ENTERPRISE NATIONAL LEAGUE NORTH. TUESDAY, 28th OCTOBER 2026.

Teddy Leads the Charge against Darlington.

It’s not long ago (October 3^rd) that Morecambe swept Darlington aside by three goals to nil at the Halo Aerospace Stadium in an FA Cup tie. The North-Eastern club has had a pretty torrid time of late. They arrived this evening in the relegation zone of the National League North in twenty-second position; four points from safety and on the back of three losses and only a solitary victory in their last six league fixtures. This happened last Saturday at home, where they walloped local rivals but bottom-of-the-table Spennymoor Town by three goals to nil, courtesy of Dylan Stephenson, who netted a hat-trick.

Ex- Newcastle United and Everton defender Steve Watson – who had been at the helm last time Morecambe played the Quakers and had been the Manager of the club for the previous three years – left his post `by mutual consent’ on October 19<sup>th</sup>. Beating the league’s bottom club may not be much evidence of the fabled `new Manager bounce’ but Interim Boss Terry Mitchell would be doing all he could to upset his Opposite Number’s plans tonight. So Adam Lakeland and his merry men would need to guard against overconfidence or complacency as they faced Darlo under the lights.

The Shrimps started the game in eleventh position in the National League North on the back of three wins and two losses in their last six league outings. On Saturday, they did brilliantly to win on a 3G pitch for the first time this season as a severe rain storm constantly swept across it in South Wales against Merthyr Town. There were some very promising signs as Taelor O’Kane scored on his first start of the season and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts finished the 1-3 victory with a brilliant virtuoso goal not unlike the one he managed against Darlington only just over three weeks ago. So hopes would be high of a further three points for the men in the red shirts this evening. This is what the Shrimps’ Manager said prior to the game:

“We’re expecting another very difficult game. It’s never nice to see a fellow manager lose their job, and I wish Steve all the best. As is quite often the case when a manager departs, there can be an initial reaction from the players, which was evident in their win against Spennymoor on Saturday. They have changed their shape in recent games as well and have some senior players returning to the squad. We anticipate a tough fixture and know we’ll need to play well to win.”

It was windy and there were flecks of rain in it by the side of the Irish Sea as the game started on a pitch which has had a liberal sprinkling of water on it during the last few stormy days.

Morecambe started as if they were going to run up a cricket score tonight. They looked sharp; quick and determined and in Official Man of the Match Isaac Buckley-Ricketts, the visitors had their hands full once again all night. He was fouled on the Morecambe left after just a couple of minutes. Jake Cain took the free-kick and the ball fell for Skipper Liam Hogan at the far post, who let fly only to see huge visiting goalkeeper Bobby Jones manage to block the shot. Isaac then warmed Jones’ hands with a shot of his own in the fifth minute. Ruben Curley then made the perfect pass to Joe Garner in order to set-up Paul Lewis after 12 minutes but Paul put the ball over the bar when well placed in front of goal. For the first quarter of an hour, the visitors were basically pinned in their own half with their backs to the wall. When they suddenly broke away in the sixteenth minute, Jacon Hazel took a wild shot which went hopelessly wide of the target to the great amusement of the massed ranks of Morecambe fans behind the goal. In the twentieth minute, Hogan again tried his luck and actually beat Jones this time only for Aidan Rutledge to hook the ball off the goal-line.

After about this point, though, I thought that the Shrimps went off the boil and lost their way. The game developed into a scrappy mess with little structure and very little skill from either side. Darlo came a bit more into it and might even have taken the lead just before half time. Taelor O’Kane had headed narrowly over at one end before Ethan Fitzhugh got away from the home defence and found Dylan Stephenson only to see Myles Boney pull-off a truly spectacular stop using his legs at full stretch: a truly brilliant piece of improvisation.

So it was nil-nil at half time. Morecambe had enough chances to be as many as four up but didn’t take them and could have got caught out right at the death.

In the second half, they again started brightly and then faded once more after a while. They should have taken the lead after ten minutes of the re-start when Elliot Newby slid a perfect pass forwards for Buckley-Ricketts to run onto. But Isaac delayed his shot too long and Jones was able to make another very good save. After almost an hour, Jonah Lowes tried his luck from distance with a shot which Myles struggled to hang onto. I thought at this point that Darlington were in the ascendency. Morecambe seemed to have run out of ideas. The Darlo back line were coping better with danger man B-R and Joe Garner was getting absolutely no change out of the central defenders whatsoever. Fitzhugh then came mighty close for the visitors with a fierce shot after an hour and then a Rutledge effort for the Quakers came close in the 62^nd minute.

Adam Lancashire finally shook things up after seventy-one minutes. Marcus Neil was introduced for his debut. Then Teddy Collis was brought-on during the eightieth minute. And the changes should have made a pretty dramatic impact. Marcus was clearly pulled-back in the penalty area with 75 minutes on the clock. A more obvious penalty you will never see. But Referee Scott Henry – who I thought had acquitted himself reasonably well until this point – didn’t give it. To compound this folly, he issued no sort of card to the offender, nor did he book Neil for diving – which would have been his only option having denied the foul. My, how we booed – and it’s true: he really didn’t what he’s doing…

But Collis – more effective in just a few minutes than Garner had been all game – looked like he was A Man On A Mission. He hit two shots over the bar in quick succession just after he had come onto the field. Then he scored what turned out to be the crucial goal with just six minutes scheduled to play, sliding the ball between Jones’ legs to finally break the deadlock after a short performance of sheer determination.

So that was it. It looked at times tonight that – despite some good approach play and numerous chances – that Morecambe were going to be frustrated. They deserved to win because they played nearly all the football. Darlington were playing for a draw even in the first half and it’s always good to see a team which indulges the Dark Arts beaten at a point when it’s too late for them to change their cynical approach. If Morecambe hadn’t won it would have been a travesty – Mr Henry’s decision on the `penalty’ was nothing short of diabolical. The latest three points pushed the Shrimps to tenth place in the National League North – just two points shy of the Play-Offs. Darlo’s latest defeat sees them stuck in the relegation zone, where they probably deserve to be in all truth.

I don’t know what Adam Lakeland made of it all but as soon as I do, I will update this.

Morecambe: 13 Myles Boney; 2 Cameron Coxe (24 Luca Davis 90’); 4 Liam Hogan (C); 6 Lewis Baines; 9 Joe Garner (23 Marcus Neil 71’); 11 Elliot Newby (7 Teddy Collis 80’); 14 Isaac Buckley-Ricketts (19 Ronnie Blois 79’); 17 Paul Lewis; 18 Taelor O’Kane (3 Ben Williams (Y) 71’); 20 Jake Cain; 22 Ruben Curley.

Subs Not Used: 1 Joe Young; 26 Lennon Dobson.

Darlington: 1 Bobby Jones; 5 Toby Lees; 6 Max Kilsby (Y); 11 Dylan Stephenson; 12 Luke Bell; 14 Hayden Atkinson (Y); 17 Ethan Fitzhugh (16 Jacob Render 78’); 21 Jacob Hazel (9 Mark Beck 81’); 24 Jonah Lowes (8 Will Hatfield 71’); 25 Aidan Rutledge (4 Tom Platt 63’); 29 Paddy McLaughlin (C) (27 Tom Henson 89’).

Subs not used: 10 Ellis Stanton; 22 Ciaran Thompson.

Ref: Scott Henry.

Att: 2,185 (106 from Darlo.)

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