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After seeing his side lose a third successive game for the first time this season McIlroy admitted his team were poor, but also said he was disappointed with the reaction of a section of the fans.

McIlroy fumed: "We were poor, there was no doubt about it, but I was shocked with some of the comments made by some of the fans.

"We have had some great success here over the past year but if people come here expecting us to win every game then the are going to be disappointed.

"These lads have been superb for this club and have done ever so well for the first season in the Football League but we know we can do better.

"We haven't lost three games in a row since I've been here but I do know that the boys I have here are good, honest lads and although they were poor in this game they didn't deserve the comments I heard from some people.''

McIlroy and assistant Mark Lillis held a team meeting after the game which the boss said had been positive.

"We had a talk with the lads for about 25 minutes after the game and it gave everyone a chance to have their say which was useful and I'm sure it will help."

The Shrimps lost to the Mariners for the second time in a week but on this occasion they deserved their fate.

They had plenty of possession but it was always Grimsby who looked the most threatening going forward.

Striker Peter Bore, handed his first start of the season, was always a threat with his pace and he should have opened the scoring on 18 minutes after cutting through the middle of the Morecambe defence.

He clipped the ball over keeper Scott Davies – who kept his place ahead of Shwan Jalal – but saw his effort sail over the bar.

Bore soon made amends when he opened the scoring on 21 minutes with a well struck low shot past Davies from inside the box after David Artell's clearance rebounded perfectly for him.

Three minutes later he made it 2-0. Again a Morecambe clearance fell neatly for a Grimsby striker as Gary Jones's shot was parried by Davies into the path of Bore who headed into the empty goal.

Morecambe's early threat came with an Artell header over the bar from Craig Stanley's free-kick and a Baker shot that curled inches wide before Garry Thompson hit the post with a well-executed left-foot shot.

Morecambe had the better of the early exchanges in the second half with Thompson shooting wide and Grimsby defender Julian Whittle producing a superb covering tackle to block Matty Blinkhorn's goalbound shot on 50 minutes.

Montgomery then produced a fine reflex save to fist away a well-struck Blinkhorn drive but the Shrimps' comeback hopes were hit as Grimsby hit another two goals in the final hour.

Midweek goal hero Paul Bolland struck the post but unlike Thompson's earlier effort the ball rebounded perfectly for Bore whose header was superbly saved by Davies before Nick Hegarty hammered home the loose ball.

To make matters worse Grimsby added a fourth 10 minutes from time when substitute Martin Butler scored with his first touch on 80 minutes to round off a disappointing afternoon.

Henry McStay and Garry Hunter both came close to adding a late consolation for the Shrimps but it would have mattered little on an instantly forgettable afternoon.

Morecambe

Davies 6

McStay 6

Artell 6

Bentley 6

Adams 7

Thompson 6

Hunter 6

Stanley 6

Baker 6

Newby 6

Blinkhorn 6

Subs
Yates (for Artell 70)
Twiss (for Thompson 74)
Drummond (for Hunter 74)
Unused subs: Jalal, Curtis.

Grimsby: Montgomery, Clarke, Bennett, Fenton, Hegary (Taylor 80, Whittle, Bolland, Boshell, Hunt, Bore (Jarman 82), Jones (Butler 80). Unused subs: Barnes, Newey.

Att: 2,303.
Referee: C Webster.
Some very strange decisions

Mcbe Grimsby
On target 3 6
Off target7 5
Fouls 14 15
Corner 9 4
Offsides 0 3

Starman:
Danny Adams – another solid performance at the back

Match sponsor: Lonsdale and Partners