Morecambe 4-1 Notts County

A patched-up Morecambe side battled to a hard-earned win over Notts County on Saturday.
Morecambe v Notts County - Shrimps LiveMorecambe v Notts County - Shrimps Live
Morecambe v Notts County - Shrimps Live

Losing Laurence Wilson, Shaun Beeley and Aaron Wildig to injury on the day Jim Bentley and Ken McKenna celebrated their new contracts thanks to goals from Alan Goodall, Paul Mullin, Alex Kenyon and Jamie Devitt.

Goodall’s 25-yarder gave The Shrimps the lead before Genaro Snijders levelled things up with a thumping volley.

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Mullin’s driving run and curling effort on 65 minutes gave the hosts the lead for a second time before late goals from first Kenyon and then Devitt made sure of victory.

It was a frantic start at the Globe Arena with a makeshift Morecambe back four, Wilson having hobbled out of the warm up, looking shaky.

Adam Campbell was in the thick of the action for the visitors, the diminutive winger twice bringing saves from Barry Roche and fizzing a cross across the face of goal.

There was action at the other end too with Aaron Wildig’s lob from 20 yards landing on the roof of the net to the relief of a scrambling Roy Carroll.

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In an end-to-end contest it was the hosts who went in front on 20 minutes.

Goodall was given time and space to shoot from 25 yards and fired an unstoppable drive beyond Carroll to give The Shrimps the lead.

County were inches from going level on the half hour but after a fine one-two on the edge of the area Jon Stead saw a left foot shot come back off the crossbar with Roche rooted to his spot.

The visitors were level five minutes before the interval however with the game’s second stunning goal.

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The ball dropped to Snijders 20 yards out and his right-footed volley soared past Roche and into the net.

Having lost captain Beeley towards the end of the first period Bentley was also forced to replace Wildig at the break.

The battered and bruised Shrimps were on the back foot in the early part of the second half but grew into their revised three at the back system, Devitt slicing wide from just inside the area.

But it was County who were forcing the game, Stead hooking Campbell’s cross inches wide on the hour mark.

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Against the run of play The Shrimps got their noses in front on 25 minutes however, a fine team move ended with Mullin driving across the face of the area from the left and curling a shot beyond Carroll.

The visitors immediately went in search of an equaliser Campbell blazing wide from 15 yards when he should have done better with Stead then bringing a save from Roche with a volley.

But Morecambe crucially got the game’s next goal, Kenyon driving into the area and scoring through the legs of Carroll from a right angle two minutes from time.

Devitt then beat the offside trap with the 90 minutes almost up and had all the time in the world to finish past Carroll.

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Mullin nearly made it five in stoppage time but saw a shot from the edge of the area whistle over the crossbar.

Morecambe: Roche, Beeley (capt) (Kenyon 45), Dugdale, Parrish, McGowan, Goodall, Fleming, Barkhuizen (Molyneux 73), Wildig (Mullin 46), Devitt, Miller. Subs not used: Bondswell, Bailey, Ryan.

Booked: Devitt, Fleming

Notts County: Carroll (capt), Amevor, Audel (Valencic 85), Sprockel, Hollis, Snijders, Campbell (Jenner 77), Swerts, Burke, Stead, McLeod. Subs not used: Loach, Atkinson, Spencer, Edwards, Smith.

Booked: Amevor, Campbell, McLeod

Referee: Ross Joyce

Attendance: 1,621 (459 away)