Morecambe remain rock bottom of the EFL. Exeter are right at the opposite end of the table.

Pick Up The Pieces.

Exeter arrived in North Lancashire today mindful that Paul Tisdale’s team lost here just five months ago – a defeat which severely dented their promotion ambitions. In March, their Manager took his seat as the longest-serving in the entire EFL. But Tisdale has moved of his own accord to Pastures New in the meantime. So Jim Bentley now holds the record as the man with the longest period of time at the helm of any Football League club.

Jim was typically forthright at Gresty Road just twenty minutes after his team had been ripped apart by Crewe Alexandra and lost six-nil last Saturday. He made no excuses and didn’t try to blame anyone else for the side’s absolutely dismal display. He has been busy this week and Josef Yarney was thrust straight into the Shrimps’ wobbly back line after being signed on-loan from Newcastle just yesterday. Three days ago, A-Jay Leitch-Smith was taken-on as well to try and inject some much-needed bite into a forward line which hasn’t scored – and has rarely looked like doing so – in five games in a row now before today.

The one thing that could be said for certain – whatever happened on the pitch today – is that Morecambe simply could not play as badly as they did last Saturday against Crewe. Newcomer Liam Mandeville (of whom great things are expected) was hopeless then. Andrew Tutte wasn’t fit, let alone match fit. Jordan Cranston looked shaky and his attempt to prevent Crewe’s final headed goal was literally pathetic. So much for the new boys. As for the Old Guard (no offence, Steven); Kevin Ellison was anonymous, Vadaine Oliver squandered a golden opportunity; looked like his confidence is totally shot and Alex Kenyon had an absolute stinker.

Morecambe’s record against Exeter since the latter returned to the League hasn’t been brilliant. Including last March’s contest, they have won only three of fourteen matches against the Grecians. Under new Manager Matt Taylor, Exeter beat Carlisle United (to whom Mr Bentley has managed to unload Adam Campbell on loan this week) 3-1 in their opening game of the season and he clearly hopes to improve on Exeter’s defeat by Coventry in the Play-Offs last term.

As predicted, Morecambe weren’t as bad as last time out. They probably shaded things most of the time during the first half. There was less of the hoof and hope football the team has played far too often in recent times. Having said that, Exeter had the first decent chance of the game when Hiram Boateng only just missed Barry Roche’s left hand post with a smart shot after a quarter of an hour. The Shrimps also had the rub of the green firstly when a nasty off the ball exchange between Boateng and Andy Fleming with seventeen minutes on the clock wasn’t seen by the referee. If it had been, Morecambe’s Number Eight would have been having an early bath; he clearly used his studs on the opposition player. The Shrimps were probably lucky, too, a minute or so later when the visitors had what looked like a very strong shout for a penalty following what looked like handball by a Morecambe defender. In a generally bad-tempered opening period, Morecambe had the first gilt-edged opportunity of the match, though. Their best player – Aaron Wildig – did brilliantly to deliver a cross from the right wing to an unmarked Kevin Ellison who was caught in two minds as to whether to volley or head the ball and achieved neither as the chance came to nothing. Jordan Cranston then tried his luck with a long-range shot which Vadaine Oliver got on the end of but Christy Pym in the Exeter goal did well to keep him out after forty minutes. But the home side fell behind when Cranston lost the ball to Lee Holmes, who raced into the penalty area only to have his legs taken away with a crude challenge by the full-back. It was an obvious penalty which Pierce Sweeney dispatched with ease.

Morecambe started the second period with the first chance as Steven Old headed a corner from Liam Mandeville only just wide in the forty-seventh minute. The player who took the corner found himself well-placed on the right of the Grecians’ Penalty Area after fifty minutes but his attempt at a shot was so woeful that it ended-up running aimlessly parallel to the goal line beyond the opposition target. Zak Mills then tried his luck with a long-range shot from the Morecambe right after being fed by Ellison: the effort flew over the bar. With fifty-four minutes played, the Shrimps’ official Man Of The Match Aaron Wildig was taken off. Aaron had taken the ball in the face at point-blank range as Exeter Captain Jake Taylor attempted to hoof it away at the beginning of the second half. He was probably still seeing twenty-two City players on the pitch at the time he left the field.

The opposition had a purple patch after this and – roared on by their noisy contingent in the Main Stand – went further ahead after 65 minutes when Jayden Stockley headed a routine goal from an accurate Sweeney cross far too easily for comfort. Jim Bentley shuffled his pack after that and the Shrimps probably played better as a unit after going two-down than they did at any other period of the game. Pym produced a truly miraculous save after sixty-nine minutes at full stretch to his left to somehow keep out a header from Mandeville and Rhys Oates in particular looked like he could play a bit – youngster Lamine Jagne also impressed. To be fair, newcomer Josef Yarney also acquitted himself well despite a couple of mistakes in the second half – the Premiership club class was obvious.

Overall, however, Exeter deserved to win. Jim Bentley was – typically – optimistic in defeat today. There were signs of improvement and if the lads simply work harder, their disappointing start to the season can be put behind them. They need to work hard and basically pick up the pieces. And that was what I walked out of the ground listening to at the end – Average White Band’s classic funky tune from Way Back When. Was this subliminal – or wot?

Morecambe remain rock bottom of the EFL. Exeter are right at the opposite end of the table right at the pinnacle of League Two.

Morecambe : 1 Barry Roche (C); 2 Zak Mills; 4 Alex Kenyon (20 Lamine Jagne 76 mins); 5 Steven Old; 8 Andy Fleming; 9 Vadaine Oliver; 11 Kevin Ellison (18 Rhys Oates 76 mins); 14 Josef Yarney; 15 Aaron Wildig (28 A-Jay Leitch-Smith 65 mins); 17 Liam Mandeville; 27 Jordan Cranston.

Subs not used : 21 Mark Halstead; 3 Luke Conlan; 12 Jason Oswell; 25 Ben Hadley.

Exeter City: 1 Christy Pym; 2 Pierce Sweeney; 5 Aaron Martin; 8 Nicky Law (6 Jordan Tillson 36 mins); 10 Lee Holmes (7 Lee Martin 72 minutes): 11 Jayden Stockley; 14 Jonathan Forte (19 Tristan Abrahams 83 mins); 21 Dean Moxey; 25 Jake Taylor (C ); 39 Troy Brown; 44 Hiram Boateng.

Subs not used: 13 James Hamon; 27 Matt Jay; 18 Jimmy Oates.

Ref: Thomas Bramall.
Att: 1654.