LEAGUE TWO. BOXING DAY, THURSDAY, 26th DECEMBER 2024.

Morecambe Terriers bite harder in League Two Dog Fight.

Rarely – if ever – has a Boxing Day game held so much significance for Morecambe Football Club than the one which was played at Brunton Park today. Derek Adams’ Shrimps found themselves bottom of the entire EFL at Xmas – a traditionally potentially fatal place to find yourself in almost any league in the United Kingdom. Their collection of National League rejects; journeymen and loanees from other clubs were five points adrift of Accrington Stanley in twenty-second place and one point behind today’s hosts – but both United and Stanley have both played one game less. So if ever there had been a Must Win/Six Pointer/ Turning Point match (or whatever else you want to call it) for Morecambe, today’s was it…

The Lancashire side started this game on the back of three straight defeats in League Two and only one win and a draw in their last six games. The Cumbrians, by stark contrast, have only lost one of their last six league games and drawn four. Importantly, though, the team has scored a mere three goals during that time. Their last defeat – at home – was two weeks ago against Chesterfield, when they lost 0-2. Carlisle’s Manager, Mike Williamson, said this about today’s clash prior to the contest:

“I don’t need to quantify this game, it’s huge. We had a good November, but we need to turn those draws into wins. That’s why Chesterfield was disappointing, just a couple of moments where we switched off and were punished. By and large, the consistency of defending has been a good level, we just need to start taking some chances.”

It’s no surprise that United’s defending has been good recently. Morecambe legend Sam Lavelle is at the heart of it and is also the club Captain.

Mr Williamson’s Opposite Number – Derek Adams – made the same point about his team failing to take chances but he deliberately played-down the significance of this potential `six-pointer’:

“They’re all big games – there’s nothing different in this league. We know that Carlisle have spent millions of pounds this season. They have put together a strong outfit. We have to take the positives but we have to be more lethal in that final third and we haven’t been in recent games. At this moment in time, it’s wins we need. We haven’t done it so far. We can’t just talk about it – we have to do it.”

Derek had denied that there has been a `drop-off’ in his team’s performances in recent times. But I fear that any impartial observer would have seen the promise which his team of mis-fits showed in narrow defeats against far better-resourced sides earlier in the season all but disappear in recent outings. Morecambe have been an absolute shambles in the last few games: shapeless and toothless as well as completely pointless. King Derek’s ability to improve players by coaching and man management is second to none. But there’s also a lot of truth in the old adage “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” and you really have to wonder if some of his men simply lack the ability to cut it at League Two level, despite the best efforts of the coaching staff. With the Transfer Window looming, there is at least a slim hope that Mr Adams is going to be able to change things for the better but the financial pot Derek has access to is laughably small in comparison to what Carlisle have already spent and far smaller than many clubs much lower in the football club pyramid in this country can rely on. The King told us that long-term absentees goalkeeper Stuart Moore, Gwion Edwards, George Ray and Lee Angol were still not fit enough to feature for the first team.

But this is the time of year – we are told – when miracles can happen. Would there be any sign of one in the border region of Cumberland this afternoon?

There was.

The first apparent miracle is that Gwion Edwards was not just warming-up with the first team before the game; the best technical footballer by far on the Shrimps’ books was actually named in the first eleven.

As soon as the game started, another even bigger miracle soon became apparent. Under dry skies with little wind, Morecambe were unrecognisable from the eleven men who have taken to the field in recent times. Dressed in their home strip, they took the game to the hosts from the first minute to the last. What I consider to be Man of the Match David Tutonda and Edwards gave the visitors an effective outlet up their left flank which has been sadly missing for most of the campaign so far. Up front, Marcus Dackers – who can never be faulted for the effort he puts in – was a handful for the Blues all afternoon. The defence looked generally solid and although Harry Burgoyne weakly punched a cross he should have caught easily during the second half, he was a safe pair of hands on the rare occasions when the Cumbrians actually tested him. Tom White had another excellent game in midfield and showed Ben Tollitt out on the right flank how much more could be got from him if only he got stuck in. To be fair to Morecambe’s number eighteen, though, he got behind the home defence several times during the game and with sharper finishers in the middle, the Shrimps could have run-out far more convincing winners than they turned-out to be by the end.

Carlisle had a chance to opening the scoring after just three minutes when an unmarked Aaron Hayden met Jordan Jones’ corner from the United right at the far post but his wild finish missed the target altogether. Harrison Neal actually had the first accurate shot of the match when his swerving shot from distance was fairly easily saved by the away goalkeeper after six minutes. The first time the United goalkeeper was forced into action was when he did well to push a tremendous shot from Gwion away for a corner with almost half an hour played. His Opposite Number then did well to get down low to his right a few minutes later to keep out a fierce drive from Dominic Sadi. That was about it as far as goal action was concerned but this was always a scintillating contest to which both sides were obviously totally committed in front of a crowd of almost ten thousand people. I don’t think there is any doubt at all that Morecambe had the best of the first half and a lot of the game had been played in the home half during the opening period.

