Shrimps convincingly beat 10-man Luton Town
Morecambe produced one of their best performances of the season to convincingly beat 10-man Luton Town.
Goals from Kevin Ellison, Mark Hughes and Padraig Amond earned the Shrimps a second successive home win.
Despite missing boss Jim Bentley who was at home with a virus the Shrimps started well and took the lead in the 16th minute.
Jamie Devitt’s deep free-kick was headed back into the area by Alex Kenyon and Kevin Ellison was in the right place at the right time to drill home his eighth goal of the season from 10 yards.
The Shrimps looked a real threat going forward and soon had a man advantage when former Fleetwood man Steve McNulty was sent off for two bookings in the space of two minutes just before the half hour.
Luton were ragged with the Shrimps well on top, Kenyon seeing a header from a Devitt corner hacked off the line by former Dagenham man Luke Wilkinson.
But Morecambe didn’t have to wait long to double their advantage and got a second on the stroke of half-time.
After forcing a series of corners, one was kept alive with Shaun Beeley chipping to the far post where Hughes arrived to head past Mark Tyler at his near post.
Luton had to regroup and were quickest out of the blocks in the second half, Scott Davies beating Mark Cullen’s effort round the post.
But it was as good as things got for the visitors as once the Shrimps warmed into the second period they looked like they would score at will. Tyler made a string of fine saves before Amond added a deserved third nine minutes from time after Ryan Edwards had headed a Devitt corner into the danger area.
The win earned the Shrimps the inaugural Eric Morecambe Trophy to cap off a fine day.
Morecambe: Davies, Parrish, Hughes, Edwards, Beeley, Drummond, Kenyon, Wilson, Devitt, Ellison, Mullin (rep Amond 59). Subs not used: Arestidou, Redshaw, Williams, Goodall, McGowan, McCready.
Booked: Edwards, Ellison
Luton: Tyler, Franks, McNulty, Wilkinson, Harriman (rep Miller 73), Doyle, Smith, Howells, Drury (rep Lacey 46), Whalley, Cullen rep (Lafayette 68). Subs not used: Justham, Griffiths, Rooney, Stevenson.
Booked: McNulty, Lafayette
Sent off: McNulty
Referee: Andy D’Urso
Attendance: 2,263