ENTERPRISE NATIONAL LEAGUE. SATURDAY, 7th MARCH 2026.

Sutton Swept Away in Twenty First Half Minutes.

Well – fire-up the old BMW motorbike and start practicing leaping over barbed wire fences on it because it would appear that the Great Escape for Morecambe could be officially on.

But we must begin today’s excellent match report with more bad news for our club. Very sadly, another extraordinary development in the apparently endless soap opera which is Morecambe Football Club has happened in the last nine days.

The National League apparently decided to place the Shrimps under embargo on 27^th February 2026. As they have not made any public statement about this matter, the details of it remain an absolute mystery. So local Beyond Radio Morecambe correspondent Dave Salmon has attempted to unravel this latest conundrum:

“Morecambe Football Club has been placed under an embargo by the National League for reported ‘non-compliance with league financial regulations.’

The embargo was introduced last Friday, February 27, although the exact reason behind the decision to impose the embargo hasn’t been made public… In terms of their first team squad, it means that the Shrimps are prevented from signing a new player or changing the terms of an existing loan deal, except where the terms of the embargo allow… In response, the Shrimps Trust, the official fans’ group… has this morning spoken to representatives from the National League, to seek further clarification.

Speaking to Beyond Radio, Vice Chair Ben Cassar said:

“As per our statement, to members we’re obviously concerned, but the team and I have been working hard on understanding the details further. We’re reassured that the relevant parties are working with the club to have this rectified and we understand the club may comment later today. As always, our key responsibility is to safeguard the club where we can and we will obviously continue to do what we can to understand why this situation has presented itself.””

This is what the Shrimps Trust statement to members actually said:

“The Shrimps Trust is aware of the embargo which has recently been placed on the club by the National League. We are naturally concerned by this development, and will be seeking further information from all relevant parties. We will update fans and members when possible.”

The club’s owners – the Panjab Warriors – have again been roundly criticised by the fanbase for failing to respond to this embargo either promptly or openly. However, they finally deigned to make this statement early on Thursday evening, 5^th March 2026; that is, almost a week after they first heard of the latest bad news:

“Morecambe Football Club can confirm that the club has been placed under an embargo by the National League following a disputed payment issue relating to Bond Group Investments.

The club is aware of the matter and has been in communication with the National League throughout the process. This commercial dispute is currently being handled by Panjab Warriors’ solicitors. 

The club’s position is very clear that no such payments were ever part of the acquisition of Morecambe Football Club, and this can be verified via the final sale and purchase agreement that was agreed to by all parties and supervised by the EFL back in August 2025 on completion of the sale.

The club can also categorically confirm that all sums outstanding were duly settled prior to Monday 18 August 2025, in accordance with the National League Regulations, after which completion was instigated.

Morecambe FC remains committed to working with the relevant parties to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and will provide further updates when appropriate.”

So there we go – nothing to see here, then – it is all the fault of the Bond Group.

Unfortunately, though, it is not Jason Whittingham’s rogue outfit which is being sanctioned, it is our club.

Meanwhile, local Labour MP Lizzi Collinge issued this statement about the latest twist in the saga:

“I am concerned to hear the news that an embargo has been placed on Morecambe FC due to non-compliance with National League Financial Regulations.

I am in contact with Shrimps Trust about this and will seek to meet with Panjab Warriors to discuss this development.

Having had regular informal contact with the new Independent Football Regulator about the club, I will now write to him sharing my concerns regarding the operation of, and communications from, the current owners of our beloved club.”

So – and how many times have we said this before during the last year alone? – watch this space to see how this latest twist in the on-going saga is finally resolved…

Anyway, Morecambe travelled to the capital for the second time in a week today to face Sutton United to the south-west of the seat of government. They arrived at the poetically named Gander Green Lane (which would not be out of place in a nursery rhyme) to play Sutton United for the fourth time ever. They have never lost to United although they did their best to do so when Ashvir Singh Johal’s clueless outfit threw away a two goal lead and were lucky to escape with a 2-2 draw last November in Lancashire.

