We make the Friday night trip to Meadow Lane to face Notts County on Friday 29 December.
Morecambe will look to build on their Boxing Day performance in Bradford with a trip to Nottingham to face Notts County under the lights at Meadow Lane.
The Shrimps’ trip to Yorkshire on Boxing Day saw them leave the University of Bradford Stadium with a point, in what was a true game of two halves. A strong first half from Ged Brannan’s men saw them go into the half-time break two goals to the good, but a battling performance from the hosts in the second half saw the Shrimps’ lead pegged back, with the score finishing 2-2 on the day.
Notts County hosted Doncaster in their Boxing Day clash – a dominant display seeing them emerge as 3-0 victors in Nottinghamshire. Goals from ex-Shrimp Dan Crowley, Macaulay Langstaff, and Aaron Nemane set the Magpies on their way to their 12th league win of the season.
The last three meetings of Friday night’s sides have resulted in a draw, the most recent of such results coming in this season’s reverse fixture at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium in August. The score on that evening was 0-0, the spoils shared in the early stages of the Sky Bet League Two campaign.
The Opposition
After their trip to the Mazuma Mobile Stadium in August, the Magpies went unbeaten until the end of September, and this has helped contribute to their reasonably strong start to the 2023-24 League Two campaign. 12 wins, three draws and nine losses leave Luke Williams’ men with 39 points – 5th in the standings and well within the play-off positions.
Williams’ has held the position at the club since the summer of 2022. His first season at Meadow Lane saw him guide the side to a 107-point finish in the National League, finishing second only to a record-breaking Wrexham team. After beating Chesterfield on penalties in the play-off final at Wembley, County gained promotion back to the football league.
Key Players
Macaulay Langstaff has often led the line for the Magpies this season, scoring 16 goals in all competitions along the way. The 26-year-old has been at the club since the summer of 2022, proving an invaluable asset during their promotion-winning season where he scored 41 goals in 47 games.
Dan Crowley, who signed for County after leaving Morecambe in the summer, has also been an important part of Williams’ League Two campaign. The midfielder has bagged 10 goals so far in all competitions, assisting a further seven goals.
The Man in the Middle
Bobby Madley will take charge on Friday night, officiating his 16th fixture of the season. In his previous 15, Madley has dished out 78 yellow cards, with an extra 4 reds finding their way out of his pocket.
Madley will be no stranger to Shrimps’ fans, the official taking charge at Wembley in the 2020-21 season where Morecambe overcame Newport County to gain promotion to Sky Bet League One.
He will be joined by Robert Hyde and Craig Taylor, while Alan Young will act as fourth official on the night.
Ged Brannan’s Pre-Match Thoughts
Shrimps manager Ged Brannan spoke ahead of Friday night's challenge.
"It's a great ground and a great place to play," he said. "They're a good footballing team - the same as us - so it will be a really entertaining game."
"They play similar to us. It will be a counter-attacking game I think, both sides counter-attacking all the time."
"We're going to go there with our gameplan and hopefully we will catch them half-asleep."
Team News
Defender Donald Love and goalkeeper Stu Moore remain sidelined for the Shrimps, with their respective long-term injuries.
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