Morecambe Matchzone

Cheltenham Town 1:2 Morecambe

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Smash And Grab at Cheltenham

Cheltenham Manager Michael Duff took the Robins to the Play-Off Finals in last season’s COVID-19 interrupted campaign. Having won at Northampton, they then tamely lost their advantage in the last League Two game to be played at Whaddon Road. Staff and fans together would be hoping for even better things from the club this campaign and the omens have been good so far. Just like their visitors from Lancashire today, Town won away from home in the League Cup last Saturday. They did so by the only goal of the game against League One Peterborough. The team followed this up with another away win by the same score in the EFL Trophy at Newport, at the same time that Morecambe were contriving to lose at home to Rochdale in the same competition. The well-travelled Reuben Reid scored his first goal for his new club in South Wales and was rewarded with a place in today’s starting line-up against Morecambe. Derek Adams chose to promote Ben Pringle and Kelvin Mellor to the first eleven today

The Shrimps have a pretty poor record against the Gloucestershire club. They have met on twenty-two occasions in the past and Morecambe have won only five times – half the number of wins by today’s opponents.

It was sunny and quite warm as the match kicked-off and easy to think – as you watched a team in red and white playing against a stand identical to the old one at Morecambe’s previous ground – that we had somehow been transported back in time to Christie Park. But the team in red was Cheltenham and they went straight onto the front foot. Captain Ben Tozer unleashed one of Town’s Secret Weapons as early as the first minute with a truly huge long throw but the visitors looked lively on the break after five. Carlos Mendes-Gomes was involved on the Morecambe right and the ball found its way to Cole Stockton, whose shot was blocked.  But Cheltenham were dominating the play and Nathaniel Knight-Percival did well to clear a dangerous cross from the Robins’ left after seven minutes from the centre of the goal. Finn Azaz then teased the visiting defence on his right-wing after eight minutes and lobbed a fine cross to the far post which a diving Andy Williams might have done a lot better with. Ten minutes had been played when Williams wound his way down the left and put in a low cross which ping-ponged around the Morecambe penalty area before ending-up in Jake Turner’s grateful hands more by luck than judgement. Another long throw from Tozer was headed away for a corner by Knight-P after eleven minutes as the pressure from the home team increased. But on the break, the team in the black strip could have taken the lead after eighteen minutes. The eye-catching Pringle played-in Stephen Hendrie on the Shrimps’ left and next moment, a cross from him had hit Conor Thomas and bounced off Joshua Griffiths’ right-hand post with the goalkeeper possibly having got a despairing boot to it. After twenty-four minutes, Cheltenham took another of a succession of corners which they won during the first half. Turner pushed it out without a great deal of conviction and the ball was finally cleared. Two minutes later, Morecambe had a nice move on their left with Pringle and Knight-P prominent. But the hosts broke quickly up the other end and Turner found a shot too hot to handle; the ball was worked to the Town right and Thomas lobbed a cross to the far post. Turner seemed to think it was going over his bar but instead, it hit the junction of the post and bounced kindly for Alfie May to smash it past him from close range and put the Robins into the lead. Morecambe responded by increasing the pressure at the other end but Sam Lavelle’s header from a corner after half an hour was easily saved by the home goalkeeper. As Adam Phillips seemed slightly off the pace and Pringle continued to impress, Harry Davis could have been sent off with an off the ground lunge at Chris Clements as the ball ran away from him. To be fair, Clements didn’t make a meal of it and Referee Carl Brook only produced a yellow card. This was after 40 minutes. Just after that, Kelvin Mellor went on an excellent run on the Shrimps’ right and his cross was eagerly gathered-in by a relieved Griffiths in the home goal. But by far the best chance for the visitors to go in on equal terms arrived after 41 minutes. Mellor played a beautiful lob to Cole Stockton who, well-placed in the Robins’ penalty area, chose to try and chip the ball over the goalkeeper when a volley was called for. Whatever – he missed badly. Phillips also failed to produce any end result at all when beautifully set-up by Carlos with a couple of minutes of the half still to play. But Cheltenham had the last chance of the opening period and went back to the Dressing Rooms with a probably just about deserved lead.

