Match preview: Morecambe v Ipswich Town

7 October 2022

The Shrimps are back at the Mazuma Stadium on Saturday 8 October to take on Ipswich Town in Sky Bet League One.

Morecambe will be hoping to bounce back from last Saturday’s Lancashire derby defeat against Accrington Stanley with a positive result against The Tractor Boys.

Ipswich were last in action on Tuesday night when they beat Cambridge United by three goals to nil in front of 26,414 supporters at Portman Road.

The opposition

Kieran McKenna’s side currently sit second in Sky Bet League One with eight wins, three draws and one defeat after 12 league games.

The Blues’ are a club with a rich history and were FA Cup winners in 1978 when they beat Arsenal by a goal to nil at Wembley. The Suffolk club also won the 1981 UEFA Cup, now the Europa League, by beating Dutch side AZ 5-4 on aggregate.

Manager Kieran McKenna is currently in his first job in senior management having previously managed at Spurs and Manchester United U18’s before joining Mansfield Town as assistant manager from 2018 to 2021. McKenna was appointed Ipswich boss in December 2021 and guided them to an 11^th place finish last season.

Key players

Forward Conor Chaplin has been the danger man up top for Ipswich this season with six League One goals so far. The 25-year-old started his career at Portsmouth’s academy in 2003 and was promoted to the senior team in 2014, going on to score 22 goals in 104 appearances before moving on loan to Coventry City in 2018. The Worthing-born man joined the Sky Blues permanently in January 2019 before moving to Barnsley later that year. Town secured Chaplin’s signature in the summer of 2021.

Winger Kyle Edwards put on an impressive showing for Ipswich in midweek. The 24-year-old netted a second-half brace in the Blues’ win over The U's. Edwards worked his way up the ranks at West Bromwich Albion where he started out as part of their academy in 2004 before being promoted to the senior team in 2015. The winger spent the 2017-18 season on loan at Exeter City before moving to Portman Road in 2021 upon expiry of his contract at West Brom.

Wes Burns has also been influential for Ipswich from the right-hand side of midfield this season. The Welshman has two goals and two assists so far, and scored the winner in his sides win over Portsmouth last weekend.

A familiar face to Morecambe fans is former Shrimps left-back Greg Leigh, though the Jamaican international will not feature on Saturday after suffering a leg fracture during the Blues’ 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday in September.

Kieran McKenna’s pre-match thoughts

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna is aware of the challenges Morecambe will pose to his side on Saturday.

Speaking to Town's YouTube channel, he said: “They’re going to be fighting for every inch.

“They’re going to make it a really tough game for us and we’re going to have to stand up to that.

“They’re going to make it a game we’re not going to enjoy, there aren’t many teams who want an open football match against us at the moment.

“We know where they’re going to be strong and we need to be ready for that."

Meet the officials

Thomas Kirk will be the man in the middle on Saturday afternoon, he will be assisted by Kevin Mulraine and David Avent with Lewis Raper completing the line up as fourth official.

Referee Kirk has taken charge of 11 games in the EFL this season; twice in League One, five games in League Two, three Papa John’s Trophy games and one Carabao Cup tie.

Kirk is refereeing his first season in the EFL after officiating 27 games last season in the National League, National League North, Premier League 2 and FA Youth Cup.

Saturday will be the first time Kirk has taken charge of a Shrimps fixture.

iFollow

After teaming up with Beyond Radio for the 2022/23 season, supporters will be able to listen to exclusive, full and uninterrupted radio commentary of every single game, home and away, which will be broadcast simultaneously on 103.5FM, 107.5FM and DAB+ digital radio across North Lancashire and South Cumbria as well as on the iFollow Shrimps platform.

Lead commentator Dave Salmon will be joined by former Shrimps player Neil Wainwright.

Audio passes are available from as little as £2.50 per match, £4.49 for a monthly pass or £45 for a season pass.

As well as full match commentary, the ‘Shrimps Verdict’ podcast will be available post-match, featuring online, on demand content, including audio match highlights, post-match interviews and reaction, and much more!

Match Reports

Report: Shrimps 1-2 Ipswich Town

8 October 2022

Morecambe 1-2 Ipswich Town

Sky Bet League One
The Mazuma Stadium
Saturday 8 October 2022
Kick-Off: 3:00pm
Attendance: 4,776 (1,064 away)

Ipswich Town took all-three-points from the Mazuma Stadium despite a spirited Shrimps performance.

