MORECAMBE slipped to their seventh league defeat of the season as two goals in two minutes earned Crawley the points.

In a game that was typical of the Shrimps’ season so far they were undone by a quality strike and then failed to find their way back into the game as they failed to scored for the sixth time in the league this season.

Crawley started brightly with Panutche Camara looking sharp with two early chances which did not find the target, one of which was deflected wide for a corner.

Filipe Morais went close with a shot from the edge of the area, receiving a ball from the right from Ollie Palmer, he fired narrowly wide.

At the other end Andy Fleming tested Morris with a volley from the edge of the box and as the half came to an end Jordan Cranston found Joe Piggott in the box but the striker failed to connect with his header as it hit his shoulder and bounced into the arms of Glenn Morris.

The game turned on Crawley’s opener on 52 minutes when Ashley Nathaniel-George was allowed to run through the Morecambe midfield and let fly with a right foot shot that beat Barry Roche low to his left hand side from 20 yards out.

In another moment similar to other games this season the opposition were able to double their advantage moments later when Jordan Cranston was robbed of possession on the edge of his own area to give Camara the opportunity to run on to the loose ball, round Roche and slot the ball into the empty net.

The Shrimps tried to find their way back into the game and went close to setting up a tense finale when Liam Mandeville’s sweet free kick from the edge of the area was superbly saved by Glenn Morris as the ball was heading for the top right hand corner.

The Shrimps continued to press at the end but again their final ball all too often proved their downfall and Crawley, with Bonz N’Gala outstanding, held on to take the points.

Crawley Town: Morris, Young, Connolly, N’Gala, Maguire, Francomb (rep Poleon 62), Morais, Bulman (rep Payne 75), Nathaniel-George (rep Doherty 85), Palmer, Camara. Subs not used: Mersin McNerney, Gambia.

Morecambe: Roche, Mills, Old, Yarney, Cranston, Fleming, Wildig, Mandeville, Leith-Smith, Ellison (rep Mendes-Gomes 81), Piggott (rep Oliver 79). Subs not used: Sczcepaniak, Lavelle, Oates, Sinclair, Hedley.

Ref: L Collins.

Att: 1,895.