MORECAMBE’S final pre season game ended in a 2-0 defeat to local rivals Accrington Stanley.
Second half goals from Stanley’s new signing Colby Bishop and a Sean McConville gave Stanley the victory in a typically competitive derby.
The Shrimps started really brightly with Kevin Ellison drilling a shot wide after just 30 seconds before Stanley hit back with McConville lobbing a long through ball over the onrushing Barry Roche.
Morecambe ten had a great chance to take the lead when Lewis Alessandra got the ball unmarked in the box but Ross Sykes superbly blocked his goalbound effort which looped up and Mark Hughes cleared off the line.
Alessandra then tried his luck from the edge of the box but Dimi Evtimov was equal to it.
Roche was then the busier of the two keepers with two superb saves from Bishop headers.
Morecambe started the second half the brighter with Aaron Wildig firing over a shot and John O’Sullivan seeing a curling shot saved by Evtimov.
O’Sullivan was soon in the action again when he was judged to have been caught by Seamus Conneely but the Irishman's spot kick was saved onto the post by Evtimov.
The penalty miss seemed to rock the Shrimps and give Stanley a lease of life and the dangerous Bishop put Accrington ahead with a good header from Callum Johnson’s pinpoint cross.
Jordan Clark missed a good chance to make it 2-0 but Stanley were not to be denied for long when McConville curled the ball past Roche with a neat finish from the edge of the box,
Bishop came close to adding to the tally while Evtimov denied Rhys Oates at the other end though the Morecambe substitute should have done better when played through on goal.
Morecambe: Roche, Buxton, Conlan, Old, Tutte, O’Sullivan, Alessandra, Stockton, Ellison, Wildig, Lavelle. Subs used: Kenyon, Sutton, Brewitt, Oates, Miller, Cranston. Subs not used: Halstead, Mendes-Gomes, Jagne, Lynch, Brownsword, Hawley.
Accrington: Evtimov, Johnson, Maguire, Hughes, Sykes, Conneely, Clark, Finley, Bishop, Trialist, McConville. Subs: Slavin, De Sousa, Pritchard, Sherif, Carvalho, Simmonds, Angol.
Ref: J Simpson.