We look to kick off the new year with a win as we face Harrogate Town at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium on 1 January 2024.
Morecambe will be looking to bounce back to winning ways on New Year’s Day when Harrogate Town make the trip over to Lancashire for the opening Sky Bet League Two fixture of the calendar year.
The Shrimps’ were on the receiving end of a 5-0 scoreline on Friday 29 December, when they travelled to Meadow Lane to face a strong Notts County side, and Ged Brannan’s men will no doubt be looking to bounce back from this result on Monday. A Macauley Langstaff hat-trick alongside goals from Dan Crowley and Jodi Jones were enough to see off the Shrimps on the night.
Harrogate Town hosted Tranmere Rovers on 29 December at Wetherby Road, and the visitors came out on top thanks to two second half goals from Charlie Jolley and Tom Davies. This defeat came after three successive league wins for the Town, and they will be no doubt looking to return to their previous form when they make the trip over to Morecambe.
The last four meetings of the two sides have resulted in two wins a piece, with Morecambe coming out on top in two of the last three league meetings. The most recent of such fixtures came in this season’s reverse fixture in August, where Harrogate Town finished 2-0 winners against a 10-men Morecambe side.
The Opposition
Harrogate have had a mixed start to the first half of their Sky Bet League Two campaign, 10 wins being balanced with 11 losses, with an extra three draws leaving Simon Weaver’s side on 33 points, one point ahead of Monday’s hosts.
Weaver is currently the longest serving manager in the EFL, having held the position at the North Yorkshire club since 21 May 2009, after being appointed as a player manager. His father Irving is the club’s chairman.
Key Players
Midfielder George Thomson leads the goalscoring charts for Harrogate. The 31-year-old has bagged nine goals so far this season in all competitions, the most recent being a 93rd minute winner against Accrington Stanley on Boxing Day.
Former Shrimp Anthony O’Connor has made 26 appearances for the side so far this season in the centre of defence and has three goals to his name. Shrimps’ fans can expect to see O’Connor return to the pitch at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium on Monday, alongside another familiar face in Liam Gibson.
The Man in the Middle
Referee Simon Mather will be the man in the middle for Morecambe’s New Year clash, taking charge of his 19th game of the season. 101 yellow cards have been brandished by the official so far this season, with an additional nine red cards coming out of his pocket at an average of 0.5/game.
Mather last made the trip to the Mazuma Mobile Stadium in October, where he officiated Morecambe’s fixture against Barrow in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.
He will be flanked by assistants Alex Gray and Karl Buckley, with fourth official Richard Aspinall completing the officiating team.
Ged Brannan’s Pre-Match Thoughts
Morecambe manager Ged Brannan spoke on the importance of bouncing back from Friday night's defeat.
"It's exactly what I've said to the lads," he said. "We learned from the Wrexham game, we will learn from tonight's game."
"We're going to get back to where we were first half against Bradford, back to where we were against Doncaster."
"We've got to go straight at [Harrogate Town], and play the way we want to play with the pace and quality on the ball."
Team News
Goalkeeper Stu Moore and defender Donald Love remain sidelined with their long-term injuries.
Watch Live!
Supporters who cannot make it to the Mazuma Mobile Stadium on New Year’s Day can watch from home with an iFollow Shrimps video match pass.
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