Winning start for new Morecambe boss in pre-season Kendal Town victory

Adam Lakeland’s first game in charge ended in victory as Morecambe opened their pre-season campaign with a deserved 3-1 win away at Kendal Town.

Morecambe began their pre-season preparations with a win away at Kendal Town, in a match that saw new boss Adam Lakeland field two different 11s in the match.

Morecambe had the better of the ball in the first 10 minutes or so and broke the deadlock in the 13^th minute. New signing Elliot Newby converted a Corey Goodyear cross/shot into the net from point blank range.

The remainder of the first half saw Morecambe maintain control of the match and just before the break, Newby nearly grabbed his second of the afternoon, when his curling effort after a strong run cannoned back off the post. Teddy Collis couldn’t convert the rebound, and the Shrimps went into half time 1-0 to the good.

In the second half and the game followed the same pattern as the first half. Both sides struggled to keep hold of the ball in the early exchanges. Morecambe then began to assume the control again, and nearly found an early opening when Conan Newall got on the end of a lovely through ball from one of three trialists who played in the game for Morecambe. His shot however was smothered by the Kendal goalkeeper.

The Kendal ‘keeper was much busier in the second half than he was the first and was called into a double save after Lewis Leigh’s free kick was well saved, and then the rebound that fell to Trialist C was saved as well. In the 75th minute Taelor O’Kane’s header from a corner was again saved.

Then in the 78th minute Kendal got their reward for much better attacking play in the second half. A Trialist pressured the ball in the Morecambe back line and got his reward when he stole the ball and fired past Joe Young.

The lead didn’t last for long, as new striker Ronnie Blois scored on his first outing as a Morecambe player. He picked up a loose ball near the edge or the area and calmly passed the ball into the net to restore Morecambe’s lead in the 82nd minute.

Morecambe then wrapped up the game in the 89th minute, with a Newall finish after Isaac Buckley-Ricketts drove at the Kendal defence and slipped the ball into his path.

Kendal Town: Cheetham, Russel, Sowerby, Kenny, Flynn, Cooper, Milburn, Mccaragher, Looker, Pilkington, Taylor

Morecambe First Half XI: Boney, Coxe, Hogan (C), Collis, Daly, Newby, Trialist A, Trialist B, Lewis, Fairclough, Goodyear

Morecambe Second Half XI: Young, Williams, Newall, Baines (C), Buckley-Ricketts, O’Kane, Blois, Trialist C, Illingworth, Vilchez