LEAGUE TWO. SATURDAY, 29th MARCH 2025.

No April Fools’ Joke at Morecambe.

It seemed strangely appropriate that Morecambe should start their next desperate search for points to help them remain in the EFL almost on April Fools Day.

I was very disparaging of Swindon Town Manager – Ian Holloway – last November, when Morecambe won at the County Ground in Wiltshire for the first time ever by the odd goal in five. But I was wrong to write some of the things I did about him because `Olly’ has proved to be nobody’s fool, not even April’s (whoever she is). Instead, he has unquestionably been Swindon’s saviour, guiding them from the parlous position they were in at the time to a very comfortable fifteenth place in the League Two table.

Gosh – how we all envy such security…

Additionally, the Robins are unbeaten in their last six league games, having drawn the last four in a row, most recently at home against Accrington last Saturday, where the match ended 0-0.

One of the glaring differences between an outfit that were once members of the Premier League and ours – yet again – is the total disparity of resources between the two clubs. Whereas our Manager Derek Adams has had to scrape the pennies together to sign players nobody else wants from the Recycle Bin of the National Leagues North and South, Ian Holloway has had the funds available to strengthen his playing resources right across the field with quality footballers. So Town lined-up today with a vastly different set of players to those the Shrimps encountered in Wiltshire last year. Most notable of these, from our point of view, was our goalkeeper from last season, Connor Ripley, who is on record as saying that his stint at Morecambe rekindled his love for the game which was had been snuffed out when he first arrived at the club.

Until November, Morecambe had never beaten Swindon in almost twenty years of trying. They have met ten times in all competitions since 2006 and Town have won seven of these contests. Today, though, Morecambe needed a double over the team from Wiltshire more than they have ever done previously. During the week, Carlisle United overtook us to leave Morecambe rock bottom of the entire EFL again. They lie one point ahead but level on games played as a result of their 2-2 home draw with the plastic club from Milton Keynes. To make things even worse, Tranmere are on a run of form which would see them win the division if they had done this earlier in the season. Since Nigel Adkins was sacked, Rovers have won three of their last four league games and drawn the other. Last night, they beat Cheltenham two-nil on the Wirral. As a result of this, United are now nine points from safety; we are ten. With only eight games left of the season, things are therefore looking really bleak for the Shrimps and victory today was an absolute necessity, despite any spin anyone might attempt to put on this brutal fact. Derek Adams was typically realistic in his assessment of the task facing his players in their next two home games:

“All the games now are must win. Every game we go into we have to win to get the three points and Swindon and Cheltenham are no different. We are where we are. Tranmere are a huge football club in this division. Carlisle – the owners reportedly spent ten million since they came in in 2023. We are fighting. The players are giving their all. And that’s all we can ask.”

To make things even worse, Derek also announced that perhaps the most gifted player in his squad – Gwion Edwards – has been ruled-out for the rest of the season with another bad injury. With George Ray, Stuart Moore and Harvey Macadam also sidelined for the next eight matches, Morecambe’s already paper-thin resources are now being stretched beyond breaking point. But – even though a minor – major – miracle is now required to avoid Morecambe’s second ever relegation in 105 years, the remaining players needed to win today – and keep on winning.

Meanwhile, Ian Holloway – newly awarded an extended contract at Swindon until 2028 – had this to say about the upcoming fixture:

“We’ve got a few injuries; people who won’t even be travelling. It won’t be the same squad as last week. I’m not sure I want to say it because their Manager might be listening in and it might help him out but… If the fans are thinking `what’s Holloway doing?’, it’s  because they’re not fit. (The players) realise how important this game is. They realise how we felt when we lost this game at home and we want to do something about that.”

If they truly wanted to do something about it, they would have to deal with the weather: windy, wet and grey particularly in the second half where the temperature dropped markedly – and a mudheap of a pitch.