But Jim Bentley’s revitalised team is a totally different beast. Last Tuesday, they came from behind to beat Wealdstone 2-3 not too far from here to improve their situation near the bottom of the National League. With Gateshead beating Braintree 1-0 the following evening, the Shrimps started this afternoon’s match in twenty-second place in the table. The Brains are now only one place and three points better off than us in the relegation bloc, having played the same number of games. Sutton and clubs like them must remain in the sights of the Shrimps if they are to pull off the miracle of survival in the division this season. They are nine points better off than us with a game fewer played. They started the match in seventeenth position on the back of an excellent win at Hartlepool by two goals to nil last Tuesday night. In fact, they have won half of their last six league games and have lost only one. But Morecambe really need to beat teams like Sutton to narrow the gap between themselves and safety and drag other clubs into the relegation mix at the bottom of the National League. U’s Manager Chris Agutter would be without midfielder Jake Taylor due to issues concerning a recent concussion and defender Aaron Jones is also facing a recent setback in his long-term recovery from injury. This is what he made of the clash with Morecambe prior to the game:

“We’re very confident. We’re playing well. We’re building momentum again which is great and playing some really good football and looking forward to the challenge of an improved Morecambe side. The fact that they’ve changed Manager and the fact that their approach is very different… I think it’s fairly safe to say it’s led to a significant improvement. They’ve improved; they’ve picked-up points; they are a lot more robust against the ball and we can know that they are going to put up one hell of a fight. We’re pretty sure that we will get the best version of Morecambe and that will be a tough test. But we will come up with a plan. We aren’t a bottom half of the table team.”

I can’t tell you what Morecambe Manager Jim Bentley said prior to the game because neither the club’s website not the usual sources have listed any interview with him. Shame – what Big Jim has to say is always fascinating to listen to and the contrast with the stage-managed bore fests with Ashvir in the past are like chalk and cheese. However, the Shrimps had good news before the game even started. Brackley Town – just six points above us in the first safe position above the relegation berths – were beaten 5-3 at Boreham Wood – after pulling it back from 3-0 down at half time to make it 3-3 at one point – to make it five league defeats in a row under new Manager Andy Whing. Less good news for Jimbo was the absence from his squad of Lewis Payne following his sending-off last Tuesday and Miguel Azeez, who is injured. Timothy Akindileni and Paul Lewis replaced them.

Anyway, it was hardly a spring-like day in north-west Surrey as the match kicked-off this afternoon: grey with the threat of rain, not particularly warm but with little breeze.

United had the first shot of the afternoon after three minutes when Jamal Blackman easily saved an effort – which may have been meant as a cross – from United’s top scorer Lewis Simper. But just two minutes later, Jack Nolan got away on the right after being fed by Gwion Edwards and slung over a cross which Paul Lewis back-flicked into the back of the net for his first goal for the club.  It was worth waiting for… Kai Jennings then forced Jamal into another routine save with a weak shot from about twenty-five yards with ten minutes played.

Yann Songo’o won a free kick just outside the Sutton penalty area with twelve minutes on the clock which led to a run by Chris Popov on goal which was stopped by a superb tackle by Junior Eccleston. Morecambe won another free-kick after a quarter of an hour on their right, close to the corner flag. Jack Nolan took it and fired a perfect cross straight into the far corner as the home defence failed to react to it and U’s goalkeeper Jack Sims allowed it to drift past him. Popov then drew a brilliant block from Sutton Skipper Edon Pruti at the cost of a corner with 20 minutes played. Nolan took it – and scored again as Sims weakly flapped at the ball – and missed it once more. Three-nil up with hardly twenty minutes on the clock. Could it get any better?

It could – and it did. Popov got away once again and put a cross in from the right which Edwards met and forced another corner kick to the visitors in the twenty-fourth minute. From this, Popov headed over the bar. Then Sutton’s Captain lost possession, allowing Nolan to nip in and score the easiest goal he will net this season. It got even worse for the hosts just a minute later as Eccleston totally lost his head and scythed down Popov on the half way line and received a deserved straight red card from Referee Elliot Swallow.

