Daly double earns Morecambe a point against National League North pace setters

Morecambe fought back to claim a 2-2 draw with Hereford in a fiery match at the Halo Aerospace Stadium.

A Maty Daly double, including a goal of the season contender, cancelled out two second half strikes from the visitors.  

The first half was hotly contested and didn’t take long to get going. The first chance of the game fell to the visitors, with Harrison Iwunze forcing into Myles Boney into a fine save after three minutes.

Liam Hogan then cleared the ball off the line in the 11th minute after some chaos from a corner.

Then the opening goal came in the 14th minute and what a goal it was.

Jake Cain, Ruben Curley and Maty Daly linked up well down the left, before Daly unleashed a curling effort that found the top corner perfectly.

The rest of the half was a feisty encounter, but the Shrimps went into the break ahead.

Into the second half and the intensity in the game didn’t waiver. The visitors levelled the match in the 51st minute from the second phase after a disputed corner, with a header looping into the net from visiting captain Lewis Hudson. It was the first goal the Shrimps had conceded at home since August 28^th.

Hereford then took the lead a couple of minutes later through Kameron Muir, after he fired past Boney from inside the area following a break.

They nearly doubled their lead when Harry Tustin hit the bar from a tight angle in the 65th minute.

The Shrimps kept up their attacking intent and got their rewards in the 68th minute. Substitute Marcus Neil played a lovely ball into Daly inside the box, and he slid it past the onrushing keeper Richardson to level the game with his seventh goal of the season.

Both sides carried on pushing and provide an excellent spectacle until the end. The Shrimps nearly stole it at the end, when Neil had a header from close range tipped round the post.

Lewis then had a chance to win it from the resulting header, but his effort went over the bar and the game ended in a draw.

Morecambe: Boney, Coxe, Williams, Hogan ©, Baines, Collis (Newby 65’), Garner (Neill 66’), Daly, Lewis, Cain (O’Kane 65’), Curley (Buckley-Ricketts 89’).

Substitutes Not Used: Scales, Blois, Davis.

Goals: Daly 14’ 68’.

Bookings: Cain 33’, Curley 85’.

Hereford: Richardson, Hudson ©, Kandola, Merrett (Phillips 85’), Martin (Cox 72’), Tustin (Bitemo 90’), Spokes, James, Iwunze (Waldron 90’), Howkins, Muir (Holmes 76’)

Substitutes Not Used: Willis, Lewis.

Goals: Howkins 50’, Muir 54’.

Bookings: Tustin 87’.

Attendance: 2114