LEAGUE TWO. SATURDAY, 10th AUGUST 2024.

Walsall Woes…

For the second season in a row, Morecambe start their League Two campaign against Walsall. A year ago, Derek Adams’ team beat Mat Sadler’s side 2-1 by the coast in Lancashire. This was the starting eleven Mr Adams named on the day:

Stuart Moore; Donald Love; Jacob Bedeau; Farrend Rawson; Yann Songo’o; Tom Bloxham; Eli King; Michael Mellon; JJ McKiernan; Adam Mayor and Joel Senior.

Only two of these players – goalkeeper Moore and midfield Maestro Songo’o – are still on the books at Morecambe. As we all know, King Derek abdicated towards the middle of the season as well. But now, the King has returned with a virtually completely new line-up.

Mr Sadler denied any meaningful link between his surname and the club’s nickname earlier this week but said it has been complicated by the recent arrival of former Morecambe CEO Ben Sadler. Is this a pattern? Whatever, last season’s defeat in the opening match marked his very first game in charge of the West Midlands’ side. He took them to eleventh in League Two at the end of the day; four positions higher than Ged Brannan – with the three-point deduction for issues he had no control over – was finally able to steer the Shrimps into. This was Walsall’s best finish in League Two for eight years.

In the past, Morecambe have played the Saddlers seven times altogether in all competitions and have beaten them four times; losing just twice. One of these defeats was last February, where the Shrimps not only lost their hundred percent record at the Bescot Stadium but were walloped three-nil in their third game at this venue. Hopefully, that `Pounding at Poundland’ wouldn’t be replicated today… Whether it would or not, these were the hopes expressed by opposition Manager Sadler prior to the game:

“I can’t wait. We’re looking forward to it. We obviously had the reverse fixture at the start of the season last year. It’s a good one to look forward to. Nothing quite matches the real stuff; it really doesn’t – as soon as you get that jeopardy; that unpredictability of results and stuff like that – then that changes the atmosphere and the tempo around that first game. We look forward to it so much – that’s why we all play: that winning and losing competitive thing that we all have as football people. I can’t wait: we’re all looking forward to it.”

First games of any new season are always something of a reality check for all football club supporters. Any false ideas we might have about the quality of new signings following promising pre-season friendly matches can be swept away in a few minutes following the sometimes harsh reality of contact with real-world EFL teams. I remember, for instance, the reality of Jim Bentley’s Shrimps when they played at Crewe just six short years ago. They lost six-nil and it could have been more as Barry Roche played the part of Aunt Sally in goal behind a team which was simply not good enough to compete in the EFL and was extremely lucky to stay in it at the end of the season.

So what would happen today? In pre-season, players such as Ben Tollitt have caught the eye with lots of goals and we know that we have the bare bones of a good team in the shape of established players such as Gwion Edwards; Yann Songo’o; David Tutonda and Jordan Slew. But the continued reality of the financial uncertainty that Derek Adams has lived under throughout his tenure as Morecambe boss has meant that most of the members of the side he has managed to put together this season have points to prove after being released by other clubs, some of them of a lower status to that of the Shrimps. This is what the King had to say prior to the first outing of his new-look team and how they might do later today, starting with his assessment of Walsall:

“They’re one of the biggest clubs in the division. They will be looking to get out of the division. It’s a fabulous club – they’ve got players in their squad that can really go on to do well. I think the first game of the season is always exciting – everyone looks forward to it. Unfortunately, I can only pick eleven players on the day. I think if you’re in that eighteen-man squad, you’re delighted. If you just miss out on it then you’ve got to work harder or do a bit better. The understanding of systems; the understanding of set plays: these are all things that we can work on in pre-season (and) that is what we’ve been doing. That’s what I try to do every pre-season – be ready for the first game. And we are ready for it. I’ve obviously used the running track to get us fit. Football has changed but it hasn’t changed a great deal. You still have to be fit – you actually have to be fitter. One of the main things is that you have to be good on the ball as well.”

Someone who would not have the opportunity to show how good he might be on the ball today was midfielder Paul Lewis, who was ruled-out by injury. Other than Paul, the King had a full squad to choose from. Derek also announced the appointment of Yann Songo’o as Club Captain this week. He explained why:

“Yann is a vastly experienced player; he was part of our promotion-winning season back in 2021. He is excellent in the dressing room and on the pitch with his communication between the Manager and the team.”

This was the new Skipper’s reaction:

“I want to thank the Gaffer for putting his trust in me. This is a role I don’t take lightly. I’m excited to lead the team into battle every week. I’m a natural leader and will run through brick walls for any of my teammates.”

Anyway, I discovered that there is actually a railway station called Bescot Stadium and travelled there today from Carnforth with changes at Lancaster, Wolverhampton and somewhere called Tame Bridge Parkway.  

Once I arrived, it was interesting looking up at the M6 on its elevated section instead of looking down at the Bescot Stadium as I have done so many times in the past as I’ve whizzed past in a car, a van or a truck.  

