Morecambe preview for Saturday

[Sweden Stag]

After two consecutive abysmal second-half performances at home to Cambridge and away to Harrogate respectively, the Stags now desperately need to get back on the point-winning ways earlier this year with a couple of consecutive wins and unbeaten fixtures. Currently, the Stags have lost three games on a trot for the first time since January 2021, and not for the first time since 2018 which PA media wrongly noted in their Harrogate report published on BBC website after the game last Tuesday.

On that same Tuesday night, our next opponent, Morecambe, were involved in late-late drama at home to Salford City. Still trailing 0-1 three minutes into second-half added time, the Shrimps turned that deficit into a 2-1 victory within three minutes. That victory also sees Morecambe currently in fourth position, their current best one at this stage of a season for a decade.

Proof of a different Morecambe side on and off the field compared to the start of last season and previous ones as well. Then, Morecambe had Jim Bentley as boss and on the field, long-serving stalwarts such as goalie Barry Roche and evergreen Kevin Ellison. But now, none are at the Shrimps, as Bentley in October 219 to take on the AFC Fylde managerial post without success as Fylde were relegated from the Conf National last season. Roche has hung up his gloves while Ellison left for Newport County after the end of the curtailed 2019-20 campaign.

The Shrimps are also currently the longest surviving League Two member, now in their 14th consecutive campaign and have during their entire FL stay called upon just FOUR permanent managers. The first one was Sammy McIlroy, in charge when the Shrimps gained their League Two ticket in 2007, and he stayed till the end of the 2010-11 campaign. He was then replaced by Jim Bentley, who remained for eight years and way over 400 league and cup games, an incredible feat these days. Roche and Ellison were caretakers before Derek Adams was appointed in November 2019.

At Morecambe, the Stags have taken 14 points from their last six visits to Morecambe, the two latest ones being drawn following four consecutive Stags three-pointers at the Globe Arena.

Some games between the Stags and Morecambe have been decided very late on in dramatic fashion. Some facts below.

After the game at Morecambe four seasons ago, securing the Stags’ third straight win there, the Shrimps must have felt sick of conceding late goals against the Stags as the game between the sides at Mansfield was also decided late on, just two minutes before the final whistle of normal time.

During the 2016-17 campaign, the sides won their respective away games. On Boxing Day 2016, Morecambe won by the only goal of the game at One Call after a poor Stags display, while the revenge mission was completed on March 25, 2017 , when the Stags won 3-1 at Morecambe, all goals coming in the first half.

At Morecambe’s Globe Arena in 2015-16, the Stags turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory within the last five minutes of that game, the Stags’ winner in the 90th minute, which also meant that the Morecambe Shrimps lost at the same time. But the Shrimps did the other way when high-flying Portsmouth took the long trip up to Morecambe a week later. Then, of all players, Morecambe keeper Barry Roche, hit home the equalizer to a 1-1 scoreline in the fourth minute of injury-time (official time 90th minute) meaning that a Morecambe run of three straight defeats came to an end.

In the 2015-16 campaign, both fixtures were dramatic ones. At Morecambe, the Stags turned the game late on, as noted above. At One Call Stadium, goalie Scott Shearer saved TWO Morecambe penalties to preserve a 2-1 victory, the first time a Stags goalie has saved two spot-kicks during the same game during the Stags’ entire League history.

In 2014-15, the Stags won 1-0 at home thanks to a 90th minute header by Alex Fisher which clinched the Stags’ first-ever home points against the Shrimps, as the two games before that between the sides at Mansfield, the first one seen by the previewer on February 12, 2008, had seen Morecambe come out as 2-1 winners. The second one, on November 30, 2013, saw the Stags’ last FL and cup penalty given for up to August 2015, but crucially missed at 1-1. No game between the sides have ended in a goal-less draw, but the draws last season were the first ones ever between the sides.

The 2009-10 campaign is up to the current one Morecambe's best-ever in their FL history. Then, they finished fourth, a position which in three of the Stags' promotion seasons from the basement (1962-63, 1974-75 and 1985-86 respectively) had guaranteed automatic promotion.

But Morecambe had to be content with the playoffs, where their hopes were dented big style by a 6-0 mauling at Dagenham & Redbridge, the side that followed Morecambe up to the FL in 2007, the Daggers as champions and Morecambe winning the playoff finals against Exeter.

In the 2017-18 season, the Shrimps drew on nineteen occasions, while the Stags drew in eighteen. Before the trip to Morecambe two years ago, the Stags had drawn six consecutive away games, a club record, while Morecambe also drew quite a lot on the road, including some very crucial ones at Notts County and Macclesfield respectively.

