AN Adam Phillips penalty earned the Shrimps a battling victory at Preston Park.

Phillips, who returned to the starting line up after a recent illness, scored from the spot kick just before the hour after Carlos Mendes Gomes had been brought down in the box by Callum MacDonald.

Tranmere started the game on the front foot with Kayne Woolery shooting wide from a good opening and Ollie Banks firing an effort over before Stephen Hendrie produced a fine block from Woolery’s close range shot.

After a slow start the Shrimps grew into the game with Jordan Slew seeing a shot diverted for a corner by Lee O’Connor and Hendrie shooting over from distance.

The biggest incident of note in the first half came on 24 minutes when Aaron Wildig latched onto a long through ball over the top of the Tranmere defence and despite looking to be pulled back by Manny Monthe he got in a shot on goal that beat Scott Davies but hit the foot of the post.

Tranmere had the first effort of note in the second half when Paul Lewis flicked an Otis Khan free kick just wide of the right hand post before the Shrimps took control.

Davies was forced into a superb save to tip over Mendes-Gones’s close range shot and from the resulting corner Jordan Slew volleyed just off target.

But the deadlock was broken on 57 minutes when Phillips scored from the spot and apart from a fine effort from James Vaughan that drew a good save from Jake Turner they rarely looked in trouble.

It was the Shrimps who went closest to scoring again when in the 94th minute Nathaniel Knight-Percival’s drop ball clearance was misjudged by Davies but the keeper managed to recover and scramble the ball off the line.

Tranmere: Davies, O’Connor, Clarke, Monthe, MacDonald, Banks, Lewis, Morris (rep Smith 71), Woolery (rep Blackett-Taylor 71), Vaughan, Khan (rep Feeney 65). Subs not used: Murphy, Ridehalgh, Nelson, Spearing.

Morecambe: Turner, Mellor, Lavelle, Knight-Percival, Hendrie, Kenyon, Songo’o, Wildig, Phillips, Mendes-Gomes (rep O’Sullivan 81), Slew. Subs not used: Halstead, Cooney, Pringle, Price, Diagouraga.

Ref: C Hicks.