ENTERPRISE NATIONAL LEAGUE. FRIDAY, 28th AUGUST 2026.

Morecambe Dice with Death against Telford.

The Shrimps played a game under lights at the Halo Stadium tonight after the original match against AFC Telford United was put back almost 24 hours presumably due to television schedules. Whatever, the Morecambe website tells us the following about the Bucks:

“They play their home matches at the New Bucks Head, a stadium capable of holding more than 6,000 supporters.

Telford enjoyed several seasons in the National League during the 2010s and lifted the Conference North title in 2013/14. After narrowly missing out on promotion in 2023/24, they secured a return to National League North last season through the Southern League Premier Central play-offs.

Managed by Kevin Wilkin, the Shropshire side are renowned for their passionate fanbase and strong home support, making trips to the New Bucks Head one of the division’s toughest assignments.”

Sounds a bit daunting, doesn’t it? Telford is actually a so-called `New Town` – like Skem; Kirkby or Harlow in the south – built to house former inhabitants of city `slums’. Its population multiplied rapidly as former villages such as Wellington and Oakengates were linked together by new housing schemes and concrete ring roads during the 1960s. Initially called Dawley New Town, it was re-named after famous engineer Thomas Telford in 1968.

The original club was founded as long ago as 1875. Five years later, it was known as Wellington Town. It became Telford United during 1969. The following year, they lost 2-0 to Macclesfield in the first ever FA Trophy Final but won it in 1971, beating Hillingdon Borough 3-2. They continued to be moderately successful and were members of the Football Conference ­when the club went bust with debts of four million pounds in 2004.

AFC Telford United immediately replaced the old club and started life in the Northern Premier League, Division One. They beat Kendal Town 2-1 in the Play-Off Final at the end of their first season as a new club and were rewarded with promotion to the NPL Premier Division. They left this for the then Conference North after again qualifying via the Play-Offs, where they finally defeated Witton Albion 3-1 in the Final. In 2010, they reached the promotion Final of this competition as well and were promoted to the Conference Premier after beating Guiseley by three goals to two. However, their upward trajectory came to an end in 2013 when they came bottom of the league and were relegated back to the Conference North. They bounced straight back only to be immediately relegated anew. They came bottom of the re-named National League North in 2023 and ended-up in the Premier Division Central of the Southern League. Once again, AFC Telford worked its magic in a Play-Off Final and were promoted back to the National League North after beating Kettering 4-2 in 2025. Last season, they finished eleventh in the table.

By far the most famous player to have played for both Morecambe and Telford is Jim Bentley, who has also managed both clubs. Current Morecambe squad member Elliot Newby has also played for the Bucks in the past.

The clubs have met six times before in the past with them both winning three. Morecambe will entertain AFC Telford United on Friday 28^th August 2026 at 19:45hrs. They will then travel the 120 miles to Telford on Saturday 27^th February at 15:00hrs.

Morecambe started tonight’s match under a cloud. Four games played; a single point gained; two goals scored and rock bottom of the sixth tier of English football in the pyramid. Their performance against previously bottom-of-the-table Radcliffe last Saturday (a club who started the game with no points at all) was absolutely dire. With the club in crisis off the field for far too many reasons to mention succinctly here, it seems to be no better on the pitch either.

Manager Adam Lakeland said after the Radcliffe debacle:

”We’re a little bit lost at the moment. At the end of the day, you’ve got to compete; roll your sleeves up. You’ve got to be prepared to put your body on the line for the team. I’m not seeing enough of that. I can’t tell you how much that pains me. You’ve got to work hard – particularly when you’re playing for a club the size of Morecambe in this league. Teams are bang up for it when they play against us. And if we’re not at it, we’ll just continue to get run over. I won’t stand around and tolerate that. There’s a few of (the players) that are fortunate that we are under an embargo. And there’s a few of them who are lucky that we’ve (got injuries) because I would be making changes. We need to find a different level; find a different gear. And I need more from people.”

AFC Telford actually aren’t doing much better themselves. They arrived in Lancashire with just two points on the board, two places higher than the Shrimps in the relegation zone. They drew 1-1 with Hednesford Town last Saturday and 2-2 at Merthyr the previous Tuesday. But they lost their first game of the season 1-2 at home against Brackley and the second 2-1 at Worksop. So it was all to play for at the Bottom of the League tonight: if either team could win, they would be out of the relegation zone for at least a few hours until Saturday’s regular fixtures would be completed.

With the club under an embargo and unable to sign replacements and with Cameron Coxe; Lewis Leigh and Taelor O’Kane all injured, Adam found himself down to the bare bones to choose a team from tonight.  He dropped goalkeeper Joe Young to the bench after his gaffe gave the first goal to Radcliffe last Saturday and there was no place for the quicksilver but lightweight Elijah Buckley-Ricketts in the starting eleven either tonight.

