fell behind to Hoolahan's penalty - the clear turning point of the game.

Inevitably, gaps began to appear as Tranmere chased an equaliser.

And Doherty sealed the points for the Canaries in the 80th minute with his first goal of the season.

The centre-back applied a deft five-yard finish to Hoolahan's left-sided cross to keep Tranmere firmly entrenched in the drop zone.

Lambert added: "I'm delighted to win as it keeps our run going. But we must remember there is an awful lot of hard work ahead for us all."

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