Brave Shrimps out of Youth Cup
MORECAMBE bowed out of the FA Youth Cup with a brave defeat against Bradford at the Globe Arena.
In the end it was the quality of Bradford’s finishing as two goals in the first seven minutes of the game gave them the platform for the win.
After a shocking start the young Shrimps dominated for long periods of the second half with some neat football but some wayward finishing a lack of composure in front of goal proved vital.
Bradford took the lead on five minutes through Joe Brennan.
Sam Wright had a shot superbly blocked by the Morecambe defence but Brennan was on hand to volley home the rebound from close range.
Two minutes later it was 2-0 as the Shrimps lost possession and the ball fell to the highly rated Oliver McBurnie who kept his cool to beat Will Kitchen to his left hand side.
The Shrimps hit back with Aaron McGowan seeing a shot deflected wide of the target and Tom Woods forcing Jack Bentley into a save.
But the Shrimps’ hopes of a comeback were dealt a blow when Bradford added a third on 43 minutes. Brennan put in a cross from the right and McBurnie proved too strong for the Moreccambe defence and stabbed the ball home from close range.
Woods was rewarded for his hard work on 55 minutes when he pulled a goal back. Taking the ball 20 yards out he looked up and curled a delightful effort over Bentley.
The goal gave the young Shrimps a lift and they began to put pressure on the Bantams’ defence and Michael Inabiere could have had a clear run on goal if his first touch had been better.
Danny Green forced Bentley into an excellent save on 68 minutes and Junior Akande failed to slot home the rebound when he looked set to score.
Inabiere then failed to find the target with a free header from six yards out as the Shrimps failed to find the second goal their play deserved.
Bradford will play Millwall in the next round.
Morecambe: Kitchen, McGowan, Hudson, Lewis, Bowman, Akande, Holness (rep Green 53), Newton (rep Inabiere 53), Woods, Naylor, Dunleavy. Subs not used: Stewart, Colebourn, Dowling.
Bradford: Bentley, Jenkinson, Pollard, Wright (rep Z McBurnie 87), Heaton, King, Chippendale, Stockdill, O McBurnie, Brennan, Mottley-Henry (rep Webb-Foster 81). Subs not used: Barker, Cissa, Devine.