Morecambe manager wants to build on midweek success with their trip to Mansfield Town

Morecambe boss Derek Adams believes tomorrow’s hosts Mansfield Town are a perfect example of how closely-fought League Two has been this season.
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The Shrimps make the journey on the back of their midweek win against Salford City, one which left them fourth in the table and only three points behind leaders Cambridge United.

In contrast, the Stags lost at Harrogate Town on Tuesday, and while it was their third consecutive defeat, Nigel Clough’s players had only lost one in 12 before that.

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“It just shows you a tight a division it is,” Adams said. “Nigel Clough has gone in there and he’s got a very good squad.

Morecambe enjoyed a last-gasp win against Salford City in midweekMorecambe enjoyed a last-gasp win against Salford City in midweek
Morecambe enjoyed a last-gasp win against Salford City in midweek

Graham Coughlan (former manager) put a base in, Nigel has taken over and has added to that squad in January.

“However, we have shown we are a team that can go to different places and try to get victories – and victories are what matters.

“We have got one of the best away records in the division – I think it’s the third best – and we’ll look to continue that at Mansfield. We are in a fabulous position with 49 points and 16 games to go.

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“We’re just trying to finish as high as we can and we have a lot of very good games to come.”

With those 16 games of the season to go, Morecambe remain handily placed in the table albeit having played more games than most of the chasing pack.

Eight victories and three draws from the last 15 matches have lifted Adams’ players into the top four.

Central to that is their well-documented ability to score goals late on in games.

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The injury-time goals from Carlos Mendes Gomes and Aaron Wildig in midweek mean the Shrimps have now scored a dozen times in the last 15 minutes of matches this season.

“We had chances in the second half,” Adams said.

“We just felt we needed to take that opportunity and it was all our play in the second half.

“They were always going to have a kind of a counter-attack against us because we were taking huge risks.

“That paid off in the end where we get into good areas and it’s no more than we deserved.”

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While some fans might be dreaming of a first season in League One, players and staff aren’t looking as far ahead.

Instead, Adams stressed the need to take it on a game-by-game basis going into a busy stage of the season.

He said: “It’s important that we do that. We have got a lot of games to be played, still a lot of Saturday-Tuesday games to come.

“The players are hungry and they just keep going.”

Nat Knight-Percival, who limped off against Salford, will be monitored but, as it stands, he is the only possible absentee for tomorrow.

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