Morecambe Lose the Battle – But Win The War.
Well – here we are. The Great League One Adventure almost over. For now? Or for the foreseeable future?
The Great League One Adventure has meant forty-five games played since last Summer in usually unknown territory in front of often record crowds home and away. Highs and lows. Great wins; sometimes appalling defeats.
And now – at the end of it all – it’s gone right down to the wire. The Eleventh Hour. Last Chance Saloon, etc etc. The final game of the season: ninety minutes between ourselves and potential utter ecstasy – or total despair for all Morecambe supporters. But there I go, getting carried right away and exaggerating into the bargain.
`Total despair’ is what fans of Scunthorpe United have been bracing themselves for all season – and what befell Oldham Athletic as well last Saturday.
Imagine how they must feel. Just think for a single moment what they would give to be in our position now: they’d grab relegation from League One with everything they have, not just both hands.
So – as with all things – there is an Up Side and a Down Side to the situation we find ourselves in today. On the Up Side, if the Shrimps win this afternoon, the club will stay in League One. It’s a simple as that: nobody else among the Legion of the Almost Doomed – Gillingham and Fleetwood – would be able to do anything about it.
Even a draw would do. The jeopardy which has affected so many clubs on the run-in to today’s show-down with Sunderland remains such that it is still possible for Morecambe to lose today and stay in the division. All we needed was for Gillingham to fail to beat their visitors to the Priestfield Stadium – Rotherham United – by more than three clear goals. But United also needed to win to ensure their own promotion to the Championship this afternoon: three points would mean that nobody else could pip them to an automatic return to the Division above. What greater motivation could the Yorkshiremen have? Gillingham were two points behind us in the table at half past midday when the fun started for everybody today and even if they were to win by the odd goal, all we would need is a draw against Sunderland to stay up, given their inferior goal difference.
This was the key contrast between the Gills’ situation and Fleetwood’s before their final games. If the Cod Army won today at serial cheats Bolton Wanderers and we lost, they would overtake us in the table solely on the basis of a better goal ratio.
But Fleetwood – just like Gillingham – haven’t beaten anybody for longer than virtually anyone can remember. And beating Bolton requires an adherence to the Dark Arts for at least ninety minutes which Fleetwood – to their considerable credit – do not stoop to. Last Tuesday, they fell behind to Sheffield Wednesday virtually as soon as a ball had been kicked at Highbury. As a tremendous tribute to their fighting spirit though, they fought back to lead 2-1 at half time. And then – very sadly from their point of view – shipped two more goals to lose yet again.
So Morecambe needed just a draw today to stay up – provided that Gillingham didn’t beat Rotherham United by more than three goals.
Could the Gills achieve this? In my view at least – it was unlikely. In my head, to be totally honest, we were already safe. But a little voice at the back of my mind still niggled away: “Don’t count your chickens, mate: stranger things have happened, after all…”
Whilst Fleetwood were losing yet again on Tuesday night, at the other end of the table, Sunderland also found themselves behind to potential League One Champions Rotherham by a goal to nil for eighty-eight minutes of their match at The Stadium of you-know-what.
Then, Michael Ihiekew’s second goal of the night – this time into his own net – gave them a point which saw them arrive at the Mazuma Stadium today in fifth position in League One.
The draw meant that Rotherham – leading the division for much of the season so far – needed all three points at the Priestfield to potentially deny Wigan the Champions’ Crown and stop the team which plays in Milton Keynes from gaining automatic promotion as well – potentially as Champions themselves. It’s really tight at the top as well as the bottom of the league. So Sunderland actually needed to win today too: anything less could see either Plymouth or Wycombe take their place in the Play-Offs if either of them were to win because both clubs lay just one point in the table behind them prior to the start of play.
Rarely – if ever- has a final day of a season been so finely balanced – and at both ends of the table as well.
So let’s take a breath at this point and wind the clock back to the beginning of the month.
Just three short weeks ago at the start of April, Derek Adams said that three wins between that time and the end of the season could suffice to keep Morecambe’s dreams of remaining a Third Division club a reality. And – three wins (against Burton Albion; Oxford United and Charlton Athletic) have propelled the club from the position they were in then – third from the bottom of the table – to their exalted nineteenth place in the league today. I think it’s true to say we would have all bitten anybody’s hand off then to be in the situation we currently find ourselves in.
