LEAGUE ONE. EASTER MONDAY, 10th APRIL 2023.

No Blues for Morecambe at Portsmouth.

Morecambe made the long trip to Hampshire today to face yet another daunting prospect in their seemingly doomed attempt to avoid a return to League Two in the shape of one time Premiership club Portsmouth.

The Shrimps have played Pompey eleven times in the past and only won three of these games. In the reverse fixture at the Maz last November, they drew 1-1. In their only other previous League One meetings, the Blues beat Stephen Robinson’s team last season 2-0 at Fratton Park before drawing 1-1 at the Maz last April as Derek Adams worked the miracle of taking a seemingly doomed team away from the relegation zone at the eleventh hour.

No such miracle seems likely this time around. The Shrimps arrived in Hampshire just one place from the bottom of the division and on the back of four losses in their last five league games and just a single draw: relegation form indeed.

Last time out – in a feisty game where Portsmouth had four players booked and Joe Morrell sent off following a straight red – Pompey only managed a 1-1 draw away against the plastic people from Milton Keynes. But they have not lost in their last five league games and have won three of them. They started today’s game in ninth place in the table and still have faint hopes of a finish in the Play-Off positions in League One.

Blues boss John Mousinho said before the game:

“We saw on Friday that MK Dons were set up to stop us playing – which is something we take as a compliment. I’m sure it will be the same with Morecambe on Monday and that is going to ramp up the pressure on us. We have to find a way to deal with that and win the game because we obviously want to collect all three points. With some of the players they have and a few of their previous results this season, we know they are a good attacking side. It’s a game we’re probably going to have to win because the gap has now opened up slightly, but it’s not insurmountable.”

It was sunny although not particularly warm on the south coast as the wind fairly whipped off the nearby Solent as the match kicked-off. Morecambe must have won the toss and elected to change around and they went on to put on a decent show during the first half. They won the first corner of the game after just three minutes and also had the first meaningful chance after eight. Cole Stockton’s shot from the far post after an excellent cross from Donald Love on the Morecambe right was pushed away by home custodian Matt Macey for a corner. This happened a minute after Marlon Pack had walloped the ball way over the away goal from a long way out. Pompey’s Blackpool loanee Owen Dale then put in a dangerous cross from the right which eluded everybody in a blue shirt with a quarter of an hour played. But the visitors had a wonderful opportunity to open the scoring with seventeen minutes on the clock as Stockton tamely headed Birthday Boy (19 today) Adam Mayor’s pin-point cross from the right tamely way off target with Macey out of his ground and scrambling to get back into position.

Another superb image by Liam Roberts – @LiamOneThree on Twitter.

A weak shot from Dale was then easily fielded by Connor Ripley after 22 minutes. Cole tested the home stopper with a shot after 25 minutes which Macey managed to push away for another corner. The hosts then fashioned another half-chance a minute later but Colby Bishop stepped over the ball in the Morecambe penalty area when well placed and allowed the visiting defence to clear it. Tom Lowery then fashioned two low shots for himself from the Portsmouth right which only just missed the far post twice in the twenty-sixth and thirty-first minutes. Moments after the second chance, Liam Gibson tried his luck from right of centre just outside the home penalty area with a shot which didn’t trouble Macey too much. Then, four minutes later, Love sent a superb cross from the right again which Stockton once more failed to control. So the game ended nil-nil at half time and a measure of Morecambe’s contribution to it was that a huge – almost eighteen thousand – crowd was quiet for most of the first forty-five minutes.

The second half followed a similar pattern. Morecambe carved-out the first chance as Crowley played a lovely ball forward towards our centre forward. But Cole was again to slow to react, allowing Macey to rush from his line and intercept the pass. Ten minutes in, Jensen Weir found himself unmarked right in the centre of goal but – with the entire target to hit, shot straight at the home keeper, who held onto the ball securely. Connor had an even easier save at the other end from substitute Reeko Hackett-Fairchild as soon as he came onto the field with just over an hour played. Morecambe Old Boy Joe Piggott – on-loan to Portsmouth from Ipswich Town – was also introduced around this time but Pompey were still struggling to impose any shape or domination on the game. Crowley played another superb pass for Weir to run onto after 68 minutes but the wind again caught it and the home goalkeeper was first to the ball once more. Daniel then tried again straight afterwards only to see his cross this time cleared for a corner by the home defence. After seventy minutes, the very impressive Pape N’Diaye Souaré slipped and fell awkwardly at the side of the pitch to put a premature end to a very promising afternoon. In the seventy-fourth minute, the home side came as close as they did all afternoon to scoring when Dale’s header was cleared off the goal-line by Cole the Goal following a corner. Sub Hackett-Fairchild missed with a wild shot after 76 minutes but came a bit closer five minutes later. Pompey came close again as Piggott headed narrowly wide with 83 minutes on the clock. By this time, however, the stadium had reverted to its state during the first half – exceptionally quiet. Perhaps the best chance of the afternoon was then squandered by the visitors with just five minutes scheduled to play. Substitute Jake Taylor did well to win the ball and pass it to Jensen on the right. He, in turn, laid back a perfect pass for an unmarked Jake to hit the target from very close range. But our number seven contrived to wallop the ball over the frame of the goal instead. Right at the death, Weir’s shot was blocked for a corner and in injury time, Ripley pulled-off a superb save low to his right to keep out Hackett-Fairchild’s excellent header. On the touch-line, Morecambe’s Manager went ballistic after this – presumably spotting what he thought was an infringement in the build-up to this chance. Referee Ollie Yates booked him for his trouble.

So that was it: a well-deserved point on the road against a good team. It doesn’t really help matters at the foot of the table. But, with Accrington being beaten at Sheffield Wednesday 3-0; FGL losing again and all Morecambe’s other rivals also drawing, it could have been worse. The Shrimps remain next to bottom of League One tonight. Portsmouth stayed in ninth position. This is what King Derek made of it all:

“I thought it was a brilliant performance today from our team from start to finish. I thought there was a lot of top performances in the side tonight. We were just unfortunate not to go ahead in the game. We can’t ask any more of these players. What they do is they just keep on going. Everyone that was used; everyone that started the game put in an excellent performance. Not many teams come to Fratton Park and do as well as we have done today.”

Portsmouth: 1 Matt Macey; 3 Denver Hume; 4 Clark Robertson (C); 7 Marlon Pack; 8 Ryan Tunnicliffe (10 Joe Piggott 65’); 9 Colby Bishop (Y); 15 Owen Dale (Y); 17 Joe Rafferty; 19 Dane Scarlett (18 Reeko Hackett-Fairchild 60’); 20 Sean Raggett; 26 Tom Lowery.

Subs not used:  21 Josh Oluwayemi; 23 Louis Thompson; 28 Di’Shon Bernard; 30 Harry Jewitt-White; 34 Ryley Towler.

Morecambe: 1 Connor Ripley; 2 Donald Love (C); 4 Liam Gibson; 5 Farrend Rawson (Y); 6 Ryan Delaney; 8 Daniel Crowley; 9 Cole Stockton; 15 Jensen Weir; 22 Josh Austerfield (Y) (29 Dynel Simeu 86’); 23 Pape N’Diaye Souaré (21 Ryan Cooney 70’); 25 Adam Mayor (7 Jake Taylor 78’).

Subs not used: 12 Adam Smith; 14 Arthur Gnahoua; 17 Caleb Watts; 18 Oumar Niasse.

Ref: Ollie Yates.

Att: 17,739 (139 fantastic Morecambe supporters).