MORECAMBE suffered a dramatic defeat in their first EFL Trophy group game of the campaign.

The Shrimps led 1-0 with only four minutes remaining thanks to a first half goal from Sam Lavelle and looked set for victory.

But goals from Fabio Tavares on 86 minutes and former Morecambe youngster Alex Newby two minutes later saw the youngsters take the victory.

It was a defeat that was hard to take for the Shrimps as they had created enough chances to win the game with ease.

Boss Derek Adams made seven changes to the side that overcame Grimsby in their opening game of the season and he saw his side dominate the early chances.

Jordan Slew drilled an early effort wide before summer signing Ben Pringle, making his first start for the club, curled a left footer just wide of the right hand post from the edge of the box.

Liam McAlinden fired an effort wide of the left hand post before Morecambe took the lead on 24 minutes.

Pringle produced a pinpoint corner from the right and skipper Lavelle broke free of his marker to head into the top right hand corner past Jay Lynch.

The home side then squandered two great chances to go further ahead when Adam Phillips volleyed over from a good position and John O’Sullivan missed the target altogether with a close range header from an excellent Luke Conlan cross.

The missed chances seemed to inspire Rochdale and they started to turn their neat football into chances in the second half.

Mark Halstead saved well from Lewis Bradley and then punched away a fiercely struck free kick from Oliver Rathbone.

After surviving a period of pressure the Shrimps then created chances that should have seen them win the game.

Phillips saw a close range effort well saved by former Fylde keeper Lynch before Harry Davis twice headed dangerous Pringle corners over from good positions.

The game changed on 86 minutes when Rochdale drew level from a quickly taken free kick. As the Morecambe defence looked to set themselves up for a deep Aaron Motley free kick the youngster played in Tavares with a ball down the side of the Morecambe defence and the striker finished well on the turn.

Pringle and Carlos Mendes-Gomes then went close for the Shrimps again before Rochdale won the game at the death.

A left wing cross caused the Morecambe defence all sorts of problems and after a goalmouth scramble Newby bundled the ball over the line to give the visitors the points.

Morecambe: Halstead, Cooney, Lavelle, Knight-Percival (rep Davis 46), Conlan, Pringle, Kenyon, Phillips (rep Mendes-Gomes 61), O’Sullivan (rep Price 75), McAlinden, Slew. Subs not used: Turner, Stockton, Mellor, Hendrie.

Rochdale: Lynch, McLaughlin 9rep Keohane 46), Amankwah (rep Newby 72), McNulty, Dunne, Morley, Bradley, Brierley, Rathbone (rep Dooley 64), Tavares, Bath. Subs not used: O’Connell, Hopper, Wade.

Ref: S Barrott.