Morecambe Almost Run Out Of Gas
Morecambe travelled West today to face a team they have not met competitively for eight and a half years: Bristol Rovers. They have a poor record against The Gas: only two wins in eight previous meetings but five defeats. Joey Barton’s team started today’s match on the back of two wins and three losses in their League One campaign until today. This record has put them into fifteenth place in the table. The only draw – one goal each – they have experienced so far occurred at home against Shrewsbury last Saturday. Since then, central defender James Connolly has been ruled out of action for several months due to a stress fracture in his back. Jordan Rossiter has also been sanctioned by an FA disciplinary panel for an incident unseen by the Referee during the game against the Shrews and handed a three-match ban.
Morecambe arrived in Avon (or is it north Somerset – or Gloucestershire?; some Bristolians get very hot under the collar about this apparently…) Morecambe arrived in whatever county The Memorial Ground is situated in staring enviously upwards at The Pirates from twenty-third position in League One. They have yet to win in the league this term but were still only four points behind Bristol at the start of play.
With Cole Stockton still on the books but not in the squad, the Shrimps clearly still have a problem in the striking department. Facing them today was a player in the shape of Aaron Collins whose fortunes were completely changed when Jim Bentley gave him a Second Chance at Morecambe to resume a stalled career as a marksman a few seasons ago. Collins repaid this favour by immediately departing for Pastures New (or, in this case, a New Lawn to be strictly accurate) as soon as the opportunity arose. So no Brownie Points for that to the Welshman.
On Thursday last, the news that 21-year-old Yorkshireman Liam Shaw has been signed on a season-long loan from Celtic was announced by the club. Liam has also played for Motherwell recently and before that, he played a whole 21 times in the Championship for Sheffield Wednesday. This must be good. But his disciplinary record is a bit suspect given that he has apparently been sent off on average once in every sixteen games he plays. That isn’t so good but he was thrust straight into the first team today by Derek Adams. Ryan McLaughlin has also left the club `by mutual consent’. I am personally saddened to learn that: I actually think he was underrated as exactly the sort of `defensive midfielder’ that Shaw has been signed to play that role. But what do I know?
The Gas have also made a few loan signings of their own this week before the transfer window shut. Josh Coburn has arrived from Middlesbrough; Sylvester Jasper from Fulham and Bobby Thomas from Burnley. The latter was also given a place in the starting line-up today.
Predicting Morecambe’s formation at the weekend, opposition Manager Joey Barton accused his Opposite Number of playing boring, negative football in these words:
“Hopefully, we don’t get another 5-4-1 but it looks that way based on I’ve been watching them play a bit earlier this week. We can’t be watching that – it’s going to kill for me (the) crowds. We’ve got to remember we’re in the entertainment business.”
Morecambe Supremo Derek Adams, as ever, was far more circumspect in his assessment of reality when speaking about today’s opposition prior to the match:
“They have got a squad that they have built from last season into this season and it is very strong. They are one of the bigger clubs, fan base wise it is excellent, and they always create a good atmosphere when you go there. We are not one of the big boys, we have a good group of players that want to do well and stay in the league for another season.”
It was overcast but quite warm in Bristol as the game kicked off. Morecambe were on the attack immediately but Jake Taylor’s forward pass to Kieran Phillips caught the Huddersfield loanee just off-side. Old Boy Aaron Collins then immediately caused the first real scare of the afternoon for the visiting defence with barely a minute on the clock. He walloped the ball from all of twenty-five yards out, beat Connor Ripley in the away goal but saw his strike hit the Morecambe post and bounce away to safety. Seven minutes later, his attempt on goal was well blocked by the Shrimps’ defence. With almost ten minutes played, though, Ousmane Fané played a lovely cross into Caleb Watts, whose header was only just wide of the target. With twelve minutes played, the visitors took the lead. Taylor seemed to be about to take a corner kick long but instead passed short to Skipper Donald Love who in turn found Jansen Weir who curled a sumptuous strike around a stranded James Belshaw into the home net. Ripley dropped a scissors kick by John Marquis with about a quarter of an hour played but Farrend Rawson was on hand to clear the ball for a corner which was totally wasted by the hosts. The Pirates’ Sam Finley then fed Danger Man Collins after nineteen minutes and his effort on goal came close again as he only just missed Ripley’s left-hand post by the narrowest of margins. The always threatening ex-Shrimp became provider as the Gas were able to equalise after 29 minutes: fed by former Everton loanee to Morecambe Antony Evans, he sent a long cross over for Ryan Loft to register his third goal in three games by bundling the ball home from very close in. At the other end, Gas new boy Bobby Thomas did well to foil an away attack after about half an hour with an excellent block. On 33 minutes, Phillips again came close with a shot from an acute angle on the Morecambe left which went wide of the far post from his point of view. The irrepressible Collins then drew a tremendous save from Ripley after 41 minutes – Rawson again came to the rescue to block the ex-Shrimps’ striker’s second effort from the rebound with another tremendous block which went for a corner. The visiting custodian then did well to hold a header which came in as a result of the corner kick. Then Aaron Collins finished the half the way he started it by hitting the post again during injury time when he might have done better. So the first period ended all-square with Morecambe playing commendably positively but also riding their luck as the woodwork came to their rescue on a couple of occasions as well.