But what do you do when you arrive basically in the middle of a Midlands Nowhere almost two hours before kick-off? You go in the Walsall clubhouse, obviously. 

It’s normally a fiver just to enter this hallowed space according to a local Bobby.  

“But it’s only two quid today – especially for Morecambe fans!”

“Are you going to treat me then?” I asked him – but he declined, I can’t think why. I bet he says that to everyone but he was right: it was just two quid to enter. And they didn’t seem too choosy what sort of riff-raff they let in, either…

The game started in bright sunshine with not a hint of rain in the air. There was a minute’s applause from all corners of the game in tribute to Craig Shakespeare, ex- Saddlers’ player and Manager of Leicester City not too long ago who died aged 61 on August 1^st.

Then the match started.

Not a lot happened after the home side got the ball in the net after two minutes through our old pal Jamille Matt only to have the linesman’s flag rule it out for off-side. In fact, the game was so soporific that the Morecambe choir were loudly suggesting that Sky Sports might not be as good as they would have us all believe – using words that the satellite television company would certainly not be able to broadcast – when Walsall scored. Centre-back Taylor Allen managed to block an attempted clearance before controlling the ball and smashing it home past a helpless Stuart Moore in the away goal. 

Just two minutes later, there was a long delay as Moore was hurt as he was the victim of an over-zealous challenge by Matt. But the game progressed in the same fairly languid way it had before the goal. Walsall enjoyed the bulk of the possession and forced a number of corners but the match was largely played in the middle of the park and both sets of players looked rusty and ponderous. The worrying thing, though, was that Morecambe offered absolutely nothing going forward. Captain Edwards was far too easily physically dominated particularly by muscular Saddlers’ fullback Connor Barrett and was constantly  blocked by the home defence. But at least he tried to take the game to the men in red. Hallam Hope looked short of confidence in the centre of the field despite a couple of nice touches and nobody else in midfield or up-front caught the eye at any time: Ben Tollitt and Harvey Macadam, for instance, were totally anonymous throughout the game. By the break, Walsall had done enough to lead – not that Assistant Manager Gary Waddock was there to see it: Referee James Durkin sent him off just before the break for reasons I don’t understand. I also don’t understand how a two-footed lunge by substitute Albert Adomah when he simply launched himself at Tollitt on the touchline wasn’t worth another red card just before half time: Ben was lucky not to have been seriously hurt. But as a competitive football match so far, this was a very poor advert for League Two football.  

Would things improve in the second half? 

Derek shook things up with a couple of changes but the match continued to be extremely dull to watch. Chances were few and far between and although Gwion walloped a wild shot way over the bar within a few minutes of the restart, that turned-out to be as close as the visitors came all afternoon. Once Jordan Slew and Lee Ingol had replaced Edwards and Hope, Morecambe had a lot more of the game. But the team frankly never looked like turning things around.

Walsall did just enough to win today but on this showing, neither of these clubs are going to set the division on fire – at least not in the short term. In the first league table of the season, Morecambe are languishing in nineteenth position. Walsall are tenth.

Having said that, I personally have utter faith in Derek Adams. This wasn’t a disaster or a Reality Check in the way the game I mentioned in Crewe was six years ago. It just wasn’t very good and the stark fact that Tommy Simkin in the home goal didn’t have a single shot to save all afternoon is a bit worrying.

This is what the King said after the game: 

“We’re obviously disappointed to come away with nothing today. We’ve had all the possession in the match, which means nothing because we haven’t had any shots on goal in the whole match. That’s hugely disappointing because Walsall were there to be got at. We weren’t able to break them down. We resorted to long balls. It wasn’t a great game of football. We were the ones that needed to up the tempo; pass it quicker: we didn’t do that today. The performance wasn’t good enough today.”

Walsall: 1Tommy Simkin; 2 Connor Barrett (26 David Okagbue 76’); 3 Liam Gordon (17 Jack Earing 68’); 4 Oisin McEntee; 6 Priestley Farquarson; 8 Charlie Lakin; 9 Jamille Matt (C) (37 Albert Adomah (Y) 45’); 10 Josh Gordon (Y); 21 Taylor Allen; 22 Jamie Jellis; 25 Ryan Stirk.

Subs not used: 12 Sam Hornby; 24 Harry Williams; 27 Dylan Thomas; 30 Evan Weir.

Morecambe: 25 Stuart Moore; 2 Luke Hendrie (22 Ross Millen 80’); 6 Jamie Stott; 7 Gwion Edwards (C) (10 Lee Angol 63’); 8 Harvey Macadam; 9 Hallam Hope (11 Jordan Slew 63’); 12 Kayden Harrack (4 Tom White 45’) 15 George Ray (24 Yann Songo’o 45’) 18 Ben Tollitt; 23 David Tutonda; 28 Callum Jones.

Subs not used: 1 Harry Burgoyne; 3 Adam Lewis.

Ref: James Durkin.

Att: 5226 (only 277 of us from Morecambe.)