Morecambe 0, Mansfield 1: Another home loss for Shrimps

Morecambe suffered a third successive home defeat and their second 1-0 reverse of the week as they went down to Mansfield.
Vadaine OliverVadaine Oliver
Vadaine Oliver

Jim Bentley’s injury hit side once again played some neat football but failed to find the target for the second game running and were undone by a quality strike from former Blackpool midfielder Neal Bishop.

The decisive strike came in the 36th minute. A right wing Otis Khan corner found its way to the midfielder on the edge of the Morecambe area and the veteran produced a moment of quality to volley a 20 yard effort right footed into the bottom right hand corner.

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The Stags had come close to taking the lead in the 12th minute when Mal Benning produced a cross from the left that dipped in the swirling wind as the ball hit the inside of the post with Roche beaten.

From there Morecambe, with Hedley enjoying a solid debut, had the better of the play and produced some fine football with A-Jay Leitch-Smith forcing Bobby Olejnik into a fine save low to his right with a shot from the edge of the area.

Mansfield always looked dangerous on the counter and Danny Rose wasted two glorious chances toast the Stags lead drilling a close range shot over the bar and heading a Benning cross over from 12 yards out.

The Stags looked the sharper side in the second half with Benning firing an early shot just wide from 35 yards and Tyler Walker forcing Roche into a fine save with an effort from just inside the box.

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Roche was quick to react and make further saves from CJ Hamilton and Danny Rose as David Flitcroft’s side looked a constant threat.

The home side went close when former Mansfield loanee Vadaine Oliver headed Liam Mandeville’s cross over but Olejnik was protected well as the Stags kept a confidence boosting clean sheet and let the Shrimps once again thinking what might have been.

Morecambe: Roche, Mills, Yarney, Lavelle, Conlan, Hedley (rep Oates 65), Cranston, Mandeville, Leitch-Smith, Ellison (rep Piggott 80), Oliver. Subs not used: Halstead, Mendes-Gomes, Thompson, Oswell, Brownsword,

Mansfield: Olejnik, Benning, Preston, Sweeney, Pearce, Bishop, Mellis (rep Elsnik 80), Khan(rep Butcher 83), Walker (rep Graham 90), Hamilton, Rose. Subs not used: Logan, Sterling-James, Law, Gibbens.

Ref: R Lewis.

Attendance: 1,355.