Both sides looked to carve out chances in the first ten minutes, but the respective defences stood firm and did their jobs; most notably Richard Keogh for town whose vital interception prevented Jacob Bedeau’s thread of the needle pass leading Dylan Connolly through to goal.

Morecambe’s first clear cut chance came on 17 minutes when the ball found its way to Liam Shaw, whose effort from the edge of the box was blocked.

For all the half-chances, Kieran Phillips made sure he took his opportunity when presented with it as he fired the Shrimps ahead on 34 minutes.

An excellent free-kick delivery found the number 23, whose effort struck the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net.

Ipswich looked to respond three minutes before the break when Lee Evans’ struck the post from distance, and Jackson skied the rebound over the bar from yards out.

Moments before the half-time whistle, Chaplin looked to level proceedings, but his effort from the left of the 18-yard-box sailed wide of Connor Ripley’s left-hand post.

Half-time: Morecambe 1-0 Ipswich Town.

It was nearly an immediate response for the visitors as, one minute into the second-half, Edwards rattled the post with a curling effort from the left.

Moments later and a deep cross was met by Donald Love, his attempted clearance clipped the crossbar and was eventually collected by Ripley.

Town’s pressure paid off as George Edmundson was able to find an equaliser on 54 minutes after steering home from the corner.

The visitors were then awarded a penalty three minutes later, but Ripley produced a fine save to deny Chaplin from 12 yards.

Despite Ripley’s heroics, the referee awarded another penalty to the Tractor Boys just after the hour mark, which Evans converted.

Former Shrimp Leif Davis looked to extend his side’s advantage on 73 minutes, but his curling effort had too much elevation and sailed into the Bartercard Terrace.

Some excellent play from Cole Stockton saw the striker come agonisingly close to a Morecambe equaliser 15 minutes from time, but his flicked effort at goal rolled wide of the far post.

Full-time: Morecambe 1-2 Ipswich Town.

Morecambe: Ripley, Love ©, Gibson, Rawson, Delaney, Fane (Cooney, 86’), Stockton, Connolly (Mayor, 86’), Bedeau, Shaw, Phillips.

Subs not used: Smith, McLoughlin, O’Connor.

Goals: Phillips 34’.

Bookings: Fane 23’, Delaney 32’, Bedeau 62’, Rawson 72’, Stockton 87’, Love 90+6’.

Red cards: None.

Ipswich Town: Walton, Keogh, Davis (Vincent-Young, 76’), Edmundson, Morsy ©, Evans, Chaplin (Harness, 67’), John-Jules (Ladapo, 76’), Jackson (Burns, 66’), Edwards, Donacien.

Subs not used: Hladky, Woolfenden, Humphreys.

Goals: Edmundson 54’, Evans 64’.

Bookings: Evans 70’.

Red cards: None.

Ticket News

Ipswich Town (H) ticket details

25 September 2022

Tickets are now on sale for our Sky Bet League One home fixture against Ipswich Town on Saturday 8 October, 15:00 KO.

Prices and on-sale dates for the encounter can be found below:

Ticket Prices

	Standing	Seating
Adult	£20	£25
Concession	£15	£20
Young Adult 18-22	£10	£15
Junior 14-17	£5	£7
Child Under 14*	£3	£5

*All children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a responsible adult (over 18).

Disabled/Ambulant Supporters

We have a limited number of wheelchair spaces available, please contact the club shop directly to purchase these spaces along with carer tickets. All disabled and ambulant supporters will pay the price stated above and will be entitled to one complimentary carer ticket. To purchase a disabled or ambulant ticket with a complimentary carer, please contact the Morecambe FC Club Shop direct.

On Sale Dates (selling order)

Online from:	Over the phone and in-store from:	On sale to:
Friday 23 October, 15:00.	Friday 23 October, 15:00.	General Sale. Tickets available in SM Cars seated stand, Bartercard covered terrace and MGS uncovered terrace.

Additional Information

Sales deadline: Saturday 8 October, 15:00.
Refund deadline: Friday 7 October, 17:00.

FAQs

Tickets sold subject to the selling order as instructed above.
Tickets are sold subject to availability.
Supporters will notice a new points section as part of the purchasing process. This is for internal use only.

Fans are strongly advised to purchase tickets in advance of the fixture to avoid delays on the day of the match.