SHRIMPS' boss Jim Bentley has thanked fans for their support after becoming the longest serving manager in English football.
Paul Tisdale’s departure from Exeter City last week made Bentley the longest-serving manager at one club and he says he is extremely "proud'' of the milestone.
Having been player-coach under Sammy McIlroy, Bentley took the main job aged 34, in May 2011, 16 months ahead of his nearest challenger, Wycombe Wanderers’ Gareth Ainsworth.
He said: "It’s something I’m really proud of and it’s a great achievement.
“I’ve got to be thankful to the board of directors and the chairman for their support.
“I’ve had a good relationship with the fans, who have backed me all the way as well, so I have to thank them for that as well.
“When Paul moved on, I had some great text messages from people within the game congratulating me and that was nice of them to do so.”
Looking back at his time in charge he added: "I came in expecting it to be quite difficult because I was quite open-minded in that regard.
“There have been some big clubs that have gone out of the league and others who are trying to come up. So, for us to have stayed up against all that means I’m really proud of the staff, the board, the players and everyone who has played their part in that.
“You see some clubs doing cartwheels because they have stayed in the Premier League but for Morecambe to stay in the Football League is a massive achievement.
“We all want to do better because, in the past, there were spells when we were top of the table or near the play-offs.
“Hopefully we can now look forward to a positive future and climb the table.”
This week the club has had a flurry of positive news including contract signings and additional confirmed pre-season games all to be released later this week.
The club is still on course for a record uptake in Early Bird Season tickets: Click here for information on 2018/19 tickets.