Memory Lane: Morecambe v Swindon Town.
There aren’t many happy memories for Morecambe fans as far as Swindon Town – who they should be entertaining at the Globe Arena today, Easter Monday – are concerned. They have played each other eight times in all competitions and the Shrimps have never won even a single contest and lost seven of them, including their 3-1 reverse in Wiltshire last August. The first time they met was when Morecambe were still a non-league team and they were unlucky to lose 1-0 in an FA Cup tie at the County Ground in 2006. I remember a Robins’ fan ringing Radio 5 Live after the game and apologising to everyone, saying that the result was a travesty. Be that as it may, one of the few at least funny memories I have of previous clashes was when Paulo de Canio was Town’s manager. So let’s go back to Easter eight years ago and start with that game. I won’t pile on the misery with too many other recollections – let’s just keep it to four this time.
Morecambe 0:1 Swindon Town. Npower League Two. Good Friday 6th April 2012.
We wuz Swindoned…
Swindon Town visited the Globe Arena for the first time today sitting proudly on top of the League Two table. This must have made them feel confident in itself. If we add to this the facts that they had never previously lost to the Shrimps and had beaten them at the County Ground a whole three-nil only last December, they had reason – at least before the game started – to be pretty confident of coming away with a positive result again.
Once it kicked-off, though, this didn’t seem likely to be the case: the hosts were much the better team throughout the first half. After just four minutes – with referee Graham sensibly applying whatever the off-side rule is these days – Lewis Allesandra brilliantly burst past flailing Robins’ defenders and bore down on their goal unchallenged right in the centre of the pitch. Morecambe really should have gone ahead. But, having done all the hard work, Allesandra sent his shot just wide of Wes Foderingham’s right-hand post.
This was one of few clear-cut opportunities during the first period but what goal-mouth action was missing was more than compensated for by the struggle for supremacy that was happening on it – and equally by the events which were happening off it.
Someone should choreograph Paulo di Canio’s antics on the touch-line. These were so Over-The-Top at times today that they were almost a parody of the stereotypical way some Italian men might be expected to behave. As the Morecambe mascot Christie the Cat joined in – to the amusement of at least the home crowd – it was worth the fee just to watch the immaculately-dressed Mr Di Canio’s Never Knowingly Undersold performance by the main stage – sorry – stand.
Not that there was a poor game going on in front of Swindon’s Manager as far as the neutrals were concerned. As Morecambe pressed the visitors back into their own half, Swindon relied on the occasional counter attack. None of these ever resulted in Barry Roche in the home goal being tested and the visitors didn’t even win a single corner kick during the opening 45 minutes. Swindon’s first attempt on goal came after nine minutes, Luke Rooney’s wild shot from near the corner flag going straight into touch. After twenty-three minutes, during a rare foray into Morecambe territory, Jay McEverley’s extraordinarily indecisive throw-in finally went to a part of the pitch populated by precisely nobody and tricked slowly and impotently over the Shrimps’ goal-line: if there had been a girder low enough in the stand for his Manager to swing from, Mr Di Canio probably would have done so in his obvious and exceedingly melodramatic frustration. (And possibly swung McEverley from it as well…) So goodness knows how he felt when – just a minute later – a forward pass from his team when making progress in the right direction met with a similar fate: going innocuously into touch to give the home team an easy goal kick.
And so it went on: Morecambe pressed; Swindon reacted to them. Morecambe dictated the play: Swindon backed-off and never even looked like taking charge.
With forty minutes on the clock, Simon Ferry blasted the ball way over the Morecambe bar when well placed and then stamped his little feet on the pitch. And off it, his Manager obviously thought: “Whatever you can do, I can do better!” – his resulting histrionics were even wilder than ever.
The way Paulo di Canio behaved throughout the first half would seem to indicate that he was not used to seeing his team closed-down and harried into the sort of mistakes he was witnessing.
But what do I know? – maybe he ALWAYS behaves like this….