In order to win today however, Morecambe would have to turn their historical form against the Black Cats completely on its head. In three former meetings in three separate competitions, the Shrimps have lost every time. Worse still, Morecambe have never scored even once against the team from the North East and have conceded eight goals; five of these when Stephen Robinson was still in charge last December and already seemed to be losing the plot. Two things could be guaranteed today, though. Firstly, if Robbo hadn’t jumped ship and fled to St Mirren for someone else to pick up the mess he left behind, today’s game would be a Wake because Morecambe would already be accompanying – and possible leading – Crewe, Donny and the authentic Dons back into League Two. Secondly, King Derek would pick a team today which would at least give Sunderland a run for their money – unlike the one which capitulated to the Black Cats on their own patch as it fell apart at the back only a few short months ago.
Lee Johnson was in charge of today’s visitors when this happened. His successor in the (very) Hot Seat which is the Sunderland Job – ex PNE boss Alex Neill – started his thoughts prior to the game with a reference to his team’s current very impressive twelve match unbeaten run:
“It’s a positive situation because we have done it ourselves; it hasn’t been handed to us by anyone; no-one has done us a favour. We’ve done what we needed to do make sure it is still in our hands, and that’s the way you would want it going into the last game. Morecambe have a lot to play for as well, so I’m sure they will come up with a gameplan that gives them the best opportunity of getting something from the game to make sure they secure their status. They have done extremely well because it’s not too long ago that Morecambe were in League Two regularly and fighting to stay in there. Having won promotion, if they stay in League One, which in the current situation looks likely, it will be a great achievement. We need to make sure we move the ball really well, and if they press us then we can play through that; play round it; maybe play over it. Equally, when they have got the ball we need to make sure our defensive structure is right. It’s going to be a tough game because of what is at stake for both teams.”
Derek Adams had these thoughts before his team’s vital final match of the campaign:
“We’ve got a core squad that are ready to go and to get us over this final hurdle. I think it’s important having experience in your dressing room, a know-how how to win. We’ve got that within the side. Being at home is fantastic for us because we’ve seen at home last season and the Play-Offs against Tranmere how that can help us. We’ve got that experience of playing here, this season and last season – of winning games that are important to us. We’ve only had one defeat at home in the last eight games. We understand that Sunderland are on a 12-game unbeaten run (but) we’re really confident at home; we’ve got a huge backing. It’s a sell-out crowd for the game on Saturday and we’re all thoroughly looking forward to that. I think that’s important – your home form. We’d always like to have done better away from home, but we understand the league that we’re in. We understand the quality teams that are about but we have shown here the likes of beating Oxford at home, Burton Albion at home, they’ve been big wins for us. We’ve taken points against Ipswich and Portsmouth as well, so we understand Sunderland are a huge football club, and we understand that they’re in the same division as us. That gives us that opportunity to try and get something from the game on Saturday.”
Forward Carl Winchester was missing for the visitors due to injury and Greg Leigh’s place in the home starting eleven was taken by Ryan Cooney for the same reason.
It was sunny with a bitingly cold wind blowing across the pitch as the game kicked off. Morecambe went onto the front foot immediately and the massed ranks behind visiting keeper Anthony Patterson’s goal had little to shout about for the first few minutes as the hosts won a couple of corners. The home team pressed the side playing in a sort of inverted Ukrainian strip: yellow shirts with Royal Blue shorts and socks – back into their own half for the first ten minutes. But the mark of a good team is one that takes its chances and with the first attempt on the home goal, the Black Cats took the lead right at the end of this period. Nathan Broadhead did well to force and then pounce upon a rare mistake from Jacob Bedeau, took the ball forward and scored with an assured finish which gave home custodian Trevor Carson no chance whatever. Two minutes later, Adam Phillips was rightly booked for a poor challenge on Sunderland Captain Corry Evans. But weak Referee Gavin Ward allowed a succession of fouls on Dylan Connolly – some of them objectively just as bad – to go completely unpunished throughout the game. Derek Adams went mental at the Fourth Official on the touchline as a result. The one thing I would personally gripe about as far as the visitors’ were concerned today was that some of their players appeared to made of candy floss. The scorer Broadhead was clearly genuinely injured when he broke-down after about twenty-five minutes and had to be replaced. But the way his team-mates fell over at even the hint of a foul – and stayed down – is something a better official than Mr Ward would have nipped in the bud when it started to happen as soon as they had scored. But he didn’t – this is yet another Referee whose decision-making is not good enough for this level of football. Top of the Cheating Charts for the Black Cats? Without any doubt, Ross Stewart. He’s a great big lad who should be able to look after himself but he could probably enter the Olympics Diving Team on the basis of his pathetic performance today. Shame on him. By half time, though, the visitors were in a commanding – and familiar –position as far as Morecambe are concerned.
