The Shrimps and the Shrimpers shared the spoils in this clash at the Mazuma Stadium.

A win would have seen Morecambe move into the automatic promotion spots in League 2 but they were forced to come from behind against a battling Southend who were desperate for points themselves at the wrong end of the table.

Boss Derek Adams had made two changes to the side to the team that lost at Cambridge on Good Friday with Alex Kenyon and Stephen Hendrie returning for Ben Pringle and the suspended Liam Gibson.

The Shrimps were made to fight all the way in the opening stages of the game as Southend started well with Reeco Hackett-Fairchild and Nathan Ferguson trying their luck from distance before the opened the scoring on 18 minutes when Elvis Bwomono’s cross was headed home by Timothee Dieng who sneaked into the box unmarked.

Southend continued to press with Ferguson forcing Kyle Letheren intone save from a free kick before the Shrimps began to find some fluency.

Cole Stockton saw a volley blocked and then hit the side netting before drilling a shot wide after a swift turn on the edge of the Southend box.

Stockton was not to be denied for long however as he scored a superb leveller on 54 minutes. The striker started the move by finding Kelvin Mellor on the right hand side and when his defender’s cross was cleared it fell for Stockton who volleyed superbly past Oxley from the edge of the box

The Shrimps then continued to pile on the pressure with Aaron Wildig and John O’Sullivan going close, Hendrie flashing a fire kick over and Sam Lavelle heading a dangerous cross wide before danger man Stockton saw a fierce volley blocked.

Southend continued to look for the winner on the break with Hackett-Fairchild and Emile Acquah seeing shots superbly blocked by Lavelle and Carlos Mendes Gomes but despite the late efforts both sides had to be content with a point.

Morecambe: Letheren, Mellor, Lavelle, Davis, Hendrie, Diagouraga, Kenyon, O’Sullivan, Wildig, Mendes Gomes, Stockton. Subs not used: Halstead, Knight-Percival, Lyons, Pringle, McAlinden, Cooney, Price.

Southend United: Oxley, Bwomono, Hobson, Cordner, Clifford, Demetriou (rep Taylor 74), Dieng, Ferguson, Hackett-Fairchild, Halford (repAcquah 74), Nathaniel-George (repHolmes 59). Subs not used: Seaden, Goodship, Egbri, Kyprianou.

Ref: S Oldham