Despite this, it was a good contest to watch in the first half at least. Play was fairly evenly spread but the visitors forced the first save of the game after twenty-three minutes, when a simple ball over the top gave Botan Ameen the chance to draw a brilliant save from home custodian Harry Burgoyne. Two minutes later, Harry had another, easier save to make from Nnamdi Ofoborh’s long-range effort. But Morecambe’s ex-goalkeeper, Connor Ripley, didn’t have much to do until the 27^th minute, when he had a relatively easy stop to make after Hallam Hope had wriggled his way through the Robins’ defence. He had a harder effort to deal with from Andy Dallas about ten minutes later. But there wasn’t much he could do when Morecambe took the lead after 38 minutes. Official Man of the Match Lee Angol – who I thought had his best game for the club so far today and was a handful for the visitors all afternoon – reacted fastest to Dallas’ downward header and struck the ball home with a really powerful shot.  Right at the death, it could have been more. Swindon conceded a free-kick and the ball made its way to Dallas. He took a shot from an acute angle on the Shrimps’ left which beat Ripley and bounced back off his left-hand post with him helpless.

So Morecambe went off at half time probably just about deservedly in the lead. Angol had led the line really well; Callum Jones was playing a blinder in midfield; Captain Yann Songo was organising the troops at the back effectively and Harry Burgoyne was having a tremendous game, making some really key saves and interceptions.

So it went on in the second half until Angol was replaced by Jordan Slew, who did his bit to keep the visitors constantly nervous at the back. The final 45 minutes were scrappy a lot of the time and chances for both sides were at a premium. Probably Town’s best opportunity to equalise arrived in the 68^th minute, when big unit Harry Smith had a free header which his namesake Burgoyne again did well to pluck out of the air. Mr Holloway shook things up with four changes with just over an hour played but after them Swindon – who looked poor to me throughout the match – performed even less effectively than they had before they were made.

So at the end of proceedings, Shrimps’ players had done exactly what their Manager had asked for: their best. I suspect that any neutral observer watching particularly the first half of this contest would be astonished to learn that it was the men in the red shirts who were bottom of the league table and the ones in the dark strip who were in a comfortable position half way up the League Two table.

Elsewhere, Carlisle tripped up badly yet again: they lost 3-0 at Doncaster this time to slip back below Morecambe at the rock bottom of the entire EFL. Both Harrogate and Accrington drew at home this afternoon too to remain nine points above the Shrimps with the same number of games played. Unlike Tranmere – seven points better off than us – neither of these clubs is on an upward trajectory. With only seven games left, it is still possible for any one of these three clubs to stumble and fall – if Morecambe keep winning.

This is what King Derek made of it once the game ended:

“It was important that we won today. It showed the character; the togetherness; the willingness to win the football match today was there for everyone to see. But that’s been there all season.”

Morecambe: 1 Harry Burgoyne; 3 Adam Lewis; 4 Tom White (Y); 6 Jamie Stott; 9 Hallam Hope (17 Paul Lewis 72’)); 10 Lee Angol (11 Jordan Slew 81’); 14 Rhys Williams; 16 Andy Dallas; 23 David Tutonda; 24 Yann Songo’o (C); 28 Callum Jones (19 Marcus Dackers 71’ ).

Subs not used:  12 Ryan Schofield; 18 Ben Tollitt; 20 Callum Cooke; 31 Nathan Snowball.

Swindon Town:  13 Connor Ripley; 2 Tunmise Sobowale; 5 Will Wright (C); 6 Nnamdi Ofoborh (21 Kabongo Tshmanga 65’); 10 Harry Smith; 16 Jake Cain; 18 Gavin Kilkenny (7 Joel Cotterill 65’); 17 Tom Nichols (Y) (9 Paul Glatzel 65’); 20 Miguel Freckleton; 25 Joe Westley 42 Botan Ameen (22 Daniel James Butterworth 64’).

Subs not used: 1 Jack Bycroft; 27 George Cox; 34 Billy Kirkman.

Ref: Jamie O’Connor.

Att: 3, 419 (364 from Swindon.)