Plymouth Storm Finally Sinks Morecambe
Morecambe made the long journey to Devon today to face high-flying Plymouth Argyle for their first League One match in two weeks. Argyle were second in the table but have only won one of their last five games and drawn three of them. Derek Adams returned to one of his former stomping grounds today – he took Plymouth up to League One five years ago. His struggling Morecambe team were rock bottom of the table at the start of the game. Having said that, the Shrimps have only lost one of their last five league games.
Before the visit to Home Park last season, King Derek said: “This is probably the most difficult job I’ve taken on: to keep Morecambe in the Division.” The team lost 2-0 but he went on to succeed in saving the Shrimps at the end of the campaign. Can he do it again this time?
In previous meetings, Morecambe have a poor record against the Pilgrims. They have never won at Home Park and have been victorious in only three of fifteen matches so far but lost eight of them. Before today’s game, the Manager said that his players had been obliged to train on Astroturf because of the freezing weather recently. He said that this is far from ideal but added as far as the return to Argyle is concerned:
“They’re a fantastic club. To sit second close to the halfway stage is fantastic and they’ve done well because it’s a difficult division. Going back there is always an enjoyment for me. I don’t think there’s any good time to play a team at the top of the table. We have to go there and to be at the top of our game. Peterborough have lost more games than us this season –ten games – and they sit in sixth position but they’ve won ten. Going back to my Plymouth Argyle days, we were sitting (during) 2017 in December bottom of League One on fifteen points. We ended up seventh in the league. Never judge a team at the half-way stage – always judge a team at the end.”
Opposite number, Scouser Steven Schumacher, said before the game:
“Everybody here knows how well Derek sets his teams up. Defensively they are hard to break down. Looking at their results this year, they have only won a couple, but they have drawn nine games, which shows they are competitive. They have quality in their team that can score goals. We need to be patient. We need to start games well, but if it is getting a little bit tricky (then) we have to find a way to break them down. We need to keep our patience, our discipline, and hope someone shows a bit of quality to go and win the game.”
It has been positively Arctic in the Frozen North all of this week, but in the Soft South, it was aa almost balmy four degrees centigrade during the day. The pitch at Home Park was covered by tent-like structures with heat blowers thawing the pitch which was passed fit for the game only shortly before kick-off by Referee Tom Reeves.
Within a minute, Morgan Whittaker drew a save from visiting goalkeeper Connor Ripley as the latter caught the ball confidently. Four minutes later, he tried his luck again after good approach play by the home side but hit the ball way over the bar from outside the penalty area. As a low, watery sun started to get in the away team’s eyes, Jensen Weir turned and attacked brilliantly just over the half way line after nine minutes. He bore down on the Plymouth goal only for impressive custodian Michael Cooper to make a superb save low to his left at the cost of a corner which came to nothing. Shortly after this, an excellent block by Ryan Delaney denied Niall Ennis a shot on goal from close in. But the pattern of the first half had been set. Argyle played intelligent passes into space behind and amongst the Shrimps’ defenders and a lot of their success came on the left wing, where tricky winger Bali Mumba was a constant thorn in the side of the Morecambe defence. Twenty minutes were on the clock when Mumba – sweeping down the left wing from his point of view – found Whittaker unmarked in the middle of the penalty area. But Whittaker again fluffed his lines with a wild shot which didn’t test the visiting keeper. Five minutes later, Morecambe struggled to clear a corner and the ball fell to Pilgrim Skipper Joe Edwards on the right. His low shot was again well saved by Ripley. Edwards got away on the visitors’ left again after 27 minutes and worked his way into a central position but greedily tried to score when Mumba was far better placed to his left. The away stopper again did well to paw his attempt away to safety. Mumba was instrumental again as Macauley Gillesphey was set-up to take another shot which missed from just outside the penalty area with almost half an hour played. At this point, the Pilgrims were well in top with Morecambe hanging on Pilgrimly – sorry – grimly. The half hour arrived and Edwards again missed with a wild shot when well placed. But – in a rare foray forward – Morecambe had the next half-chance after 32 minutes. A misunderstanding between Cooper and one of his defenders almost allowed Cole Stockton in for an easy finish but the goalkeeper belatedly saved the day for Plymouth. Nigel Lonwijk’s wild effort was then struck way off target with 33 minutes played. Sixty seconds later, Danny Mayor tested Ripley again with a instant shot from point blank range. But the Morecambe goalie saved it easily enough. Connor then excelled himself after 36 minutes as Mumba again got away on the Plymouth left as Ryan Cooney floundered in his wake and forced another fine save from the man in the all yellow strip. The visitors had the next chance, though. 38 minutes were up as Cole was played into space on the Shrimps’ left and fed the ball to Weir on the edge of the penalty area, He, in turn, flicked it to Liam Shaw whose instant shot was brilliantly saved by Cooper low to his left. But the green wave continued to pour forwards and after 41 minutes, Jacob Bedeau was adjudged by Referee Reeves to have fouled Edwards in the penalty area. He immediately pointed to the spot. But Connor Ripley continued to keep Morecambe in the match with a tremendous save low to his left from Whittaker’s decent strike. Wow – three penalty save in a row for the big man. With three minutes left of the half, Weir took a free-kick from the Morecambe left which only needed a touch to go in as it eluded defenders and strikers alike and went out for a goal kick. But Jensen also had the last word of the half. His powerful shot – after being played-in by Stockton – was again well saved by Cooper in the home goal.