Rovers won a free-kick almost as soon as the game restarted and Rawson looked for a moment to have put it into his own net but the ball went over the crossbar instead for a corner. Watts did brilliantly to break after 54 minutes and play a killer pass to Phillips, who opened his League One account for the Shrimps with an assured finish. At the other end, Marquis and Loft got in each other’s way after an hour or so but just after this, Jacob Bedeau was forced to head the ball clear. His clearance went towards his own goal instead but Ripley again came to the rescue with a fantastic reaction save to keep it out. The ball went straight up to the other end of the field where Phillips took it with his back to goal and then turned and fired in one movement to produce another excellent save in the match – this time from James Belshaw in the home goal. The game ebbed and flowed for a while after this. Joey Barton sent on a couple of substitutions after just over an hour but when this had no discernible effect, he sent on three more replacements after 71 minutes. Ripley was immediately forced into action after these changes, doing well again to save an effort from Loft after 72 minutes with his legs. Watts was penalised for a foul on Harvey Saunders on the edge of the Morecambe box after 78 minutes. But the visitors’ wall stood firm and the ball was deflected for a corner. From it, debutant Bobby Thomas smashed the ball home at the far post to equalise for the second time on the day for the Pirates. The hosts could have scored anew almost straight from kick-off as Loft tried to find substitute Saunders but Ripley again did well to dive bravely at his feet and smother the chance. He was hurt doing this and had to come off to be replaced by Adam Smith, who faced one of his previous employers for the last eight minutes or so. Weir hit a free-kick straight into the arms of Belshaw in injury time. Then Smith did well to clutch a long-range Luke McCormick effort but there were no clear-cut chances for either side in the dying embers of the game.
It‘s always disappointing to be pegged-back in any game only to settle for a draw at the end of proceedings. But a point on the road was enough to push Morecambe up one place into twenty-third position in League One tonight. The Gas fell to sixteenth. Derek Adams’ thoughts after the match were these:
“I thought that was our best performance of the season. I thought that we played really well. I thought the players who came into the side; the shape of the side; the way we caused Bristol Rovers problems all over the pitch today (was excellent). We were in the ascendency a lot of the time today. I’m delighted with the players: I thought it looked like a really good team performance. The players we took into the side: Liam Shaw was absolutely fantastic today; Caleb Watts came into the game and did really well – and I’m delighted with Kieran getting a goal. The midfield looked strong – Fané and Weir. I thought the back four did really well as well.”
If you have missed any of the action from Morecambe’s season so far (including the Papa John’s Trophy game against Everton last Tuesday), you can catch up at:
Bristol Rovers: 1 James Belshaw; 3 Lewis Gordon; 5 Alfie Kilgour (11 Sylvester Jasper 71’); 6 Sam Finley (23 Luke McCormick (Y) 61’); 9 John Marquis (22 Harvey Saunders 61’); 10 Aaron Collins; 15 Paul Coutts (C) (20 Trevor Clarke 71’); 18 Ryan Loft; 21 Antony Evans (19 Harry Anderson 71’); 30 Luca Hoole; 37 Bobby Thomas (Y).
Subs not used: 32 Anssi Jaakkola; 25 Glenn Whelan.
Morecambe: 1 Connor Ripley (12 Adam Smith 87’); 2 Donald Love (C); 4 Liam Gibson (Y) (21 Ryan Cooney 80’); 5 Farrend Rawson; 7 Jake Taylor (11 Dylan Connolly 75’); 8 Ousmane Fané; 15 Jensen Weir; 16 Jacob Bedeau; 17 Caleb Watts (25 Adam Major 80’); 20 Liam Shaw; 23 Kieran Phillips.
Subs not used: 18 Shane McLoughlin 26 Cameron Rooney.
Ref: Dean Whitestone.
Att: 8,821.
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