Morecambe are one of two sides the Stags have faced continuously since their EFL return in 2013 (and the current Newport club’s initial one). The other are Exeter.

The sides have so far yet to play a goal-less game. And the first-ever home fixture between the sides in February 2008 was watched by the previewer, seeing an abject Stags first-half display then, almost on par with the recent second half at Harrogate. And since the 4-0 rout on Good Friday 2019, the Stags have won just six out of their 31 home League Two fixtures up to now (four out of 17 during the curtailed last season, home programme then started with a 2-2 draw against Morecambe, two out of 14 so far this season).

The ref on Saturday will be Anthony Backhouse, whom we had earlier this season during the FA Cup first round giant-killing at Sunderland.

And half a century ago on this day, the Stags routed Tranmere at third level to a 6-2 scoreline at headquarters, when one of the scorers during the West Ham giant-kiling years earlier, Dudley Roberts, was on fire big style and hit the back of the Tranmere net on four occasions.

Played for both sides: Dave Artell, Simon Grand, Kevan Hurst, James Jennings, Keith Kennedy, Fraser McLachlan, Vadaine Oliver, Adam Rundle, James Sutton, Richard Sutton, Brian Thomson, Neil Wainwright, Laurence Wilson.

Previous FL games:

Home games: P 8, W 4, D 1, L 3, GF 13, GA 9
Away games: P 9, W 5, D 2, L 2, GF 13, GA 10

Season Home Date Away Date

2007-08 1-2 2008-02-12 1-3 2007-08-25 League Two
2013-14 1-2 2013-11-30 1-0 2014-04-05 League Two
2014-15 1-0 2014-09-16 1-2 2015-02-10 League Two
2015-16 2-1 2016-02-06 2-1 2016-01-26 League Two
2016-17 0-1 2016-12-26 3-1 2017-03-25 League Two
2017-18 2-1 2017-12-23 2-1 2018-01-27 League Two
2018-19 4-0 2019-04-19 1-0 2018-10-23 League Two
2019-20 2-2 2019-08-10 1-1 2020-02-08 League Two
2020-21 (at Morecambe) 1-1 2020-10-20 League Two

A very important game on Saturday. Come on Mansfield!

[Richard Cranium]

After two consecutive abysmal second-half performances at home to Cambridge and away to Harrogate respectively, the Stags now desperately need to get back on the point-winning ways earlier this year with a couple of consecutive wins and unbeaten fixtures. Currently, the Stags have lost three games on a trot for the first time since January 2021, and not for the first time since 2018 which PA media wrongly noted in their Harrogate report published on BBC website after the game last Tuesday.

On that same Tuesday night, our next opponent, Morecambe, were involved in late-late drama at home to Salford City. Still trailing 0-1 three minutes into second-half added time, the Shrimps turned that deficit into a 2-1 victory within three minutes. That victory also sees Morecambe currently in fourth position, their current best one at this stage of a season for a decade.

Proof of a different Morecambe side on and off the field compared to the start of last season and previous ones as well. Then, Morecambe had Jim Bentley as boss and on the field, long-serving stalwarts such as goalie Barry Roche and evergreen Kevin Ellison. But now, none are at the Shrimps, as Bentley in October 219 to take on the AFC Fylde managerial post without success as Fylde were relegated from the Conf National last season. Roche has hung up his gloves while Ellison left for Newport County after the end of the curtailed 2019-20 campaign.

The Shrimps are also currently the longest surviving League Two member, now in their 14th consecutive campaign and have during their entire FL stay called upon just FOUR permanent managers. The first one was Sammy McIlroy, in charge when the Shrimps gained their League Two ticket in 2007, and he stayed till the end of the 2010-11 campaign. He was then replaced by Jim Bentley, who remained for eight years and way over 400 league and cup games, an incredible feat these days. Roche and Ellison were caretakers before Derek Adams was appointed in November 2019.

At Morecambe, the Stags have taken 14 points from their last six visits to Morecambe, the two latest ones being drawn following four consecutive Stags three-pointers at the Globe Arena.

Some games between the Stags and Morecambe have been decided very late on in dramatic fashion. Some facts below.

After the game at Morecambe four seasons ago, securing the Stags’ third straight win there, the Shrimps must have felt sick of conceding late goals against the Stags as the game between the sides at Mansfield was also decided late on, just two minutes before the final whistle of normal time.

