Morecambe boss Derek Adams said his players failed to do the basics at Crewe Alexandra

The Shrimps suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to Dave Artell’s high fliers who also hit the woodwork three times.

It was a day to forget for Morecambe who also saw Sam Lavelle sent off in the first half for a tackle which will sees him miss the next four games.

Adams admitted: “It was a very tough afternoon for us.

“We just didn’t do the basics well enough. We allowed too many crosses to come into the box and we allowed too many shots on goal and it was hugely disappointing.

“We had shown the lads a video of Crewe and how they play and we knew what to expect and the problems they would cause us and we didn’t deal with them well enough.

“The first goal was always important and they got it from one of those crosses and they had a bit of fortune then with two shots that took big deflections and then we had Sam sent off which I thought was harsh.

“He went with his left foot and he has gone to kick through the ball and I think the referee was swayed by the fact the Crewe players surrounded the referee and that made things difficult for him.

“With 10 men it was always going to be a tough afternoon especially against a team with a lot of talented young players like Crewe.”