Morecambe Exile comes back to haunt them…
Morecambe made the long journey to South Wales today in order to face the leaders of League Two in the shape of Newport County. This is a club which the Shrimps once had an outstanding record against: they won every one of their first five meetings, home and away. Since then, they have clocked-up seven victories in total as opposed to three losses and four draws. Under the tutelage of Michael Flynn, however, County have become a very different prospect to the one which was so easily beaten at times in the past. Having rescued the club from a seemingly doomed situation at the bottom of the EFL when he took over, the Welshman has guided the Exiles to the Play-Off final once and now seems to be on track to win promotion for the club in its own right. Newport started this game on the back of one loss and two wins in their last five league games. They have also yet to be beaten at Rodney Parade in League Two this season. The Exiles beat Salford City at home in the FA Cup last Saturday and their reward for this will be to host Premiership Brighton & Hove Albion in the Third Round. Last Tuesday – as Morecambe were beating Barrow at home in Lancashire, County were drawing away at Forest Green Rovers, who themselves are fourth in the table. Their Manager stated his disappointment after the game in these terms:
“We must be more ruthless – I am getting sick and tired of it. We are missing too many opportunities to kill the game. I’m not saying we are not a good team, but that’s what really good teams do. The penny has got to drop with them. We’ve had the better chances, it’s as simple as that. We need to kill the opposition off. We have come away and worked extremely hard. You can take the positives; we have got a point away from home. We played one of the best teams in the league and matched them, but we are disappointed that we didn’t take the three points.
As far as today’s opponents were concerned, he added:
“We cannot think that we will pick up the three points because we are at home. It is a tough game; it is as simple as that. They are full of confidence, with some really good players and it is going to be tough.”
One of the undoubtedly tough players Morecambe did not have in their squad, of course, was veteran Kevin Ellison. Just over a year ago, Kev linked-up with the current Morecambe Goalkeeping Coach – Barry Roche – to take over the reins of the club when long-term Manager Jim Bentley (for whom Ellison was his first – and in his opinion – best signing) decided to leave for Pastures New. Kevin said at the time that he knew that taking the job was a risk to his future career with the Shrimps. His reasoning for this was that whoever was to take over would always see him as a threat to his position as a potential interim Manager because he had already taken-on that role in the past. And so it was to prove: Kev wasn’t offered a new contract and understandably feared – in a time of COVID and advancing age – that his days as a player might be over. Not so. The forty-one-year-old was named in the Exiles’ line-up today against his old club. That meant also facing the Manager who is widely seen – rightly or wrongly – as having left him out of the cold to add a bit of personal spice to the clash. On the County bench with him was another ex-Morecambe player in the shape of Jamie Devitt: former Shrimp Pádraig `Podge’ Amond started in the first eleven.
Morecambe arrived in eleventh position in League Two on the back of the win against Barrow, a defeat before that and then three draws in their previous five league matches. Famously, they were drawn out of the hat this week to travel to Stamford Bridge in the next – Third – Round of the FA Cup to face Chelsea’s millionaire footballers. Derek Adams summed-up today’s challenge in these terms prior to kick-off:
“We have one of the best away records in the league but I think Newport have done exceptionally well at home. It’s always a difficult venue to go to and we know that we’ll have to be on top form but we’re aware that we can go away from home and perform well. We know a lot about Newport and their strengths and weaknesses but Newport will know that about us as well. Newport have got players who have played for Morecambe in the past and done very well for the club. I think you always enjoy playing against a team you’ve played for, I did when going back to Aberdeen with Motherwell and vice versa.’’
Cole Stockton and Aaron Wildig – Morecambe’s best player in my humble opinion – were missing for DA’s team so Jordan Slew was chosen to replace John O’Sullivan from the team which faced Barrow and Alex Kenyon found himself back in the starting line-up today as well.
It was dry in Newport as the game started on the notorious ploughed field which serves as the pitch County share with their landlords, Gwent Dragons and visiting fellow Rugby Union club Cardiff Blues. County in the past have played football in a suitably agricultural style but for the first half an hour today they played stuff more suited to a billiard table. It was confident, swift, accurate – and effective. They controlled the game right from the start. After six minutes, Tristran Abrahams managed to impede Mark Halstead as he attempted to clear the ball from his hands only to be caught offside as soon as it was played back to him: Mark’s complaints to Referee Sam Purkiss fell on deaf ears. Hope for the way team flickered however briefly after eight minutes when good pressing led to a corner kick from their left flank. Skipper Sam Lavelle rose highest to head it back from where it had come but Nathaniel Knight-Percival’s next header was easily gathered by Nick Townsend in the Newport goal. Two minutes later, though, slack defending by the men in the red shirts allowed a cross to come over from the County right which Scott Twine headed from beyond the far past back towards the near one. As Shrimps’ defenders stood and looked on, `Podge’ nipped in and poked the ball into the back of the net to remind us all in North Lancashire what we have been missing for the last few years. It was a poor goal to concede but the way things were going, it looked like just a matter of time before the hosts would add to it. Having said that, Adam Phillips played a ball from the Morecambe right to Jordan Slew on the right edge of the opposing penalty area from his point of view with a quarter of an hour on the clock. Jordan controlled the ball brilliantly and spun to open-up the target – and then messed it all up with a hopeless shot way to Townsend’s right. As the hosts continued to play intelligent, probing football, Morecambe were being reduced to chances on the very occasional counter-attack. But after just over half an hour, they were level. Adam Phillips found Carlos Mendes-Gomes with another fantastic pass, Carlos bore down on Townsend and unleashed a terrific shot which the goalkeeper did really well to block only for the Shrimps’ Number Eleven to bury the rebound. The equaliser changed the way the game was played. Newport started to drop-off and the visitors were encouraged to play further up the pitch. A decent shot from Josh Sheehan which missed to Halstead’s left and a wild effort from Twine that almost went into orbit after 44 minutes was all the hosts had to show in terms of new chances by the end of the half.
