The Shrimps host Lancashire rivals Fleetwood Town at the Mazuma Stadium on Saturday 13 August in League One.
In midweek Morecambe advanced past Championship side Stoke City in Round One of the Carabao Cup. In the second-half the Shrimps were reduced to 10-men after Jensen Weir received two yellow cards in quick succession. With no goals in normal time, the tie was decided on penalties which saw the Derek Adams' men prevail as 5-3 winners.
Since 2012 Morecambe have won three out of the nine meetings between the two sides. Fleetwood Town have won four and the other two ended in a draw.
Last seasn, the Shrimps picked up four points against the Cod Army in League One. In November's away fixture, Cole Stockton’s wonder-strike in stoppage time secured all three points. Meanwhile the reverse fixture at the Mazuma the following month ended in a goalless draw.
The Opposition
After losing 2-1 against League One newcomers Port Vale on the opening day of the season, Scott Brown’s men picked up maximum points on home soil against Plymouth Argyle last weekend. Daniel Batty’s strike cancelled out Ryan Hardie’s spot-kick, before Joe Garner secured the win two minutes from time. In midweek, the Cod Army knocked Championship-side Wigan Athletic out of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 victory.
Last season, Fleetwood Town retained their League One status on goal difference. They’ll be targeting a more comfortable season under new boss Scott Brown.
The Celtic legend was appointed Fleetwood boss in May 2022, succeeding Stephen Crainey who has returned to his role with the club’s Under-23s. Brown spent last season as player/coach at Aberdeen, before taking up his first role in management at Highbury. The 36-year-old won the Scottish Premiership 10 times with Celtic, along with the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup six times respectively.
Key players
21-year-old Paddy Lane won the EFL's Young Player of the Year award and Fleetwood Town Supporters’ Player of the Year Award last season. He joined the Cod Army in the summer of 2021 from Hyde United. The former Blackburn Rovers youth product made his senior international debut for Northern Ireland in March 2022.
Summer signing Brendan Sarpong Wiredu arrived at Highbury from Colchester United. The 22-year-old, who came through the youth team at Charlton Athletic, can play as a midfielder, full-back or wing-back.
Gerrard Garner has progressed through the youth setup at Fleetwood Town. The forward spent time out on loan at a number of clubs including FC United of Manchester and Gateshead before becoming a first-team regular. Last season Garner contributed with seven goals.
Shrimps’ pre-match thoughts
Morecambe boss Derek Adams said he’s expecting a tough test from Scott Brown's side on Saturday afternoon.
“They’re all tough tasks in this division and I think that Fleetwood is no different on Saturday,” he said.
“They play in a way that can be expansive at times, they push the full-backs forward so we understand that and we have to deal with that threat.
“We always know from our players that we’ve got a threat going forward as well and can punish teams.”
Meet the officials
Sebastian Stockbridge will take charge of Saturday’s all-Lancashire affair. He will be assisted by linesmen Conor Brown and Graeme Five along with fourth official Matt Corlett.
Last season the Tyne-based official took charge of 37 games and handed out 116 yellow cards and five red cards. He last took charge of the Shrimps in December when Morecambe lost 2-1 at home to Crewe Alexandra.
iFollow
After teaming up with Beyond Radio for the 2022/23 season, supporters will be able to listen to exclusive, full and uninterrupted radio commentary of every single game, home and away, which will be broadcast simultaneously on 103.5FM, 107.5FM and DAB+ digital radio across North Lancashire and South Cumbria as well as on the iFollow Shrimps platform.
Lead commentator Dave Salmon will be joined by the Club's Head of Media & Communications, Ryan Daly.
Audio passes are available from as little as £2.50 per match, £4.49 for a monthly pass or £45 for a season pass.
As well as full match commentary, the ‘Shrimps Verdict’ podcast will be available post-match, featuring online, on demand content, including audio match highlights, post-match interviews and reaction, and much more!