With nine minutes played, the Shrimps had a good shout for a penalty when Danny Carlton seemed to be fouled in the area but the referee waved play-on. Ten minutes later, the visiting goalkeeper even more clearly used his hand to control the ball after rushing out of his penalty area to make an interception – but once again, the referee wasn’t interested. And to be fair to him, Fred Graham officiated pretty well throughout this match, keeping the ball in play whenever possible, having the occasional quiet word when individual players became over-exuberant and adding-on all the time that – particularly in the second half – the visitors took every available opportunity to waste: in the best possible Italian style. (Which – to be fair – could also be applied to Paulo di Canio’s impeccable jacket and hat at least…)
Town’s substitutes didn’t appear for the half-time warm-up until just before kick-off and there was a feeling that the players from Wiltshire were being treated to quite a number of Anglo-Saxon phrases mixed-in with their Italian Manager’s otherwise presumably exclusively English Language team-talk at half time.
Whatever he said had an immediate impact. Shouting and screaming at players doesn’t always produce results – but the way Swindon played during the opening period of the second half in particular seemed to indicate that whatever Signore Paulo had said to his charges during the break had been both Received and Understood. They scored with a smart header from Paul Benson almost right from the start – the only positive contribution that this particular player made to this match, during which his conduct was otherwise a disgrace for a professional footballer. If his Manger deserves a place on `Strictly Come Dancing’ for his pirouettes and whatnot on the touch-line, this gentleman certainly deserves an Oscar for play-acting and particularly for feigning injury. The way Benson lunged at the home goalkeeper and then pretended to be hurt himself during the first half deserved a red card: if referee Graham had seen what he had done, he would have walked. Despite this let-off, Swindon’s number nine continued to push his luck right until the end of the game. And got away with it.
Town – noticeably playing a much higher line than they had done throughout the first half – dictated the play for about twenty-five minutes after scoring. During this period, it was possible to see why they are leading League Two. The Robins would have gone further ahead in this game was it not for a good save from Roche late on and a goal-saving header just over his own cross-bar by Andy Parrish after 51 minutes. Raffaele De Vita spoilt an excellent run through the Morecambe defence with a poor shot just two minutes later and the visitors’ domination of possession should have brought them more goals.
But it didn’t. And as time wore on, the home side started to get back into the game. After seventy minutes, Carlton had a chance which Foderingham only half-blocked. In the very last minute of normal time, substitute Jordan Burrow barely missed Swindon’s left-hand post with a volley from just outside the penalty area. And in the third of five minutes’ stoppage time – during which all eleven home players could be found in the Robins’ half for a corner-kick – Nick Fenton came closest to equalising for the Shrimps when his header hit the bar with the visitor’s goalkeeper nowhere near it. Sadly – from his team’s point of view – it then rebounded harmlessly to safety and Swindon survived.
So this was a double for the Robins over the Shrimps this season. In some senses it was actually a treble: this was the third-ever meeting between the teams and Swindon Town have not only won all three, the Shrimps have yet to score even a single goal against them.
The Robins will probably be back in League One next season. They have large (in the case of number 4, Aden Flint, HUGE), solid players at the back who Take No Prisoners but still manage to look shaky when put under pressure even by much smaller but nippier opponents. On this showing, their midfield and particularly forward line is nothing special. Getting into League One is one thing. Staying there is another thing entirely and they will need to play much better as a unit than they did during the first half here today if they seriously intend to do so.
Morecambe: 1 Barry Roche; 2 Nick Fenton; 6 Will Haining (C); 15 Chris McCready; 22 Andy Parrish; 16 Stewart Drummond; 18 Gary McDonald; 9 Lewis Allesandra (27 Jack Redshaw 66 mins); 12 Craig Curran; Danny Carlton (7 Izak Reid 87 mins); 11 Kevin Ellison (14 Jordan Burrow 70 mins).
Substitutes not used: 23 Chris Kettings; 8 Garry Hunter.
