ENTERPRISE NATIONAL LEAGUE. SATURDAY, 21st MARCH 2026.

“We didn’t really lay a Glove” on the Glovers.

Morecambe made the 287 mile trip to Somerset today to face Yeovil Town for the tenth time ever in all competitions.

The Glovers started today’s match at Huish Park seven precious points ahead of the Shrimps but having played one fixture fewer.  They were in nineteenth place in the National League, on the back of just two wins and four defeats in their last six league games. The most recent of these losses occurred last Tuesday, when they went down by the only goal of the contest at Woking to make it three defeats in a row in the National League. Yeovil’s nine previous encounters with the Shrimps were all in League Two except one. This was last November, when the two clubs drew 0-0 in a truly dire National League game in Lancashire (where Jamal Blackman saved our bacon with a phenomenal penalty save) to add a single stalemate to the five matches won by Morecambe during their previous meetings with just two losses.

With improving Gateshead beating Wealdstone by the only goal of the game last Tuesday on Tyneside, Morecambe found themselves three points behind one of their closest rivals for relegation in the shape of the Heed prior to kick-off this afternoon. They started today’s match in twenty-second position in the National League.

So the stakes were clear today. For the hosts, nothing but a win would do to steady a seemingly faltering ship and put some more clear water between themselves and the Legion of the Doomed at the bottom of the NL table. For the visitors, a win would drag Yeovil within striking distance whilst at the same time giving them at least the theoretical possibility of escaping from the relegation places altogether this evening.

This is how Town Manager Billy Rowley assessed the task facing his players prior to today’s clash. After the defeat against Woking, he said:

“If we play like we did in the first half, we might as well throw in the towel now. It’s up to the lads what we want to do. I need to understand why we do that. It’s a mentality thing; it’s a psychological thing. There’s pressure on all of us. I just want the kick-off now for Saturday, to be honest. Like – let’s just go there and try and win the three points.” 

Interviewed again yesterday, he perhaps surprisingly criticised himself for being `too emotional’ in this response to yet another loss under his stewardship of the club. He added, as far as the tie against the Shrimps is concerned:

“It’s a massive game for us. Every game’s massive. We’ve got nine left. We just need to concentrate on this one game that’s in front of us. We are going to be doing all we can to get a result in this game. They are without any doubt in a false league position. They’ve got some really good players. They were obviously on a really bad run of form. That’s stopped now – sadly for us. But we’re at home. We’re always in the game; we never give up- and that’s the message Saturday: we’re going to go to Huish and try and get three points, yeah!”

For Morecambe Manager Jim Bentley, the game meant that there is

“No margin for error now. We can’t have any `ifs’; `buts’; `maybes’ like we did in the last game on Saturday. If only we would have cleared the ball; if only we would have got tighter to the 9 in the box. We limited Braintree to three shots on target. On another day, we win comfortably. We’re in that situation where we can’t have that anymore. But it would be nice to get three points on the board – get back to winning ways. You can’t dwell; you can’t be too negative. You’ve got to lick your wounds; take it on the chin and come out fighting again. Everyone’s looking forward to the weekend; everyone’s positive. Any game’s winnable. You can’t look too far ahead and you can’t fear anyone. We always respect the opposition but we don’t fear anyone. We know that we’re capable. And as I’ve said from Day One, it’s Cup Final mentality: the biggest game’s the next one and that’s where all our energies are going to: it’s Yeovil away at the weekend. They’re not in great form themselves. It could be a good time to play them. I think we’ve got a good chance of winning the game.”

Jim chose Mo Sangare to start in preference to Miguel Azeez, who was dropped to the bench today. Jake Cain was also supposed to be in the starting eleven but suffered a tweak when warming-up and had his place taken by Ben Williams instead.

The weather was glorious as the game kicked-off: sunny, warm and with no threat of rain.

The game was scrappy in the opening few minutes with little quality or pattern from either side. Morecambe won a free-kick after a foul on Gwion Edwards with seven minutes played. It was cleared only for Mo Sangare’s eventual effort to fly way over the bar. But the home team drew the first blood after ten minutes when Brett McGavin took a shot from a long way out which beat Jamal Blackman’s despairing dive to his left and went into the back of the net via the post after bouncing out and hitting the prone goalkeeper and rebounding over the line.

The game reverted to a scrappy, shapeless bore for about another ten minutes after this with Jamal constantly launching bazookas over the top towards his forwards usually to no effect whatsoever as Yeovil’s huge Captain – Jacob Wannell – headed any dangerous balls away time after time. Town’s Terrell Works then intercepted Liam Hogan’s attempted pass as the Shrimps were pushing forward after 23 minutes. James Daly got away on the Glovers’ left and slid a low cross right across the away goalmouth on the break but there was nobody there in green to turn it home.

