Morecambe win latest pre-season outing at Clitheroe

An early Paul Lewis goal proved the difference as Morecambe made it two wins from two in pre-season with a 1-0 victory over Clitheroe.

Manager Adam Lakeland used the match to give minutes to all of the majority of his senior first team squad – just attacker Teddy Collis and defender Will Smith didn’t feature – as well as a number of younger players, against the opposition from Northern Premier League Division One West.

The Shrimps dominated the early exchanges of the game, and fashioned the first chance, when Isaac Buuckley-Ricketts set up Taelor O’Kane, but his shot was blocked for a corner.

Then in the fifth minute the deadlock was broken. Ben Williams crossed the ball into the box, and Elliot Newby went up to challenge the goalkeeper. The ball fell to Paul Lewis with time and space, and he headed into the empty net.  

The hosts grew into the game and nearly equalised in the 16^th minute. Striker Touray turned well in the box, and shot towards the near post, but Joe Young saved well and the game remained 1-0.

A hydration break came at 22 minutes, and after the break the game was well contested, but neither side created anything of substance and the Shrimps went into half time 1-0 up.  

After the restart, Morecambe came close in the 56^th minute, as Matty Daly crossed the ball, with Buckley-Ricketts waiting to finish but the keeper intercepted just in time.

On the hour mark, the Shrimps made 9 more changes, with O’Kane the only player to play the full 90 minutes. Subs included new signing Joe Garner.

Clitheroe looked more threatening in the second half, and nearly equalised in the 65^th minute, but Myles Boney, a half-time substitute, kept out Scarborough’s headed effort.

Clitheroe were then nearly rewarded for their efforts in the 89^th minute, when Trialist B was played in and beat Boney, but Lewis Leigh was there on the line to clear the ball away and keep both the clean sheet and the lead intact.

Morecambe travel to Bamber Bridge for their next pre-season fixture on Saturday.

Morecambe: Young, Coxe, Williams, Hogan (C), Baines, O’Kane, Daly, Newby, Buckley-Ricketts, Lewis, Blois.

Subs: Boney, Fairclough, Illingworth, Trialist A, Goodyear, Leigh, Vilchez, Newall, Wright, Garner.