So the Shrimps went back to the Dressing Rooms having weathered a storm and ridden their luck against a slick, talented Plymouth side. But for the outstanding performance of their goalkeeper, they could have been behind by a cricket score. Having said that, though, they generally defended well and looked potent on the break on a few occasions as well. But Derek Adams took off the struggling Cooney as well as Caleb Watts at the break and sent on Donald Love and Dylan Connolly to replace them.
The second half started with Plymouth straight back onto the front foot. Good approach play by the Pilgrims saw Ennis miss from a narrow angle within a minute of the restart. Two minutes later, a mistake in the middle of the park saw Ennis with a clear run on goal and Ripley came to the rescue again with another tremendous stop at the cost of a corner. Almost fifty minutes had been played when Whittaker went for a side-footed finish which only just missed to Ripley’s right following more excellent approach play by the men in the green strip. Argyle were well on top again at this point but substitute Connolly drew a foul just to the right of the home penalty area with 53 minutes played. Sadly, a clearly rehearsed free kick involving Weir and Adam Mayor came to nothing as Adam Randell managed to block it. Three minutes later, another effort by Mayor’s namesake Danny missed the target for Plymouth. Morecambe had a chance to take the lead with almost an hour on the clock but Connolly couldn’t sort his feet out as the ball was played to him in an excellent position and his weak shot was easily saved. The visitors were actually playing quite well at this time and pushing the Pilgrims ever further up the pitch. But all their good work came undone after 69 minutes when Anthony O’Connor made a mistake; sub Ryan Hardie set off on a run down the Argyle left and then slipped the ball to Ennis, who turned the ball home with a clever finish at the near post. Six minutes after they had gone behind, Kieran Phillips’ first touch of the ball was involved as Shaw bore down along the left side of the away penalty area and drew an outstanding save from Cooper, who bravely dived at his feet to thwart him. But the ball was immediately played up the other end of the field and Hardie had a gold-plated chance to increase Plymouth’s lead. When unmarked with the goal at his mercy, though, he contrived to miss the target altogether with an awful shot which missed to a stranded Ripley’s right. He had another effort easily saved by the visiting goalkeeper after 78 minutes but the Pilgrims went even further ahead with only six minutes still scheduled to play. Edwards worked his way in from the left, picked out Sam Cosgrove with a fine pass and saw the substitute taking one touch to control the ball before coolly slotting it past Connor to double his team’s lead. But Morecambe heads didn’t drop. In injury time, O’Connor atoned for his earlier mistake in nosebleed territory for him right at the apex of the Morecambe team, showed skills worthy of a good striker and scored an excellent goal to give the visitors at least some hope in the last three minutes or so. They threw the kitchen sink at Plymouth, who suddenly looked shaky right across the pitch. But it wasn’t to be. And Plymouth had the final say in the game as strike by Hardie was well-saved for a corner by Ripley right at the death.
So Morecambe’s pretty dire record against Derek Adams’ former club continued. The man himself had this to say after the match:
“Over the afternoon, I’m very proud of our players because to come here – they have only lost once this season. And they are at the top of the league for a reason.”
Anyway, let’s end on a more jolly festive note. I woke up this morning – as they say in all the best Blues songs – with a Christmas cracker style joke fully formed in my head. This is it:
What do you call a Cephalopod with nine tentacles?”
An Octoplus.
Have a great Xmas everyone – just try and forget what is said about teams at the bottom of the league at this point of the season. King Derek saved Plymouth from an equally dire position only a few years ago. If anyone can do it again, the Morecambe Manager can.
Plymouth Argyle: 1 Michael Cooper; 3 Macauley Gillesphey; 6 Dan Scarr; 7 Matt Butcher (9 Ryan Hardie 60’); 8 Joe Edwards; 10 Danny Mayor; 11 Niall Ennis (5 James Wilson 74’); 17 Bali Mumba; 19 Morgan Whittaker; 20 Adam Randell (4 Jordan Houghton 66’); 21 Nigel Lonwijk (16 Sam Cosgrove 73’).
Subs not used: 25 Callum Burton; 25 Callum Burton; 36 Finley Craske; 29 Caleb Roberts.
Morecambe: 1 Connor Ripley (C); 4 Liam Gibson; 6 Ryan Delaney (3 Max Melbourne 73’); 9 Cole Stockton; 15 Jensen Weir (7 Jake Taylor 66’); 16 Jacob Bedeau; 17 Caleb Watts (11Dylan Connolly 45’); 20 Liam Shaw (Y); 21 Ryan Cooney (2 Donald Love 45’); 22 Anthony O’Connor; 25 Adam Mayor (23 Kieran Phillips 7’).
Subs not used: 12 Adam Smith; 5 Farrend Rawson.
Ref: Tom Reeves.
Att: 14,368 (about 50 from Morecambe – well done one and all.)