It was quite warm with very little breeze but drizzle in the air as the match started and grew older. Morecambe came out of the traps quickly and took the game to the visitors right from the off. Teddy Collis finished off a superb forward move within two minutes to put the Shrimps one goal to the good. He was in the right place at the right time to get on the end of a superb pass by Elliot Newby before coolly beating Wolves loanee Lewis Benjamin in the away goal.

It was virtually one-way traffic during the first half and the home team could have been further ahead if it was not for two goal-line clearances by Zak Lilly with twenty and thirty-four minutes gone. The match wasn’t helped by Referee Thomas Wilson who made some really bizarre decisions tonight and allowed a couple of appallingly bad fouls by Telford defenders to go unpunished. Sam McLintock was finally taken-off by his Manager but probably should have been sent off for constant infringements and at least one truly horrendous foul.  Similarly, their big, clumsy Centre Half Oliver Cawthorne trod a very thin line all night and in my opinion was lucky to end the game with just a yellow card to his name.

After ten minutes, another good Morecambe move saw Newby force a save from Benjamin only for Skipper Will Smith to blast the loose ball spectacularly wide of the target. Smith then headed wide after a quick counter-attack instigated by his own goalkeeper with Newby sending a long cross goalwards from the left after almost half an hour. Myles’ Opposite Number at the other end pulled-off a truly brilliant save with 38 minutes played as he somehow managed to keep out a Joe Garner header following another cross from the Morecambe left. But the home team got what their efforts had deserved so far when Collis made it a brace right at the death of the half: striking a shot which went in off Benjamin’s left-hand post as he made a brave but vain attempt to keep it out.

If Morecambe were to replicate this performance in the second half, an easy win and a comfortable place out of the relegation zone seemed a dead-cert.

But it wasn’t to be. AFC Telford came out early during the break and were being coached on the field some time before the Shrimps joined them on the pitch. As a result, the visitors started the half well.

Jack Lambert’s effort was headed off the line by Liam Hogan with his goalkeeper beaten with just two minutes of the re-start on the clock but the Shrimps didn’t heed the warning.

They tried to drop back and play on the counter-attack and created a couple of half-chances by doing so. But this negative tactic handed the initiative to the visiting team. And although a Bucks side which looked at best mediocre on the night couldn’t take full advantage, they gradually took control of the game and might have drawn – or even won it – at the death.

Substitute Jaiden White was fouled in the eightieth minute. The subsequent free-kick fell perfectly for Matty Stenson but the Buck’s Number Nine contrived to miss the target altogether from two yards out. Boney then made a really good save at the cost of a corner direct from a free-kick on the Bucks’ left with a few minutes left to play. But from this corner, poor defending saw Morecambe concede as veteran striker and substitute Louis Moult managed to knock the ball over the line as it bounced around in the home penalty area. So it was Squeaky Bum time for the rest of the game.

The Shrimps could have thrown this game away tonight. When they attacked – as they did in the first half – they looked unbeatable. But once they changed this tactic in the second half, they lost all momentum and handed the initiative to the visitors.

But they got away with it tonight. Morecambe’s first win in the National League North saw them shoot up the table to seventeenth position, however fleetingly. Telford fell to the very bottom of the Division.

It’s just turned midnight now and there is no news of how Morecambe Manager Adam Lakeland interpreted what went on this evening. As soon as whatever he said to the media after the game becomes available, I will share it with you.

Morecambe:  13 Myles Boney; 3 Ben Williams (Y); 4 Liam Hogan (Y); 5 Will Smith (C); 6 Lewis Baines; 7 Teddy Collis (14 Elijah Buckley-Ricketts 71’); 20 Jake Cain; 9 Joe Garner (Y) (27 Adam Fairclough 93’); 10 Matty Daly (26 Lennon Dobson 93’); 11 Elliot Newby; 17 Paul Lewis.

Subs Not Used: 1 Joe Young; 29 Oscar Wright; 30 Corey Goodyear.

AFC Telford United: 13 Lewis Benjamin; 2 Matt Curley; 4 Zak Lilly; 6 Alex Fletcher; 9 Matty Stenson; 11 Jack Lambert (19 Jaiden White 73’); 12 Dion Kelly-Evans (5 Orrin Pendley 89’); 14 Sam McLintock (Y) (31 Louis Moult 71’); 15 Rio Owen; 16 Oliver Cawthorne (Y); 24 Remi Walker.

Subs Not Used: 1 Brandon Hall; 8 Dylan Mitchell; 17 Rhys Hilton.

Ref: Thomas Wilson.

Att: 2,302. (Enough from Telford to make themselves heard during the second half – safe journey home to all of them.)