Match Report: Morecambe 2-2 Accrington Stanley (AET 2-4 Pens), FA Youth Cup second round.
THE Shrimps bowed out of the FA Youth Cup as they lost a penalty shoot out to local rivals Accrington Stanley.
The visitors took the lead in the 10th minute with a speculative long range effort. Joe Rathbone let fly from distance with a shot that confused Shrimps' keeper Niall Maher in the blustery conditions and ended up in the back of the net.
The Shrimps replied 10 minutes later with a well worked goal that was well finished by Kyle Hawley after a spectacular counter attack lead by Luke Jordan.
As the half came to a close Maher made two saves in quick succession to deny the visitors. On 40 minutes he tipped over a well struck shot from Joel Mills and from the resulting corner reacted sharply to save from Harry Blackburn's close range effort.
The Shrimps started the second half on the front foot and took the lead on 50 minutes when Steve Yawson found himself in acres of space on the halfway line and ran free of the Stanley defence to round the keeper and score from the tightest of angles.
Morecambe provided more pressure once ahead and went close when Paul Dawson saw a shot well saved by Jack Little in the Stanley goal.
Stanley equalised on the hour against the run of play when they were awarded a penalty which Rathbone converted for his second of the evening.
Both sides produced a number of half chances but with no further goals in normal time the game went to extra time.
Kyle Hawley did well to win the ball back on the half-way line, going clean through on the Stanley goal and Little did well to smother the ball after a heavy touch.
In the second half Luke Jordan hit the crossbar from six yards out with the goal at his mercy after another fine run from Yawson. and Ben Fletcher saw a shot well gathered by Little.
Hawley then tested Little again with a low shot on the turn from the edge of the box but it was Stanley who almost snatched it at the death when Alex Webb produced a good block late in extra-time to set up a penalty shoot out.
Ben Hedley and Ben Fletcher both scored but Steve Yawson and Paul Dawson missed as Stanley scored all four spot kicks to seal a dramatic tie.
Morecambe: Maher, Webb, Davies, Brownsword, Jenkinson, Dawson, Nelligan, Hedley, Hawley, Yawson, Jordan. Subs: Jumeau, Dutton-Kay. Fairclough, Fletcher, Ingham.
Accrington: Little, Ogle, Burgess, Hmami, Sykes, Mohammed, Moran, Reilly, Blackburn, Rathbone, Mills. Subs: Wolland, Waterhouse, Cooper. O'Neill, Shah.
Ref: A Sykes.