The Shrimps travel to Yorkshire for their final Papa Johns Trophy group stage game against Harrogate Town on Tuesday 18 October.
Morecambe come into the game after a 1-1 draw with Burton Albion at the weekend. The Shrimps last game in the Papa Johns Trophy was a 4-2 win against Hartlepool United on penalties at the Mazuma Stadium.
Sky Bet League Two side Harrogate Town beat Hartlepool United by two goals to one at the weekend and, in their most recent game in this competition, they were beaten on penalties by Everton U21s.
The opposition
The Sulphurites currently sit fourth in Northern Group A with one point accumulated from their two group games so far. Simon Weaver's men sit 20th in the fourth tier with three wins, two draws and eight defeats after 13 league games.
The North Yorkshire outfit began life as Harrogate Hostpurs before being renamed as Harrogate Town after the Second World War. They were promoted to the EFL for the first time in their history after beating Notts County 3-1 in the 2020 National League Play-Off Final at Wembley.
Town became the first EFL club ever to win the FA Trophy when they were crowned 2019/20 Champions. The Covid-19 pandemic meant the final was pushed back to May 2021 when they eventually beat Concord Rangers at Wembley to win the competition.
Derek Adams’ pre-match thoughts
The Morecambe boss says his side are aiming to win the group against Harrogate on Tuesday night.
“We’ve had two wins on penalties so far that has enabled us to get four points,” he said.
“We go to Harrogate on Tuesday night looking to win the game and hopefully top the group.
“We’ll change things around to give some others an opportunity of game time but we still want to get through in the competition.”
Key players
Forward Jack Muldoon will be one to watch within the Harrogate ranks. Muldoon has two goals and one assist in all competitions this season. The 33-year-old has been with the Sulphurites since 2018 and has scored 45 goals in 136 appearances. Last season, Muldoon racked up 14 league goals in 40 appearances.
Midfielder Alex Pattison is Harrogate’s top scorer this season with four goals in 12 appearances across all competitions. The Darlington-born midfielder started his career with Middlesbrough in 2016 and spent time on loan at York City and Yeovil Town respectively. The 25-year-old made 23 appearances for Wycombe Wanderers between 2019 and 2021 before joining Harrogate at the start of last season.
Defender Rory McArdle is one of the most experienced players in Town's squad. McArdle has experience across the EFL, including five years at Bradford City between 2012 and 2017 as well as a spell in the Scottish Premiership with Aberdeen. The 35-year-old will make his 650th career appearance if he features against the Shrimps on Tuesday night.
Meet the officials
Darren Drysdale will take charge of the fixture and will be assisted by Steve Rushton and Jake Topp with Dane McCarrick taking the role of fourth official.
Drysdale has taken charge of two Papa John’s Trophy contests already this season, as well as three games in League One and four in League Two.
The official refereed two Morecambe games last season, most recently a 5-0 defeat to Shrewsbury in March as well as the Shrimps' memorable 2-1 win over Fleetwood Town last November.