Swindon Town: 35 Wesley Foderingham; 5 Joe Devera; 4 Aden Flint; 12 Alan McCormack (C); 2 Jay McEverley; 8 Simon Ferry; 13 Oliver Risser; 23 Raffaele De Vita; 19 Luke Rooney; 9 Paul Benson (Y); 17 Alan Connell.
Substitutes not used: 15 Nathan Thompson; 24 Jonathan Smith; 22 Lee Holmes;
Ref: Fred Graham.
Att: 3011.
Morecambe 0:1 Swindon Town. Npower League Two. Saturday 19th August 2017.
Reliant Robins Again.
Morecambe have a bad record against Swindon town: three games played; three games lost even before today’s latest encounter at the Globe Arena. Probably the most memorable event which happened during any of these matches from Shrimps’ fans points of view was Christie The Cat’s performance in copying the antics of Town’s then Manager – the erratic and eccentric Paolo di Canio – when he appeared at the Globe Arena just over five years ago. On that occasion, the Italian was on his way to winning the League Two championship with the Robins and then eventual spectacular failure once Sunderland made the mistake of hiring him as their saviour. Since he left the County Ground, though, Swindon have experienced a very chequered history. Although they twice reached the League One Play-Off finals after di Canio departed for pastures new, they fell into the lowest division of the EFL last season. Just like now resurgent Portsmouth – my, how the mighty have fallen. It’s easy to forget not only that Swindon was once a Premier League club and that managers who have been at the helm in the past have included such big names as Dave McKay, Osvaldo Ardiles and Glen Hoddle – strangely enough, all ex-Spurs stars – but that they have had major cup successes at times during their existence, most notably against Arsenal in the mud at Wembley to win the League Cup in 1969.
Before today’s game, the two clubs were fifth and sixth respectively in League Two with an identical record: Morecambe were in the higher position solely in alphabetical order. Notably, the three goals scored so far for the Robins have all been of a result of Paul Mullin, who was poached away by new Manager David Flitcroft during the summer and he lined-up against the club who gave him his big break in the number seven shirt today.
The match started in a strong wind at the Globe Arena at quite a frantic pace and the visitors had the first chance of the game when that man Mullin headed Chris Hussey’s corner narrowly wide after seven minutes – he possibly should have done better. Just five minutes later, Town took the lead when Ben Purkiss passed to Donal McDermott on the Swindon right wing and he cut inside and launched a sublime left-footed strike from distance which swerved out of Barry Roche’s reach into the bottom corner of the net. Garry Thompson had a half-chance for the hosts when Michael Rose’s long throw was flicked on by Vadaine Oliver to him but his effort was well blocked after nineteen minutes. But with the visitors having the best of things, Kaiyne Woolery tried his luck after 20 minutes but dragged his shot wide. The Shrimps started to come into the game as the half wore on and carved out a few half chances before Lawrence Vidoroux earned his corn with an excellent save from Andy Fleming’s deflected shot after the ball had found its way to Morecambe’s number eight from a corner.
The Shrimps started the second half a goal in arrears and the first serious action of the second period could have seen the visitors double their lead with 50 minutes played: Mullin gained possession and set-up McDermott for a shot which basically hit Alex Kenyon instead of the target. As the visitors started to dominate again, Hussey won the ball in his own half and raced down the field to warm Roche’s hands with a stinging shot after 56 minutes. Just two minutes later, Mullin impressed former and current fans alike with some more good work which he finished with a cross-come-shot which dipped just over the home crossbar. Manager Jim Bentley shook things up after an hour and substitute Rhys Turner forced his way into the Swindon box after 63 minutes only for the visiting defence to block it and Vidoroux to gratefully smother the loose ball. However, Town’s first substitute also had a golden opportunity to score when James Brophy had an unchallenged header with possibly his first touch of the ball after 65 minutes: fortunately for the Shrimps, he placed the ball just over the bar instead of under it. There were chances for both sides after this – notably to Mullin for the visitors and both Steven Old and Thommo for the hosts – but despite five minutes added on at the end, Morecambe were unable to pull themselves back into the game – and in all truth, probably didn’t deserve to do so. So the Shrimps’ record in the league is now one game won, one drawn and one lost. The win not only maintains Swindon’s perfect record against the Lancashire club but also puts Town right at the top of League Two this evening. Morecambe, meanwhile, slipped to thirteenth – unlucky for some.
