Chris Lakey Chris Martin insists if he could have his moment all over again he'd do exactly the same thing - and then he'd be on double figures for the season. The City striker had waited patiently for a decent chance to come his way on Saturday, and it fell just as the PA announcer indicated that he had three minutes of added time to take it.

Chris Lakey

Chris Martin insists if he could have his moment all over again he'd do exactly the same thing - and then he'd be on double figures for the season.

The City striker had waited patiently for a decent chance to come his way on Saturday, and it fell just as the PA announcer indicated that he had three minutes of added time to take it.

Wes Hoolahan played the ball down the middle, leaving Martin versus Luke Daniels. The goalkeeper advanced, Martin went to his right and the goal was vacant. The angle wasn't great, but it was definitely do-able for a player who had hit the net four times the previous weekend. But this time it wasn't to be, and Martin skewed his effort into the side-netting.

“I had it in my mind just to go round him and slot it in the net but it didn't quite go to plan really,” said Martin, who has four league and five cup goals to his name.

“I think possibly I took it too wide, but I think if I had it over again another 10 times I would score 10 out of 10.

“I suppose it's just one of those things. I thought he was quite a way out of his goal - looking back now it seemed quite easy to do it but obviously I didn't get the execution right. I had to wait a long time for my chance today, there weren't too many really clear-cut chances and as soon as it went through I was thinking 'goal' in my mind and I just slipped up and couldn't provide the finish.”

Moments later another chance came his way, but Daniels tipped a header over the bar.

“He made a good save,” said Martin ruefully. “I thought it might just have crept under the bar, but as long as I keep getting in there I'm sure that goals will keep coming. Hopefully I can just keep getting into those positions.”

Tranmere's intransigent approach to the game wasn't entirely unexpected - and Martin anticipates more to come during the rest of the season.

“I suppose now because our form has been so good recently, we kind of expected it, with the position they are in as well and a point would have been a good result for them - away at a team that is in the play-offs,” he said.

“But the lads dug in well. We got possibly a little bit lucky with the penalty decision. I haven't seen it again but I'm not sure whether it was handball or not, but that was the breakthrough we needed and the bit of luck we needed to kick on and Doc (Gary Doherty) slotted in another one. It was a good battling performance.

“Obviously at times it wasn't as pretty as we would have liked. We probably didn't play as fluently as in other games, but we are dealing with most challenges that are being thrown our way, but we need to make sure that carries on for a long time.

“It is only part way done as everyone knows - we are not even at Christmas yet. There is a long way to go and as long as we keep performing as we are I'm sure we will do alright.”

t Five goals in five games earned Grant Holt the League One Player of the Month award for October. He beat Millwall's Neil Harris, Dean Hammond of Southampton and Lee Barnard of Southend United.

Peter Whittingham of Cardiff collected the award in the Championship and Notts County goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was awarded the League Two accolade.