Jack Nolan took a free-kick on the Morecambe right with 26 minutes played but Skipper Yann Songo’o’s acrobatic effort at the far post was blocked by the Glovers’ defence. Sangare did well to win the ball shortly afterwards; he played it to Edwards who scampered down the left wing and slung over a cross which was cleared for a corner kick on the Shrimps’ left. From this, a clearly well-rehearsed routine saw Nolan play the ball back to Jack Payne, who teed-up an approaching Gwion to dribble his way into the home penalty area and beat home custodian Jed Ward with a scuffed shot which went through a forest of legs to settle low in the far corner of the net to the goalkeeper’s left.

Blackman then had Morecambe fans’ hearts in their mouths as he came for a McGavin free-kick after 27 minutes and completely missed the ball which was cleared for a corner which came to nothing. Kyle Jameson then tripped over his own feet with forty minutes played but Troy Perrett was unable to take full advantage, putting a poor shot into the side netting when he had a clear run on goal.

So Morecambe came off at half time perhaps a tad fortunate to be on level terms. They had looked leggy and short of ideas for most of the match so far and their only attempt at goal had gone in. Their decision to constantly play Route One from the goalkeeper wasn’t working – but they kept on doing it. Yeovil frankly weren’t a lot better. But the good news for the Shrimps was – with Gateshead and Brackley both losing and Braintree only drawing at home – Morecambe were doing better than most of their nearest rivals.

The visitors dominated possession in the opening minutes of the second half but Yeovil asked the first question after five minutes of the re-start as Works cut the ball back for Perrett to force an excellent save from Blackman at close range. Town then sent on the superbly-named Delano McCoy-Splatt for his debut in midfield after being signed on-loan from AFC Wimbledon during the week.  He impressed – the lad clearly has class. McCoy-Splatt was given all the time in the world with 58 minutes on the clock to pick-out Works to the right of centre from Yeovil’s point of view. He in turn played-in James Daly and he made no mistake with a shot which beat the visiting goalkeeper and two defenders on the line to restore the hosts’ lead. It was a really poor goal to concede from Morecambe’s point of view. Just four minutes later, it got even worse for the visitors. Ryan Jones took a corner from the Yeovil right and then buried the ball in the bottom corner when it found its way back to him with a superbly-placed shot which beat Blackman all ends up low to his left after crossing the penalty area from right to left.

Paul Lewis was adjudged by Referee Aaron Farmer to have been fouled in the home penalty area with fifteen minutes scheduled to play. It seemed pretty harsh at the Huish (sorry…) Nolan duly converted it from the spot to give the Shrimps a lifeline.

Jim shook things up towards the end of the game but it was to no avail. Despite nine minutes of injury time, Morecambe never seriously threatened to reduce the arrears any further and basically lost with a whimper.

This was a really disappointing effort this afternoon. A poor Yeovil team did precisely enough to achieve what they needed to – reverse a string of three straight defeats with three points which will probably see them safe in the Division for this season. Morecambe didn’t really turn-up today at a time when they really needed to do exactly that. There was no guile to the way they played; far too much hoofing it up the field and just a general lack of dynamism as far too many of their players failed to put in a proper shift.

Elsewhere, bottom club Truro surprisingly won 0-3 at Sutton but Gateshead were beaten 3-0 at Boreham Wood as Scunny came from behind to win 2-3 at Braintree and Brackley were walloped 4-0 at York. So – as Yeovil breathe easier this evening in sixteenth place in the National League, the Shrimps remain twenty-second.

This is how Jim Bentley said he felt at the end of the match:

“Obviously, first and foremost, disappointed. There was nothing in the game. The two goals, second half, were criminal. It wasn’t a great game but there was nothing in it; it was nip and tuck; we were well in the game. Second half, we didn’t win the second balls as much as what we have been doing. We certainly didn’t pass the ball as well as we can do. We gave it away far too many times: poor decision-making. We didn’t do enough. There was nine minutes’ injury time but we didn’t really lay a glove on them. We let them off the hook. We give fouls away as well – too many fouls. We’ve got to come out fighting on Wednesday and give it our best.”

Yeovil Town: 1 Jed Ward; 2 Joy Mukena; 5 Finn Cousin-Dawson; 6 Jacob Wannell (C); 10 Ryan Jones (21 Harvey Greenslade 84’); 11 James Daly; 14 Brett McGavin; 18 Troy Perrett (37 Delano McCoy-Splatt 53’); 19 Josh Sims; 26 Kyle Ferguson; 38 Terrell Works (3 Alex Whittle 66’).

Subs not used: 22 Matthew Gould; 20 Millar Matthews-Lewis; 30 O Hughes; 34 Jaydon Biss.

Morecambe: 40 Jamal Blackman; 2 Lewis Payne (Y); 5 Harlee Dean; 7 Gwion Edwards (18 Ben Tollitt (Y) 87’); 12 Kyle Jameson (15 Ben Williams 68’); 16 Liam Hogan; 17 Paul Lewis (Y) (21 Joe Nuttall 87’); 20 Mo Sangare (23 Dan Ogwuru 76’); 24 Yann Songo’o (C) (8 Miguel Azeez 68’ ); 36 Jack Nolan; 42 Chris Popov.

Subs not used: 41 Myles Boney; 33 Timothy Akindileni.

Ref: Aaron Farmer.

Att: 2,715 (66 from Morecambe.)