RITCHIE Sutton chose the perfect time to score his first goal for the Shrimps as it earned them their first win of the season.

The defender scored the only goal of the game on 65 minutes as he raced on to Steven Old’s superb left wing cross to head past Owen Evans from six yards out and earn Jim Bentley’s side maximum points on a tough night at Moss Rose.

Bentley made four changes to the side that drew with Cheltenham on Saturday with Tim Brewitt making his Football League debut and recalls for Sutton, Shaun Miller and Jordan Cranston while A-Jay Leitch-Smith was on the bench for the first time this season.

Morecambe started brightly with John O’Sullivan clipping an early effort over from the edge of the box and Adam Buxton and Jordan Cranston trying their luck from free kicks but from there it was the home side who dominated and had the better of the first half chances as they looked to maintain their bright start to the season.

Jak McCourt was the first to threaten with a free kick from the edge of the area that was drilled under the Morecambe wall and deflected inches wide for a corner.

The pressure continued with the impressive Theo Archibald striking the top of the Shrimps’ crossbar with a superb strike from 18 yards that had Barry Roach beaten.

The Shrimps’ keeper was soon in action though with a superb save from a close range Fiacre Kelleher header that he tipped away at full stretch to deny the home side an opening goal.

The second half saw Macclesfield waste a great chance to open the scoring when Joe Ironside totally misjudged the flight of the ball when he had a free header from a right wing cross.

Jay Harris then fired an effort straight at Roche before the Shrimps scored the vital fist goal of the game just after the hour

From there Morecambe went close to adding the game’s second goal.

Shaun Miller came closest when he took advantage of Harris’s poor back pass to round Evans only to see his final effort come back off the post from an acute angle.

Andrew Tutte then hit the side netting from the edge of the box before the home piled bodies forward in the final stages but the Morecambe defence held firm to hold on to make it two clean sheets from two games as they took the three points.

Macclesfield: Evans, Welch-Hayes, Kelleher, Vassell, Archibald, McCourt (rep Kirkby 76), Osadebe, Harris, Clarke (rep O’Keefe 67), Ironside, Stephens (rep Gomis 76). Subs not used: Charles-Cook, Horsfall, Blyth.

Morecambe: Roche, Lavelle, Old, Sutton, Buxton, Brewitt, Cranston, O’Sullivan Alessandra (rep Tutte 58), Stockton (rep Oates 78), Miller. (rep Ellison 84) Subs not used: Halstead, Bakare, Jagne, Leitch-Smith.

Ref: P Marsden.

Att: 1,862.