In the second half, Morecambe increased the pace and intensity of their attack. For perhaps the first time this season, they were able to take a game by the scruff of the neck and actually apply concerted pressure to an opposition team. With about four minutes of the re-start played – and not for the first time – Tutonda went past an opponent as if he wasn’t there, slipped the ball to Edwards to his left and saw it reach Dackers, who was just unable to get a shot off on target. Three minutes later, Marcus again couldn’t get enough power into an effort to trouble Gabriel Breeze in the home net but the Edwards/Tutonda connection had again presented him with the chance. A minute later, it was All Hands to the Carlisle Pump as they struggled to clear the ball after Harvey Macadam had a half-chance in their penalty area. Carlisle were offering nothing going forward at this point and Mike Williamson took-off Sadi, who was lucky not to have been booked following several niggly last-minute and sneaky fouls on visiting players so far. It made little difference. Immediately, Dackers swapped roles with Edwards, did brilliantly to turn his man on the left flank and send over a cross which Gwion was able to turn-home as he beat the keeper to it close to his near post. It was a well-deserved goal and it had been coming for some time.

Carlisle’s reaction to falling behind saw the game lost within two minutes of the goal. Inexplicably, Jon Mellish lunged at Tom White on the half way line when there was no reason to do so and received a straight red card from Referee Scott Oldham. This piece of hot-headed stupidity removed any vestige of a chance that the home team might get back into the match at any point from then on.

Ironically, the home team played better with ten men than they had done at any time prior to the hour mark but it was always going to be a mountain for them to climb. They failed and – as home fans left in their droves long before the final whistle sounded, Morecambe held out without too many worries and could have even gone further ahead. Substitute Jordan Slew drew an excellent save from Breeze right at the death and I thought the Shrimps had a decent shout for a penalty a little time before this into the bargain when replacement Adam Lewis seemed to me to be flattened in the United box.

Whatever, this was a crucial win this afternoon which was very well deserved. Sam Lavelle received a generous round of applause from his former fans as he left the pitch after an hour and the away supporters created – and sustained – a tremendous atmosphere throughout the game.

The three precious points really shook things up at the bottom of League Two. Carlisle slipped to the bottom of the EFL as Morecambe climbed above them; two points better-off but with one more game played. Today’s win also improved their pretty dire record against their Cumbrian neighbours markedly: it made it just five wins in all competitions against United’s twelve out of twenty-four altogether. 

Elsewhere, Accrington’s game at Tranmere was postponed and they remain two points ahead of us with two games in hand. Swindon were winning 0-1 at Wimbledon at half time but the Wombles equalised later to leave the Wiltshire club just three points ahead of the Shrimps this evening.

Derek Adams left it to his Assistant Danny Grainger to record his thoughts about it all after the match:

“It’s a huge win. For me, it was fantastic performance. We had the better of the game; the better of the opportunities. On another day, if we had been more clinical in front of goal, we could have won the game comfortably. I thought every single player to the man – the substitutes coming on – a tremendous performance today. That’s the performance we expect from them – that’s what we see from them day-in; day out. We know they’re a good team. Today, they’ve gone and proved it.”

Carlisle United: 13 Gabriel Breeze; 3 Cameron Harper; 5 Sam Lavelle (C) (12 Harrison Biggins 68’); 6 Aaron Hayden; 11 Jordan Jones (40 Kadeem Harris 68’); 17 Harrison Neal; 18 Jack Ellis (Y); 22 Jon Mellish (R); 26 Ben Barclay; 24 Dominic Sadi (14 Daniel Adu-Adjei 60’); 29 Luke Armstrong.

Subs not used: 15 Taylor Charters; 23 Jude Peter Smith; 25 Anton Dudik; 31 Sam Hetherington.

Morecambe:  1 Harry Burgoyne; 2 Luke Hendrie (Y); 4 Tom White; 6 Jamie Stott (C); 7 Gwion Edwards (11 Jordan Slew 80’); 8 Harvey Macadam (17 Paul Lewis 67’); 14 Rhys Williams; 18 Ben Tollitt; 19 Marcus Dackers; 23 David Tutonda (Y); 28 Callum Jones (3 Adam Lewis (Y) 80’).

Subs not used: 5 Max Taylor; 9 Hallam Hope; 22 Ross Millen 24 Yann Songo’o.

Ref: Scott Oldham.

Att: 9,225 (over 600 from Morecambe.)