No Boundary for Adams’ Ambition at Boundary Park
Morecambe have already entertained Harry Kewell’s Oldham Athletic once this season, beating them by the only goal of a League Cup game a few weeks ago. This was the second victory over the Latics in cup clashes for the Shrimps to add to the win they had against them in the Johnstone’s Paint competition twelve years ago. In League Two, however, it has been a different story. Morecambe have lost three out of four previous meetings against Athletic, winning only the second time they ever met. So here was a chance for Derek Adams’ team – lying second in the divisional table with nine points out of a potential twelve – to improve its record against a club lying a whole twenty places below them and with only a single point (won away at Colchester last Saturday) on the board so far.
It had been wet at times at the notoriously windy Boundary Park before the game. But the weather was dry and quite bright as the match actually started in front of the impressive Joe Royle stand. The players and officials all Took the Knee before Morecambe kicked-off into the gale which blew down the pitch throughout the game. The visitors were the better team for the first twenty minutes or so. Carlos Mendes-Gomes just missed Ian Lawlor’s left-hand post with a low shot from the Morecambe left flank after just two minutes. John O’Sullivan then went even closer with a shot from the right which hit the other post shortly afterwards although it would probably have been disallowed for offside if it had bounced over the line. Carlos was just too short to connect with a clever lob into the home penalty area after seven minutes as the visitors continued to dominate the play. Two minutes later, though, the hosts showed that they could pose at least a threat when Conor McAleny played well on their left – his dangerous cross was well dealt with by Harry Davis at the cost of a painful-looking shoulder injury. Aaron Wildig and Carlos combined well after eleven minutes to set-up Sully for a shot. From the corner which ensued, the ball found its way to Aaron who drew an exceptional save from Lawlor to his right. A minute later, the Oldham stopper again did well to field a cross but seemed to hurt himself when he landed. From this point onwards, defender Tom Hamer took all his dead ball kicks and you wonder if the goalkeeper’s mobility was otherwise affected. But as the visitors’ grip on the game seemed to loosen, Athletic had a golden opportunity to take the lead after twenty-four minutes when an unmarked Jordan Barnett found himself well-placed and bearing down on the visitors’ goal from the left of centre – and totally squandered the opportunity. Four minutes later, Jake Turner flapped at a cross and missed it completely and O’Sullivan – er, sullied (sorry) his performance so far by totally mis-hitting a potential clearance which flew over his head and could have gone anywhere a couple of minutes later. On half an hour though, the Latics again had their goalkeeper to thank as he pulled-off another top-drawer save to his right to deny Cole, who had been played-in by an excellent pass from Adam Phillips. Thirty-seven minutes had been played when Morecambe hit Oldham on the counter-attack: Carlos and Phillips combined well before Mendes-Gomes just missed with a low shot from the left flank to the right of the Latics’ goal. Just four minutes were still scheduled to play when Stockton won the ball, fed Sully who then found Phillips whose point-blank cross from the right was headed at full stretch by Wildig. The ball hit Lawlor but he wasn’t able to get enough behind it to stop it nestling in his net to his left. So Morecambe went in a goal to the good and – with Newport being beaten by Cambridge and Southend holding Exeter in Essex, the Shrimps were top of League Two and their opponents rock bottom.
The hosts started the second half without Ian Lawlor – who had tweaked his hamstring – but with a far more positive approach to the contest. They bossed things for the first five minutes or so and it took them just six minutes to earn a deserved equaliser. As the pressure by the home team increased, Conor McAleny made space for himself in the Morecambe penalty area before smashing the ball past Turner to the goalkeeper’s left. Dylan Bahamboula had just been introduced as a substitute and there is no doubt that this big, skilful player had a big impact on the game for Oldham. His team-mates, however, took their foot off the gas as soon as they had drawn level. They seemed to be asleep as they lost possession from a corner kick and Morecambe counter-attacked to win a corner of their own after almost an hour. From this, an unmarked Alex Kenyon made it look easy as he headed home to restore the Shrimps’ lead. Five minutes later, it got even better for the visitors. A clever and skilful bit of defending by Liam Gibson allowed him to set O’Sullivan free on the Morecambe right. John looked-up and sent a perfect cross over for Cole Stockton to open his account for the season by heading powerfully past replacement keeper Mackenzie Chapman, who had no chance of saving it. Oldham’s heads seemed to drop after this and this was epitomised when Bahamboula took a wild shot after 68 minutes which went closer to the corner flag than it did the opposition goal. The visitors had a few more half-chances after that but got a scare right at the end when McAleny got another one back for the Latics with an excellent header. Oldham then threw the kitchen sink at the men in the red shirts but it was too little, too late. Athletic looked too good overall to stay in the mire at the bottom of the EFL but the end of the game saw them bottom on goal difference behind sickness-hit Grimsby – who have played two games fewer – and a whole point behind Southend. Derek Adams, meanwhile, has steered his team to the very pinnacle of League Two, albeit with a negative goal difference, which is somewhat unusual. Well done him – and long may it last.
Morecambe: 1 Jake Turner; 5 Sam Lavelle (C); 6 Harry Davis; 11 Carlos Mendes-Gomes (4 Nathaniel Knight-Percival 95’); 9 Cole Stockton (19 Liam McAlinden92’); 10 Aaron Wildig; 14 Alex Kenyon; 20 Adam Phillips (24 Yann Songo’o 87’); 16 John O’Sullivan; 21 Ryan Cooney; 22 Liam Gibson (Y).
Subs not used: 13 André Da Silva Mendes; 2 Kelvin Mellor; 7 Jordan Slew; 18 Ben Pringle.
Oldham Athletic: 1 Ian Lawlor (30 Mackenzie Chapman 45’); 4 Sido Coelho Jombati (9 Danny Rowe 69’); 5 Carl Piergianni (C); 6 Ben Garrity; 7 George Blackwood; 19 Zak Dearnley (24 Dylan Bahamboula 51’); 8 Callum Whelan; 14 Dylan Fage; 17 Jordan Barnett; 18 Conor McAleny; 34 Tom Hamer.
Subs not used: 10 Davis Keillor-Dunn; 11 Bobby Grant; 15 Kyle Jameson; 32 Will Sutton.
Ref: Josh Smith.
