Derek Adams says Arthur Gnahoua’s 45th minute red card changed the flow of Saturday afternoon’s clash with Accrington Stanley.
Gnahoua received his marching orders just before half-time following an aerial collision with a Stanley player.
Whilst the teams headed in level, second-half goals courtesy of Liam Coyle, Ethan Hamilton and Tommy Leigh secured the points for the hosts, despite Ryan Astley’s own goal on 77 minutes to briefly bring the scores level.
Reflecting on his side’s performance at the Wham Stadium, Adams said the game was changed by Gnahoua’s dismissal.
“The sending off changes the game,” he said.
“It changes the flow of the game, it changes the aspect of the game where we come 11 against 10, and that becomes extremely difficult in any league that you’re in.
“I didn’t think there was much in the game, even 11 against 10, I don’t think there was much over the piece.
“When we got back to 1-1, it looked like we became the stronger team.
“Do I think we deserved to lose the game? No, because if it was 11 against 11, I think we would’ve had enough over the 90 minutes to get something from the game.”
The Shrimps levelled the game 13 minutes from time through a freak Astley own goal, something which the gaffer says is a sign of the spirit within his squad.
He continued: “We’ve definitely got a lot of characters in the dressing room; we’ve got a lot of characters on the field.
“They [Morecambe] were just trying to get back in the game, they felt really hard done to at half time because they were down to 10 men.
“That obviously helped Accrington over the afternoon, and it enabled them to get that advantage.
“I think today has just put a knife right in the heart because these decisions are not going for us at this moment in time, and it’s setting us back.”