Morecambe: 1 Barry Roche; 6 Dean Winnard; 4 Alex Kenyon; 5 Steven Old; 3 Patrick Brough; 8 Andy Fleming (10 Adam Campbell 87 mins); 15 Aaron Wildig (11 Kevin Ellison 77 mins); 24 Michael Rose (C)(Y); 17 Mitchell Lund (18 Rhys Turner 60 mins); 7 Garry Thompson; 9 Vadaine Oliver.
Subs not used: 12 Danijel Nizic; 14 Luke Conlan; 16 Sam Lavelle; 21 Elliot Osborne.
Swindon Town: 1 Lawrence Vidoroux; 2 Ben Purkiss; 25 Dion Conroy; 6 Olly Lancashire (C); 3 Chris Hussey; 7 Paul Mullin (Y); 16 Amine Linganzi; 8 James Dunne; 18 Donal McDermott (5 Chris Robertson 85 mins); 22 KaiyneWoolery (11 James Brophy 65 mins); 9 Luke Norris (17 Harry Smith 89 mins).
Subs not used: 12 Will Henry; 4 Conor Thomas; 15 Tom Smith; 14 Ellis Iandolo.
Ref: Mark Heywood 1655
Swindon Town 1:1 Morecambe. Npower League Two. Saturday 30th March 2018.
Duck Ends At Robins.
Right – let’s start with a poser; Classic Pub Quiz or Starter For Ten if you prefer. How many teams beginning with `S’ have played in the English Premiership? Let’s start with the three that are still plying their trade there (if only just): Southampton; Stoke and Swansea Cities. Then there are the Sheffield Clubs. And Sunderland, currently seemingly trying to emulate other North-Eastern clubs such as Ashington; Darlington and – most recently – Hartlepool and abandon the EFL altogether.
Who else?
Have To Hurry You as Bamber used to say before a far more boorish individual took his place on University Challenge. Time’s up.
It was Swindon Town, almost a quarter of a century ago. Next question: which ex-Premiership Managers whose surname begins with `B’ have…
No, that’s enough.
Swindon have had a chequered history in the last twenty-five years or so. Most of it has been bad. At times, they looked as if potential Messiahs such as Paolo di Canio were about to lead them back to the Promised Land of elite football in this country. But then Sunderland came along and worked its Black Cat Magic on him – and we all know how that ended-up. But since that time, they have slipped back into the lowest division of League Football once more. Continuity has hardly been Town’s strongest suit: their latest boss, Phil Brown (ex-Premiership Manager; name begins with `B’), has been employed at the County Ground for only just over two weeks. This time last year, Luke Williams was in charge. During the summer, David Flitcroft was appointed by the Robins’ board. Under the former Bury Manager, Town carried on their impeccable record against the Shrimps last August, racking-up their fourth win out of four against the Lancashire club. But statistics and omens count for nothing. Why? Because Southend Manager Brown has an equally bad League record against today’s visitors. So what was about to happen in Wiltshire today was truly in the lap of the gods.
The weather gods didn’t smile upon this contest before and during the game: it tipped it down at times. Neither did the gods seem to smiling on Jim Bentley’s team early on. Veteran goalkeeper Barry Roche lasted only ten minutes before he had to be replaced by Australian Under 21 International Danijel Nizic. The game itself was end to end at the start. Luke Norris thumped an effort just wide after about five minutes but Town’s defence were stretched after thirteen minutes by a dangerous shot by Michael Rose from a free-kick. An excellent cross from the Morecambe left by Luke Conlan was headed virtually straight at Stuart Moore in the home goal by Callum Lang with 26 minutes on the clock. Then, as the rain came lashing down, the Robins started peppering substitute Niizic with a succession of crosses but the goalkeeper and his defence stood firm and kept them out. The focal point of the first period arrived after 43 minutes when Vadaine Oliver helped Wigan loanee Lang to spring the Swindon offside trap and coolly take-on and beat Moore to slip the ball into the home net. Right from kick-off, Town almost got straight back into the game. They won a corner; Ollie Banks produced a tremendous header from it but young Nizic miraculously managed to keep it out of his net.