You wouldn’t have known it from the reaction in the home crowd. A tremor went through us all as Fleetwood took the lead at Bolton after just seventeen minutes. When Rotherham scored at Gillingham after 34 minutes though, the chants of “We are staying up!” started for the first time. Three minutes later, Bolton had equalised and the feeling of relief in the ground was tangible.
The second half followed the same pattern as the first. Morecambe had a lot of possession but in all truth, never forced a save from visiting custodian Anthony Patterson. At the other end, Trevor Carson pulled-off a typical point-blank miracle to keep out Patrick Roberts in the seventieth minute. King Derek was booked in the ninetieth minute for again vociferously complaining about the appalling officiating by the Man in the Middle – but ultimately, it didn’t matter.
Off the field, all ears and eyes were on developments elsewhere. When Bolton went ahead after 53 minutes, another surge of joy went through the home crowd. There was a collective intake of breath, though, when Fleetwood equalised once more with seventy-nine minutes on the clock. But Wanderers took the lead again with just four minutes left and then scored again in injury time. I’m sure this was all completely Above Board…
Most importantly, though, Rotherham scored again at Priestfield right at the death This proved to be exactly that – the death of the Kent club’s hopes of survival this term. But long-suffering Gills fans are used to regular promotions and relegations. They should be doing a lot better than they have done in recent times if only because of the monopoly they have of potential support in a massive geographical Home Counties area. I’m personally delighted that Wigan have been promoted – if only for Old Times’ sake. I bought a Football Annual from 1957-58 last weekend at a Car Boot Sale. There, in the Lancashire Combination, were the Latics in tenth position. Fleetwood were sixteenth out of twenty clubs. We were third. Prescot Cables won the championship. So who would have believed – way back then – the situation we found ourselves in collectively today? – Wigan Champions and both Morecambe and Fleetwood surviving to play in what was then the Third Division. My – how things have changed…
Despite Sunderland extending their perfect record against the Shrimps to a four-game 100% record with no goals conceded, our Saviour Derek had this to say after the match:
“The game was a difficult one for both sides. We lost a poor goal to start with but results on the day have gone our way. Over the season, we’ve picked-up enough points to stay in League One. Financially, it’s huge. The venues you go to; the teams that you play against – is massive. You only have to look at Derby County coming down to League One – there’s a lot of big teams in this division.”
So we can all relax this evening and plan our visit to Pride Park and other new venues later in the year.
Sunderland fans went home happy too. They will now compete to accompany Wigan and Rotherham back into the Championship with Wycombe; Sheffield Wednesday and the team from Milton Keynes in the Play-Offs.
But as for Morecambe…
What a roller-coaster ride it has been. I will write a Review of the Season in the next few days but after that it will be Roger Over and Out at least for now. I hope you have enjoyed my blog but now I am going to shut everything down and celebrate appropriately.
Cheers!…
Morecambe: 30 Trevor Carson; 21 Ryan Cooney (Y); 5 Jacob Bedeau; 9 Cole Stockton (Y); 10 Aaron Wildig (C) (Y); 11 Dylan Connolly (14 Jonathan Obika 83’); 18 Adam Phillips (Y); 22 Liam Gibson; 24 Arthur Gnahoua (17 Jonah Ayunga 67’); 27 Ousmane Fané (8 Toumani Diagouraga 70’); 31 Rhys Bennett.
Subs Not Used: 41 Adam Smith; 4 Anthony O’Connor; 19 Shane McLoughlin; 25 Alfie McCalmont.
Sunderland: 20 Anthony Patterson; 4 Corry Evans (C); 5 Danny Batth; 8 Elliot Embleton; 9 Nathan Broadhead (25 Jack Clarke 25’); 11 Lynden Gooch; 13 Luke O’Nien: 14 Ross Stewart (27 Jay Matete 72’); 21 Alex Pritchard (24 Daniel Neil 81’); 26 Bailey Wright (C); 77 Patrick Roberts.
Subs Not Used: 39 Ron-Horben Hoffmann; 19 Arbenit Xhemajli; 28 Aiden McGeady; 32 Trai Hume.
Ref: Gavin Ward.
Att: 5,831 (Loads from Sunderland).
