We travel to the Priestfield Stadium on Saturday 16 September with Gillingham our opponents.
While the Shrimps were well rested during the international break given five call-ups within the squad, Saturday’s hosts secured a late win over Harrogate Town; Shaun Williams scored in the 95th minute to send Neil Harris’ men to the top of Sky Bet League Two.
Since 2008, the two teams have faced off 10 times, with Morecambe winning one, drawing four and Gillingham winning five. Our last encounter against the Gills came in February 2022; a 1-1 draw at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium.
The Opposition
The Kent-based football club have started the season strongly, winning five from seven and losing just two, which is a stark contrast to last season where they finished 17th with 14 wins, 13 draws and 19 defeats.
Following his arrival as manager at Priestfield, Harris has taken charge of 86 games and boasts a points-per-game average of 1.40 (33 wins, 21 draws and 32 losses).
The 46-year-old has previously managed Millwall and Cardiff City respectively.
Key Players
Summer arrival Jonny Williams has more than 300 professional appearances under his belt at just 29 years of age. His experience spans across all top four tiers of the English footballing pyramid, including 12 games in the Premier League Crystal Palace. On the international stage, Williams was capped 28 times at youth level before making 33 senior appearances, scoring two goals.
A familiar name to Shrimps fans is goalkeeper Jake Turner, who spent six months on loan at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium from August 2020 until January 2021. The 24-year-old has made six League Two appearances so far this season, conceding five goals and keeping five clean sheets. Turner played three times for England at youth level, alongside the likes of Mason Mount, Reece James and Eddie Nketiah.
Forward Ashley Nadesan currently leads the goal-scoring tally at the time of writing with three goals across nine appearances in all competitions. The 29-year-old broke through at Horley Town before signing for Fleetwood Town. He then joined Carlisle United before moving to Crawley Town, where he made 167 appearances, scoring 31 goals.
Neil Harris’ Pre-Match Thoughts
Speaking to Gillingham’s Twitter account, Harris spoke of the positivity in their camp as well as the threat Derek Adams’ side may pose.
He said: “"The lads and the staff were out on their feet after Harrogate; it’s been a positive few days.
"Morecambe have some real ability, energy and quality.
"[It will be] another tough game. They are as good as anybody in the league on their day.
"Morecambe have recruited really well to help them bounce back."
Team News
The Gaffer confirmed there are a few 'slight doubts' within the group who picked up injuries in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Huddersfield Town during the international break.
They will be evaluated in the build up to Saturday's fixture to give them every possibility of reaching full fitness.
Meet The Officials
Declan Bourne will be the man in the middle on Saturday afternoon, with linesmen Andrew Hickman, Daniel Cook and fourth official Christopher Wade completing the line-up of officials.
His last game in charge of the Shrimps came in 2021 when we beat Shrewsbury Town by two goals to nil in our first ever home Sky Bet League One fixture.
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