Fleetwood Town 2-1 Morecambe: Two bizarre own goals in Checkatrade Trophy tie

Morecambe suffered their second Checkatrade Trophy defeat of the campaign with a narrow defeat at Highbury.
Reece Deakin in action against Fleetwood.Reece Deakin in action against Fleetwood.
Reece Deakin in action against Fleetwood.

In a game that saw two bizarre own goals Fleetwood took the spoils.

The telling moment came on 73 minutes when the unfortunate Aaron McGowan diverted a Wes Burns cross that was flying across goal past his own goalkeeper Dan Nizic.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There was more than a touch of irony to the goal as the first own goal of the game came from Godswill Ekpolo on 51 minutes when he somehow turned a McGowan shot that was heading for a throw-in past a bemused looking Chris Neal.

Morecambe did have a late chance to get something from the game when Reece Deakin was played in on goal but he hesitated and Nathan Pond was able to provide a covering tackle.

Fleetwood took the lead with a quality strike on 25 minutes.

Burns received the ball 25 yards out and with hardly any back lift let fly with a right-foot shot that flew past Nizic and into the right-hand corner of the Morecambe goal.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Shrimps were almost undone again by a second wonder strike on the stroke of half time.

Bailey Cargill tried his luck with a 30-yard left-foot shot that dipped viciously and hit the crossbar with Nizic again beaten by the sheer pace of the shot.

Morecambe played some decent football in the first period without creating too many openings.

The best chance came on 35 minutes when Adam Campbell played in Rhys Turner with a perfectly weighted through ball but Turner’s first touch took him away from goal and the chance went begging.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In the end Fleetwood’s experience told and Uwe Rosler’s side all but sealed qualification with Morecambe still looking for their first win in the competition.

They sit bottom of Group A ahead of their final round robin game against Leicester City’s Under 21s at the Globe Arena on Tuesday, November 7, but do still have a slim chance of qualifying.

Fleetwood: Neal, Rodgers, Bolger (Pond 46), Cargill, Ekpolo, Maguire, O’Neill (Nadesan 69), Schwabl, Sowerby, Hunter (Hiwula 83), Burns. Subs not used: Cairns, Nirennold, Biggins, Donohue.

Morecambe: Nizic, McGowan, Kenyon, Fleming, Campbell, Conlon, Lavelle, Turner, Deakin (Ellison 75), Muller (Winnard 58, Lund, 83), Rose. Subs not used: Maher, Brough, Yawson, Jordan.

Referee: Eddie Ilderton

Attendance: 768