A POOR first half proved costly as Morecambe suffered a 3-0 defeat at bottom club Scunthorpe United.
The home side scored three first half goals, all from rebounds, as the Shrimps’ defensive problems continued.
Boss Jim Bentley made one change to the side that drew with Salford last week with Jordan Cranston coming in for the injured Luke Conlan.
All three Iron goals – scored by Jamie Proctor, Kevin van Veen and Matthew Lund – came in a dominant 16-minute spell for the home side in the first half.
Morecambe had actually been the brighter of the two teams for the opening 20 minutes, with Aaron Wildig and Andrew Tutte both testing home keeper Rory Watson.
But once Proctor had put the Iron in front in the 25th minute, finishing coolly from the rebound after Barry Roche had saved his penalty, Scunthorpe never looked back.
The league’s bottom side suddenly looked a different team and began to cause Morecambe all sorts of problems and added a second not long after the half hour mark when Van Veen fired high into the net from a tight angle after a strike from Alex Gilliead had been pushed onto the post by Roche.
Gilliead was also involved in his side’s third of the afternoon, with Roche saving another of his efforts four minutes before the break, only for Lund to force it home from the edge of the six yard box with the Morecambe keeper looking a forlorn figure in frustration with his side’s poor defending.
The Shrimps were much better after the break with home keeper Watson making fine saves from a Cole Stockton header and a Lewis Alessandra shot from a tight angle.
The young keeper then added to Morecambe’s woes with a last minute penalty save from Adam Buxton.
Scunthorpe: Watson, Lund, Songo’o, van Veen (Slater 83’), Perch, Gilliead, McArdle, McGahey, Brown, Eisa (McAtee 89’), Proctor. Subs unused: Eastwood, Clarke, Ntlhe, Miller.
Morecambe: Roche, Old, Tutte, O’Sullivan, Alessandra, Sutton (Buxton 45’), Wildig, Lavelle, Miller (Ellison 83’), Tanner, Cranston (Stockton 45’). Subs unused: Leitch-Smith, Oates, Jagne.
Att: 3,017.