Edwards then got away with about five minutes of the half left and found Popov in the middle but Chris’ effort went into the side netting. Sutton’s afternoon was summed-up when AFC Wimbledon loanee Osman Sidibay Foyo took a shot at goal just before the end of the half which was so wide that it actually hit the corner flag. Popov then had an excellent chance to get his name on the score sheet during injury time but took a wild shot from just fifteen yards out which sailed over the home crossbar. But Morecambe underlined their total superiority so far by ending the period on the front foot: Nolan’s free kick towards the massed rank of away defenders in the home penalty area managed to elude all of them just before the Referee ended the half.

So, as Sutton were booed off by some of the home fans, Morecambe went back to the Dressing Rooms in an unprecedented position in recent times. Four nil up and facing just ten men in the second half.

Jim sent Dan Ogwuru on to start the second period as Captain Yann Songo’o – who had been booked earlier – was given a breather. The game was scrappy in the second half with few chances for either side. But Popov got away again only to be denied by goalkeeper Sims’ foot in the seventieth minute. Then Edwards forced a corner which Harlee Dean headed over the bar five minutes later. Jim shook things up with fifteen minutes left and Ogwuru celebrated with another goal three minutes later. He simply blasted the ball into the top corner of the net to put the icing on the cake as far as Morecambe’s best away win of the campaign so far was concerned. Sims then did well to save from Popov with just a few minutes left.

So that was it – another excellent performance against Sutton and a really well merited result. Beneath us, Truro lost 2-0 at Altrincham but improving Gateshead came from behind to win 1-2 at Solihull Moors.  Above us, Braintree were hammered 1-4 at home by Wealdstone. So, at the end of the day, Morecambe found themselves at the top of the relegation pack ahead of Braintree on goal difference and just three points behind Brackley. Sutton fell to eighteenth but are still catchable, six points better off than the Shrimps tonight. This is what Jim Bentley made of it at the end of the game:

“Great performance. Clean sheet. Another hat-trick. Tough game. It’s a tough place to come. They have a certain way of playing – it’s very, very good. They ask questions; they’ve got good players. I said to their Manager afterwards: credit where credit’s due: you are a good side. But we set-up – as we have been doing – with regards to how we can press; where we can press; force a mistake. We did that. I thought we looked a threat on the counter-attack again; we look a threat on set-plays now as well. So there’s loads of positives. It’s three points. We’re still in a pickle but you can’t do no more than win two games back-to-back away from home. Great win. We’re Made Up. Up the Shrimps!”

Sutton United: 1 Jack Sims; 8 Lewis Simper (37 Charlie Bell 57’); 14 Edon Pruti (C); 26 Junior Eccleston (R); 28 Kai Jennings (Y) (23 Jayden Harris 80’); 29 Osman Sidibay Foyo (9 Davide Rodari 70’); 34 Brandon Njoku (Y) (10 Ashley Nadesan 57’); 39 Besart Topalloj; 42 Hayden Muller; 48 Jermaine Francis (47 Dubem Eze 80’); 50 Kwaku Donkor.

Subs not used: 13 Chris Haigh; 18 David Ogbonna.

Morecambe: 40 Jamal Blackman; 5 Harlee Dean; 7 Gwion Edwards (18 Ben Tollitt 75’); 12 Kyle Jameson (15 Ben Williams 63’); 16 Liam Hogan; 17 Paul Lewis (Y); 20 Mo Sangare (10 Jake Cain 63’); 24 Yann Songo’o (C) (Y) (23 Dan Ogwuru 45’); 33 Timothy Akindileni; 36 Jack Nolan (21 Joe Nuttall 75’); 42 Chris Popov.

Subs not used: 41 Myles Boney; 3 Raheem Conte.

Ref: Elliot Swallow.

Att: 2, 290 (121 from Morecambe.)