The game continued fairly evenly once the second period got underway. Although the home team didn’t seem to appeal for anything, Referee Kevin Johnson clearly took exception to something he had spotted in the area apparently involving Steven Old and Norris. This was after fifty-five minutes as Swindon were taking a free-kick and the official pointed to the spot. Norris dusted himself down and sent Nizic the wrong way from the resulting penalty and the teams found themselves all-square once again.
The goal seemed to revitalise Mr Brown’s new boys. It was almost one-way traffic from the moment they equalised. Old cleared a header off the Morecambe goal line; Norris shot straight at the Morecambe goalkeeper when well placed and Keshi Anderson headed just wide all in quick succession. Up at the other end, though, Lang had a header at the far post after an hour but directed it straight at Moore, who saved easily. Swindon maintained the pressure with a succession of corners after this but Morecambe again showed the organisation and determination which was missing from the team earlier in the season by resolutely holding back the red tide despite Marc Richards missing an absolute sitter from only a few yards out with about twenty minutes left.
Morecambe’s battling performance earned them their third draw in a row and kept them in nineteenth position in the division. It also ended their duck as far as Town are concerned. Swindon also stayed in the same place they were before the game, ten places higher. With games now beginning to run out, Morecambe remain nine points ahead of Barnet, who beat Crewe at the Hive today to keep Dave Artell’s side within striking distance of the Shrimps: the Railwaymen are only one point ahead of them but Morecambe still have a game in hand. Chesterfield lost again to the club immediately below the Shrimps: Port Vale. Grimsby managed a draw and Forest Green’s game at Yeovil was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. So Morecambe remain eight points clear of the trapdoor into the National League with it looking increasingly as if the condemned teams at the end of the season will be two from Barnet, Chesterfield and Grimsby.
Swindon Town: 28 Stuart Moore; 24 Kyle Knoyle; 2 Ben Purkiss; 32 Rollin Menayese; 3 Chris Hussey (Y) (22 Kaiyne Woolery 80 mins); 30 Keshi Anderson (18 Donal McDermott 85 mins); 8 James Dunne; 29 Ollie Banks; 31 Matty Taylor; 9 Luke Norris; 17 Marc Richards (C) (7 Paul Mullin 80 mins).
Subs not used: 12 Charlie Henry; 5 Chris Robertson; 20 Kellan Gordon; 19 Timi Elsnik.
Morecambe: 1 Barry Roche (12 Danijel Nizic 10 mins); 6 Dean Winnard; 2 Aaron McGowan (15 Aaron Wildig 70 mins); 16 Sam Lavelle; 4 Alex Kenyon; 5 Steven Old; 29 Callum Lang (11 Kevin Ellison 78 mins); 14 Luke Conlan; 21 Gregg Wylde; 24 Michael Rose (C); 9 Vadaine Oliver.
Subs not used: 3 Patrick Brough; 8 Andy Fleming; 10 Adam Campbell; 7 Garry Thompson.
Ref: Kevin Johnson.
6328 (82 from Morecambe)
Swindon Town 3:1 Morecambe. Npower League Two. Saturday 31st August 2019.