The home side started the second half on the front foot. But substitute Liam McAlinden – on for an injured Cole – had a glorious chance to equalise for Morecambe after fifty minutes. Carlos found him with a clever pass which hit the big centre-forward’s heel. But he recovered, bore down on the goal and narrowly missed Griffith’s left hand post with a fierce strike. Down the other end, Cheltenham would have increased their lead with fifty-three minutes played but for a tremendous stop by Turner from a Will Boyle header following another huge throw from Ben Tozer. Four minutes later, the Mendes-Gomes/McAlinden combination almost came off again but the pass to the lively-looking substitute was just too short. Just before the hour, Liam showed some nice footwork before his shot was blocked and on the hour itself, Carlos seemed to me at least to be brought-down in the home box but Referee Mr Brook was not impressed. The home side were still clearly looking for a more emphatic win and Williams again caught the eye with a mazy run which came to nothing with 64 minutes on the clock. Three minutes later, McAlinden popped-up on the right flank and took an instant shot which whistled just wide of the far post. Town then put a free-kick just over the Morecambe bar and there were half-chances for both sides after that before the pivotal moment of the game arrived in the seventy-seventh minute. Clements fouled Phillips in the Robins’ penalty area and he picked himself up, dusted himself down and put the ball past Griffiths from the spot. The home team pushed forward again after this and had a couple of shots over the bar. But Morecambe still threatened on the break such as when Carlos turned and shot brilliantly after 86 minutes only for the home goalkeeper fumble the shot and then recover. Shrimps’ hearts were in their mouths just a couple of minutes later though when substitute Reuben Reid’s low shot only just missed the target. In injury time, however, McAlinden collected and held-up a long ball brilliantly and then played a killer pass to Carlos Mendes-Gomes. He finished the chance like an old pro – selling a dummy one way before placing a peach of a shot out of reach of Josh Griffiths to win the game for the club from Lancashire.

This was a really impressive victory for the Shrimps. Toumani Diagouraga was imperious throughout and never put a foot wrong. Ben Pringle looked like a potentially brilliant addition to the squad. The defence played confidently and like a unit throughout. But up-front, Liam McAlinden played like a proper centre forward all the time he was on, aided and abetted by the quicksilver Carlos Mendes-Gomes.

Two hundred miles away on the other side of Morecambe Bay, Barrow were drawing their first Football League game for nearly half a century. They drew at Holker Street against Stevenage – who in my opinion have no right to be in the EFL after their pathetic display last season. During the first half, a small plane towing a banner welcoming Barrow back to a League they should never have been kicked out of in the first place flew over their ground. Courtesy of Joint Morecambe Chairman Rod Taylor. Well done that man.

Well done Derek Adams today too. Well done everyone at the Mazuma Stadium. The win puts the Shrimps fourth in the nascent table. (Harrogate are top – well done to them too.) Cheltenham are eighteenth. For now.

Cheltenham Town:  20 Joshua Griffiths; 5 Charlie Raglan; 4 Ben Tozer; 15 Will Boyle; 7 Conor Thomas; 26 Liam Sercombe; 18 Finn Azaz; 8 Chris Clements (11 Matty Blair 80’); 3 Chris Hussey; 14 Andy Williams (9 Reuben Reid 85’); 10 Alfie May (16 Alex Addai 74’).

Subs not used: 22 Max Harris; 6 Dan Bowry; 19 George Lloyd; 23 Elliot Bonds.

 Morecambe:  1 Jake Turner; 2 Kelvin Mellor; 3 Stephen Hendrie; 4 Nathaniel Knight- Percival ; 5 Sam Lavelle (C); 6 Harry Davis; 8 Toumani Diagouraga; 11 Carlos Mendes- Gomes; 20 Adam Phillips (16 John O’Sullivan 88’); 18 Ben Pringle (14 Alex Kenyon 82’); 9 Cole Stockton (19 Liam McAlinden 45’).

Subs not used:   12 Mark Halstead; 7 Jordan Slew; 23 Freddie Price; 21 Ryan Cooney.

Referee: Carl Brook.

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