The only worry for Morecambe as they went back to the Dressing Rooms was that both Stephen Hendrie and Harry Davis had been booked during the first half. Davis’ foul on Brandon Cooper shortly after his team had equalised probably deserved even harsher treatment to be honest: it was a really bad challenge. It would seem that Yann Songo’o had also drawn the Referee’s displeasure for some perhaps verbal misdemeanour because he was given a stern talking-to in the presence of Captain Sam Lavelle just before the break.
The second half started largely as the first one had but County were in the ascendency for a much shorter period this time. It was Backs To The Wall for Morecambe for the first five minutes but then Kelvin Mellor intercepted well and galloped up his left flank only to run out of steam as he reached the opposition penalty area. Songo’o gave away a free-kick just outside the Shrimps’ area after fifty minutes but Matthew Dolan’s weak attempt from this was easily saved by the visiting goalkeeper. Mickey Demetriou fouled Carlos after fifty-one minutes and the Exiles’ defence had real problems clearing their lines before Davis’ header was cleared for a corner. At the other end, Twine drew an excellent double-save from Halstead with 54 minutes played although the second strike would not have counted due to offside. Although Morecambe were frequently wasting possession, by an hour or so into the game, they were pressing harder and much further up the pitch than they have been doing to other teams in recent times. In doing so, they repeatedly broke-up Newport’s rhythm and forced the Welsh team into mistake after mistake. After sixty-seven minutes, Carlos was again free and heading at a rate of knots down the centre of the pitch onto a through ball only for Demetriou to make a phenomenal last-ditch tackle to save the situation for his team. Slew fluffed his lines again by missing when well-placed after seventy-five minutes, having been given another talking-to by the Referee as Captain Sam stood by about ten minutes earlier. Seventy-seven minutes was on the clock when Phillips received a pass from the right on the edge of the Exiles’ penalty area, turned and swivelled fantastically well in one movement and unleashed a tremendous strike which Townsend excelled to push over the bar for a corner. He then dropped the resulting cross in trying to catch it – but his luck was in today as his defence managed to boot it away. The Shrimps looked set for at least a draw until it all went wrong after eighty-one minutes. Mellor had just made another penetrating cross up the Morecambe left which he wasted with a poor pass at the end of it. At the other end, though, he was caught completely flat-footed a minute later by a lovely pass forward to Sheehan – and hacked him down in the penalty area with a challenge from behind. Off he went. Mark Halstead went the right way – to his left – to try and keep out Dolan’s spot-kick. But the shot was beautifully placed just out of his reach and County re-took the lead. With ten men, Morecambe threw the kitchen sink at the Exiles. Derek Adams sent on three attacking players and the visitors had chances to equalise which Townsend did well to keep out with at least two decent saves. It was a really gutsy performance from the English team – but just not quite enough on the day.
The win meant that Newport consolidated their place at the top of League Two. Unlucky Morecambe, meanwhile, slipped back to thirteenth. It was good to see Kevin Ellison on the pitch at the end and I personally wish him all the luck in the world. County look like a really good side who play the game in the right spirit and the right way – but they got a proper run for their money today.
Newport County: 30 Nick Townsend; 3 Ryan Haynes (7 Robbie Willmott 60’); 28 Mickey Demetriou; 6 Brandon Cooper; 8 Matthew Dolan; 32 Liam Shephard; 17 Scot Bennett (22 Kevin Ellison 73’); 10 Josh Sheehan (C); 19 Scott Twine; 9 Pádraig Amond (15 David Longe-King 88’); 11 Tristran Abrahams (18 Jamie Proctor 60’).
Subs not used: 1 Tom King; 14 Jamie Devitt; 24 Sonny Lewis.
Morecambe: 12 Mark Halstead; 2 Kelvin Mellor; 3 Stephen Hendrie (Y&R); 4 Nathaniel Knight-Percival (19 Liam McAlinden 88’); 5 Sam Lavelle (C); 6 Harry Davis (Y); 7 Jordan Slew (17 A-Jay Leitch-Smith 88’); 24 Yann Songo’o; 11 Carlos Mendes-Gomes; 14 Alex Kenyon; 20 Adam Phillips (Y) (21 Ryan Cooney 83’).
Subs not used: 1 Jake Turner; 16 John O’Sullivan; 18 Ben Pringle; 8 Toumani Diagouraga.
Ref: Sam Purkiss.