Swindon Keep Bobbin’ Along…
Swindon’s County has not been a happy hunting ground as far as the Shrimps are concerned. They drew here once but it is only five months ago since Richie Wellens’ side mauled them by four goals to nil and in previous contests home and away, the Robins have won every other of their seven meetings altogether including their only ever Cup clash plus all the games played in Lancashire. Even more alarmingly, they have conceded just a single goal in all their previous meetings with the Shrimps. Town went into today’s contest in Wiltshire in tenth position in League Two but their form is not brilliant: they have drawn two of their last three games and lost the other one: at home against Northampton eleven days ago. As for the visitors, Morecambe have won only one of their last five games and their form has been erratic at best as was reflected in their League position before the game: eighteenth.
It took just five minutes for Swindon to get themselves into the position they expect to be against Morecambe: winning. Keshi Anderson took a shot which bounced off a visiting defender to perfectly set-up Bradford City loanee Eoin Doyle who wasted no time slipping the ball between his countryman Barry Roche’s legs into the back of the net. But the visitors were level again after thirteen minutes when leading scorer Lewis Allesandra made it four goals in three games when he was fed by John O’Sullivan and beat Luke McCormick in his bottom corner with a powerful low shot. The two Shrimps’ players did a spot of role reversal just a minute later from a corner but O’Sullivan’s shot was saved by the Town goalkeeper. Andrew Tutte then sent over a cross after 16 minutes which Steven Old got his head to – but McCormick was in the right place at the right time again. Shaun Miller was the next player from the visiting side to try his luck but his shot just missed with seventeen minutes on the clock. The ball went virtually straight down the pitch and ended-up at Anderson’s feet: he moved the ball on to Jerry Yates who did a quick one-two with Doyle to beat the static offside trap before smashing the ball past Big Baz to re-establish Swindon’s lead. Just four minutes later, the Robins went even further ahead. This time, Lloyd Isgrove sent over a terrific cross from their right which Doyle headed low past Baz with aplomb. Isgrove himself had the next half-decent chance after 36 minutes but Roche was equal to it on this occasion. So it was three-one to the hosts at half time largely because their finishing was more assured than that of their opponents.
The second half was a tame affair with few chances for either team. Neither of the goalkeepers on show had a single shot to save. It could be that Town were happy to hold on to what they already had. Maybe Morecambe felt the same: a 3-1 defeat is an improvement on last time at this ground when all is said and done. Jim Bentley will be concerned that his best midfielder – Aaron Wildig – came off during the second half with yet another injury to add to the list which has reduced his appearances in the first team to far fewer than could have been the case in the time he came north from Shrewsbury. The Manager will also be looking uncomfortably towards the bottom of the table.
Since the sad demise of Bury this week, only one team will be relegated at the end of the season to the National League. The current occupants of this dreaded position are Scunthorpe, who lost again today (at home versus Carlisle) and have only one point on the board after six League Two games.
Morecambe have five points and are twentieth this evening. Swindon’s routine – and regular – win against the Shrimps pushed them up to fifth in the table.
Swindon Town: 23 Luke McCormick; 6 Mathieu Baudry; 4 Danny Rose; 14 Ellis Iandolo (2 Tyler Reid 89 mins); 26 Dion Conroy (C); 24 Rob Hunt; 19 Jordan Lyden; 7 Lloyd Isgrove; 30 Keshi Anderson (8 Adam May 86 mins); 9 Jerry Yates (11 Kaiyne Woolery 62 mins); 28 Eoin Doyle.
Subs not used: 12 Will Henry; 5 Tom Broadbent; 17 Scott Twine; 21 Taylor Curran.
Morecambe: 1 Barry Roche (C): 12 Ritchie Sutton (10 A-Jay Leitch-Smith 66 mins); 16 Sam Lavelle; 5 Steven Old; 27 George Tanner; 15 Aaron Wildig (33 Jordan Cranston 83 mins); 6 Andrew Tutte; 3 Luke Conlan; 7 John O’Sullivan; 24 Shaun Miller (9 Cole Stockton 89 mins); 8 Lewis Alessandra.
Subs not used: 21 Mark Halstead; 11 Kevin Ellison; 14 Tom Brewitt; 23 Tyler Brownsword.
Ref: Darren Drysdale
6877 (83 from Morecambe)
