Three points against Tranmere was a welcome early Christmas present but it was a strange day at the Memorial Stadium.

We turned in what is known in the trade as a "professional performance" but our visitors showed a distinct lack of aggression or invention which would never have got them to the front of the queue at Cabot Circus on Saturday let alone a win!

Steve Phillips must have been glad of the quiet afternoon apart from the vociferous Christmas greeting Gasheads frequently gave ex-City striker Bas Savage (described by one fan as Devon White without the skill) on his return to Bristol.

Perhaps in my condemnation of Tranmere I am underestimating the solid display of our defence, particularly the performance of David Pipe on his return to full-back while Craig Hinton didn't put a foot wrong after re-claiming his place.

Once we got over our traditional slow start without conceding a goal in the first five minutes you just felt it was going to be our day. The gap in class between the two sides emphasised just what a frustrating season it has been for Bristol Rovers. How can Tranmere be so far above us in the table?

It was great to see Jo Kuffour get his first goal at the Mem to cap a fine display as he improves with every game. He is building a formidable partnership with Rickie Lambert which is a joy to watch.

Lambert seemed to stroll through the game which was surprising as I bet the Scouser desperately wanted to score against the boys from the Wirral.

But this game will be remembered for the sensational solo goal by Chris Lines and the way he waltzed through the visitors defence, keeping his bandage out of his eyes, before nut-megging the oncoming 'keeper.

Lines showed glimpses of these darting runs in our previous home game against Swindon before getting our late equaliser.

But the only trouble with your goal Chris was that you killed the game. Tranmere never looked capable of coming back from two down and the last 25 minutes seemed to go on for ages as we cruised home.

We may be out of the FA Cup but their is another exciting cup-tie to look forward to at the Mem in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup against Liverpool in January. The Reds won the trophy in 2006 and 2007 so it should prove a great experience for our youngsters.

I cannot remember the last time we had a good run in this competition, which is the yardstick by which club academies are measured. So let's get behind the boys, who knows we might unearth another Chris Lines.