Sop-horrific Salford and Shrimps induce Snores
Morecambe visited the Peninsular Stadium tonight for an EFL Trophy match following an interesting week. Last Wednesday, they were hammered at home seven-nil by virtually the same Premiership line-up for Newcastle United which left North London with a point from their match with Spurs last Sunday. But not a million miles from Tottenham on the Essex coast, the Shrimps had come from behind to beat bottom of League Two Southend United 1-2 the previous day. It could be argued that being put to the sword by a massively expensive team of absurdly well-paid Premiership footballers is no disgrace for a club with scant resources such as Morecambe. It is also argued that the EFL Trophy is a Tin Pot competition not worth entering. But I am (more or less) reliably informed that there were eight thousand pounds in that Tin Pot and available for a winner tonight. So nobody can seriously suggest that this game wasn’t worth playing – particularly with the funding crisis affecting lower-division and non-league clubs because of the Coronavirus crisis.
Morecambe and Salford have only met once before when they drew 2-2 in a League Two match last year at what was then the Globe Arena. (The reverse fixture was cancelled because of COVID-19.) So this was the first time the Shrimps had visited Moss Lane and a club put on the map by its superstar Manchester United owners and the extensive television coverage this attracted. Not that United did the Ammies (er – Salford Amateurs was the club’s original name) any favours in the previous round of this competition – their Academy side won here by six goals to nil. Morecambe too lost their first EFL Trophy game when they threw away a lead to lose to Rochdale 1-2 at the Mazuma Stadium.
Whilst Salford Manager Graham Alexander threw goalkeeper Ian Evans straight into the fray for the first time, Morecambe boss Derek Adams chose to start with A-Jay Leitch-Smith for the first time this season and also gave new signing Yann Songo’o – who came on as a substitute against Southend – a place in the starting line-up, which was virtually completely different from the one which started at Roots Hall.
On a perfectly-prepared pitch, the visitors kicked-off on a dry evening and drew the quickest yellow card possibly ever recorded. Toumani Diagouraga lost possession, City progressed up their left to the edge of the Morecambe penalty area and Nathaniel KP conceded a foul which was worthy of a booking. From the resultant free-kick, Mark Halstead produced a top-notch save as he pushed Ibou Touray’s excellent free-kick away from his right-hand top corner over the bar. Salford Skipper Ashley Eastham then had a half-chance after five minutes which was blocked at the expense of a corner. At the other end, AJ showed a deft touch or two on the Morecambe left before producing a cross which the Ammies’ defence managed to clear without too much trouble. The home team then tried their luck after nine and thirteen minutes without troubling the visiting goalkeeper but at the other end, debutant Will Evans had not been tested even once – and this was still the case at the end of an utterly dreary first half. Ben Pringle ran around like a lost soul for the Shrimps; Jordan Slew showed the occasional decent touch; Sam Lavelle made too many mistakes and Stephen Hendrie put on a poor display generally. Salford weren’t a lot better but they did create all the chances. Mark Halstead again excelled himself with a fine reaction save to a shot following a clever spin and turn by James Wilson with just over half an hour played, for example. But the half ended in character with the rest of the game so far: scrappily. The ball bounced off Lavelle to a Salford player on their left; he squared it into the centre and Wilson smacked the ball home to put City ahead.
The second half was dreadful as well. Morecambe’s play was disjointed; there were far too many free-kicks and stoppages and far too little skill or intelligence from either set of players. Having said that, Salford played what little football there was and Halstead earned his corn again with a couple of decent saves. Diagouraga picked-up his customary yellow card; Yann Songo’o was not best pleased when he ended-up among the advertising hoardings and was clearly thinking about taking retribution upon the Salford player he deemed guilty for it. Perhaps the only positive for the visitors to take out of the game was that AJ managed to put in an eighty-minute shift. However, in injury time – by which time you would have imagined that even the payers must have been bored out of their skulls – substitute and Birthday Boy Ash Hunter celebrated with another easy goal which Hendrie should have dealt with. And all through an utterly dire hour and a half of total footballing drivel, young Will Evans must have wished he’d brought his phone or a book or a jigsaw or even some knitting with him: he had absolutely nothing to do all evening and that in itself sums-up Morecambe’s utterly inept display tonight.
So, all in all, this was a game which will not live long in the memory. For what it’s worth (eight grand remember) Salford are next to bottom of the Trophy table with three points. Below them are tonight’s opponents with a very well deserved no points at all. What a waste of an evening: counting slug trails or watching the proverbial paint dry would have been far more compelling…
Salford City: 31 William Evans; 3 Ibou Touray (Y); 5 Ashley Eastham (C); 11 Bruno Andrade; 16 Jordan Turnbull; 19 James Wilson (35 Sam Fielding 83’); 24 Martin Smith; 28 Alex Denny; 32 Tylor Golden; 33 Liam Loughlin (10 Ashley Hunter 82’); 37 Brandon Thomas-Asante (Mani Dieseruvwe 80’).
Subs not used: 1 Václav Hladky; Hayden Evans; Kevin Berkoe; Hayden Campbell; Hawkins; 7 Luke Armstrong.
Morecambe: 12 Mark Halstead; 2 Kelvin Mellor; 3 Stephen Hendrie (Y); 4 Nathaniel Knight-Percival (Y); 5 Sam Lavelle (C); 7 Jordan Slew; 8 Toumani Diagouraga (Y); 17 A-Jay Leitch-Smith (20 Adam Phillips 80’); 24 Yann Songo’o; 19 Liam McAlinden (23 Freddie Price 72’); 18 Ben Pringle.
Subs not used: 1 Jake Turner; 9 Cole Stockton; 14 Alex Kenyon; 22 Liam Gibson; 21 Ryan Cooney.
Ref: James Bell.
Attendance: None. Luckily for everyone concerned.