During the 2016-17 campaign, the sides won their respective away games. On Boxing Day 2016, Morecambe won by the only goal of the game at One Call after a poor Stags display, while the revenge mission was completed on March 25, 2017 , when the Stags won 3-1 at Morecambe, all goals coming in the first half.

At Morecambe’s Globe Arena in 2015-16, the Stags turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory within the last five minutes of that game, the Stags’ winner in the 90th minute, which also meant that the Morecambe Shrimps lost at the same time. But the Shrimps did the other way when high-flying Portsmouth took the long trip up to Morecambe a week later. Then, of all players, Morecambe keeper Barry Roche, hit home the equalizer to a 1-1 scoreline in the fourth minute of injury-time (official time 90th minute) meaning that a Morecambe run of three straight defeats came to an end.

In the 2015-16 campaign, both fixtures were dramatic ones. At Morecambe, the Stags turned the game late on, as noted above. At One Call Stadium, goalie Scott Shearer saved TWO Morecambe penalties to preserve a 2-1 victory, the first time a Stags goalie has saved two spot-kicks during the same game during the Stags’ entire League history.

In 2014-15, the Stags won 1-0 at home thanks to a 90th minute header by Alex Fisher which clinched the Stags’ first-ever home points against the Shrimps, as the two games before that between the sides at Mansfield, the first one seen by the previewer on February 12, 2008, had seen Morecambe come out as 2-1 winners. The second one, on November 30, 2013, saw the Stags’ last FL and cup penalty given for up to August 2015, but crucially missed at 1-1. No game between the sides have ended in a goal-less draw, but the draws last season were the first ones ever between the sides.

The 2009-10 campaign is up to the current one Morecambe's best-ever in their FL history. Then, they finished fourth, a position which in three of the Stags' promotion seasons from the basement (1962-63, 1974-75 and 1985-86 respectively) had guaranteed automatic promotion.

But Morecambe had to be content with the playoffs, where their hopes were dented big style by a 6-0 mauling at Dagenham & Redbridge, the side that followed Morecambe up to the FL in 2007, the Daggers as champions and Morecambe winning the playoff finals against Exeter.

In the 2017-18 season, the Shrimps drew on nineteen occasions, while the Stags drew in eighteen. Before the trip to Morecambe two years ago, the Stags had drawn six consecutive away games, a club record, while Morecambe also drew quite a lot on the road, including some very crucial ones at Notts County and Macclesfield respectively.

Morecambe are one of two sides the Stags have faced continuously since their EFL return in 2013 (and the current Newport club’s initial one). The other are Exeter.

The sides have so far yet to play a goal-less game. And the first-ever home fixture between the sides in February 2008 was watched by the previewer, seeing an abject Stags first-half display then, almost on par with the recent second half at Harrogate. And since the 4-0 rout on Good Friday 2019, the Stags have won just six out of their 31 home League Two fixtures up to now (four out of 17 during the curtailed last season, home programme then started with a 2-2 draw against Morecambe, two out of 14 so far this season).

The ref on Saturday will be Anthony Backhouse, whom we had earlier this season during the FA Cup first round giant-killing at Sunderland.

And half a century ago on this day, the Stags routed Tranmere at third level to a 6-2 scoreline at headquarters, when one of the scorers during the West Ham giant-kiling years earlier, Dudley Roberts, was on fire big style and hit the back of the Tranmere net on four occasions.

Played for both sides: Dave Artell, Simon Grand, Kevan Hurst, James Jennings, Keith Kennedy, Fraser McLachlan, Vadaine Oliver, Adam Rundle, James Sutton, Richard Sutton, Brian Thomson, Neil Wainwright, Laurence Wilson.

Previous FL games:

Home games: P 8, W 4, D 1, L 3, GF 13, GA 9
Away games: P 9, W 5, D 2, L 2, GF 13, GA 10

Season Home Date Away Date

2007-08 1-2 2008-02-12 1-3 2007-08-25 League Two
2013-14 1-2 2013-11-30 1-0 2014-04-05 League Two
2014-15 1-0 2014-09-16 1-2 2015-02-10 League Two
2015-16 2-1 2016-02-06 2-1 2016-01-26 League Two
2016-17 0-1 2016-12-26 3-1 2017-03-25 League Two
2017-18 2-1 2017-12-23 2-1 2018-01-27 League Two
2018-19 4-0 2019-04-19 1-0 2018-10-23 League Two
2019-20 2-2 2019-08-10 1-1 2020-02-08 League Two
2020-21 (at Morecambe) 1-1 2020-10-20 League Two

A very important game on Saturday. Come on Mansfield!

Cheers Zlatan stag. Much appreciated