Match Report: Morecambe 2-0 Portsmouth
MORECAMBE picked up their second home win of the week against former Premier League opposition as they beat Portsmouth 2-0 at the Globe Arena.
The Shrimps made the best possible start when they went ahead with only 10 minutes on the clock.
The visitors initially cleared their lines from a corner but failed to deal with a follow-up delivery and defender Ryan Edwards lashed home at the second time of asking to score his first goal for the club.
The Shrimps then added a second on 21 minutes when Tom Barkhuizen unleashed a stunning 20-yard drive past the despairing dive of David Forde to stun the visitors.
Pompey rallied to dominate much of the play in the first half but failed to really threaten the Morecambe goal and the Shrimps could have added a third on the stroke of half time.
Barkhuizen again proved too quick for Enda Stevens and forced his way into the box but could only find the post from the angle when he looked set to score.
The second half saw Pompey again dominate possession for long periods only to be denied time and time again by some brilliant defending and superb goalkeeping from Barry Roche who had one of his best ever games for the Shrimps.
Former Shrimps' star Carl Baker was the Blues’ most likeliest scorer and he was kept out twice by Roche with Gary Roberts another to be denied by the Shrimps stopper.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, Roche served up his best yet as substitute Curtis Main was brilliantly denied from point-blank range with dominant Pompey unable to find the breakthrough.
It was deja vu moments later as Roche again prevented Main, before Christian Burgess’s near-post flick met the same fate.
Last season he broke Pompey hearts with a last-gasp headed equaliser but the goalkeeper excelled in his usual role tonight with a finger-tip save denying Roberts from a fiercely-struck free-kick.
Having been a spectator for the entirety of the second half, Forde then sprang into action late on to keep out Shrimps sub Paul Mullin who looked to add a third.
Morecambe: Roche, Wakefield, Edwards, Whitmore, Conlan, Fleming, Rose, Barkhuizen (Kenyon 86), Dunn (Molyneux 60), Ellison, Stockton (Mullin 75). Subs: Nizic, McGowan, Turner.
Portsmouth: Forde, Talbot, Burgess, Barton, Stevens, Doyle, Rose (Hunt 85), Baker, Roberts, Bennett (Main 64), Smith (Lalkovic 64). Subs: O’Brien, Davies, Buxton, Linganzi.
Referee: Nigel Miller.
Attendance: 1,838.