Morecambe Marmalised by Mellon`s Men.

Morecambe entertained leading club Shrewsbury at the Globe Arena on Tuesday night not only having failed to win any of their home games this calendar year, but having lost the last three there in a row, most disappointingly the previous Saturday against bottom club Hartlepool. It started promisingly for the Shrimps when their successful forward pairing Kevin Ellison and Jack Redshaw combined again for Redshaw to score his tenth goal of the season to draw level with Big Kev`s tally so far with a well-placed shot after 28 minutes. Just seven minutes later, however, the hosts found themselves behind. First of all, Liam Lawrence had a shot blocked only for Connor Goldson to belt the ball into the bottom of home keeper Andreas Arestidou`s net to equalise. The visiting supporters had hardly finished celebrating when James Collins struck another shot past the hapless goalkeeper less than two minutes later.

The home supporters must have hoped that Jim Bentley would buck-up his charges during half time but Morecambe`s chances of getting back into the game all but disappeared just three minutes into the second period. Ex-Shrewsbury player Stewart Drummond made an appalling attempt at a back pass and managed only to play-in one of his former team-mates for an unchallenged run on goal. Arestidou promptly brought him down and was duly sent off by referee Stuart Attwell. Tom Stewart was thus introduced as substitute goalkeeper for his first ever game in the Football League. He was beaten for the first time as well after Jermaine Grandison went through the Morecambe defence as if it didn`t exist and swerved an excellent shot past him with just seven minutes still scheduled to play. To add insult to injury time, young Tom was beaten again in the 93rd minute when Tyrone Barnett slotted another shot past him to complete what had turned into a rout.

For ex-Fleetwood Manager Micky Mellon, returning to the Lancashire coast assured his team second position in League Two – it also cemented a double over Jim Bentley`s team, having won the first fixture by the only goal of the game at the Greenhous Meadow last December. Morecambe remained in fourteenth position despite the loss. Their form this year has been very poor and they will hope to put on a much better performance when they play at Carlisle next Saturday – with an unfamiliar goalkeeper between the sticks.