Morecambe fell to a narrow 0-1 defeat at home to promotion rivals Bolton Wanderers at the Mazuma Stadium.

Despite a spirited performance from the Shrimps who were reduced to 10-men midway through the first-half, the visitors held on for maximum points.

Manager Derek Adams made one change to his line-up from Tuesday’s victory away to Grimsby Town, with Brad Lyons coming in to replace Freddie Price.

After an edgy start for both sides, it was the Shrimps who carved out the first real chance of note. Aaron Wildig’s free kick on eight minutes was sent toward the back post where Sam Lavelle was lurking, but the skipper could only send his header wide of the target.

The hosts continued to look for openings, with Yann Songo’o picking up possession inbetween the half-way line and the visitor’s box before driving forwards and unleashing an effort from distance, though the strike posed no danger to Matt Gilks in the Bolton goal.

Wanderers first real chance came on 21 minutes as Alex John-Baptiste found space in the Morecambe half, powered forwards before laying possession off to Dapo Afolayan whose curling effort form distance narrowly flew past Kyle Letheren’s left-hand post.

Moments later and Kelvin Mellor found himself in an altercation with Afolayan after himself being fouled, a move which referee Carl Boyeson deemed worthy of a red card and the full-back received his marching orders on 23 minutes.

The visitors looked to benefit from their man advantage and created a number of chances, most notably on 42 minutes when clever play from Lloyd Isgrove led to the ball falling to the feet of Ben Jackson who delivered a powerful strike on goal, forcing Letheren to produce an impressive close-range block.

Moments before half-time and the visitors made their pressure count. Jackson found himself in possession on the edge of the box and curled an effort into the bottom right corner, ensuring Wanderers went into the break a goal to the good.

Bolton’s pressure continued into the second-half as goal scorer Jackson struck a fierce attempt from range on 57 minutes which deflected off Lavelle and forced Letheren a fine reaction save to tip the ball over.

Six minutes later and the ball fell awkwardly to Freddie Price inside the visitor’s box, but the youngster’s effort could only roll wide.

An impressive mazy run from Carlos Mendes Gomes on 72 minutes eventually provided Stephen Hendrie with the ball before the Scotsman cut inside and looked to bend one in from the angle, but the shot on his weaker right foot didn’t test Gilks.

Morecambe looked to snatch a point right at the death when they found themselves in a goal line scramble, Liam McAlinden found himself in on goal but the ball fell just behind the substitute and was cleared as far as Cole Stockton.

The forward worked the ball across the 18-yard line onto his favoured right foot and drove a low shot across goal, the Bolton keeper made the save with his right foot, deflecting the ball into the path of Toumani Diagouraga who beat his man to the ball but saw his last ditch effort cleared off the line as Wanderers claimed maximum points.

Morecambe: Letheren, Mellor, Knight-Percival (McAlinden, 79), Lavelle, Diagouraga, Stockton, Wildig (Price, 45), Mendes Gomes, Lyons (Cooney, 24), Gibson (Hendrie, 20), Songo’o (Kenyon, 79)

Unused subs: Halstead, Davis,

Bolton Wanderers: Gilks, Jones, Williams, Santos, Doyle (Miller, 75), Isgrove (Elbouzedi, 81), Thomason (Sarcevic, 70), John-Baptiste, Lee, Afolayan (Delfounso, 45), Jackson

Unused subs: Jensen, Tutte, Brockbank,

Referee: Carl Boyeson