Doncaster Rovers are our visitors at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium on Saturday 6 April, as we look to pick up where we left off after a fantastic set of Easter weekend performances.
The Shrimps will be looking to make it three wins in three as they host Doncaster Rovers at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium on Saturday afternoon, as they enter crunch time in their Sky Bet League Two campaign.
Morecambe will be going into the fixture full of confidence, after their two Easter weekend results will have undoubtedly provided a boost in the camp after a string of poor results in March.
Good Friday saw the Shrimps make the short trip across Lancashire to rivals Accrington Stanley. A vicious Nelson Khumbeni strike and a Charlie Brown free kick secured a memorable derby day victory for Morecambe, Lewis Shipley’s 89th minute goal nothing more than a consolation in the end.
On Easter Monday, it was another derby day for Ged Brannan’s men. This time, Barrow AFC were the opponenets, making the trip around Morecambe Bay to the Mazuma Mobile Stadium. The Shrimps led by two goals to nil after just 11 minutes, thanks to goals from Dave Tutonda and Gwion Edwards. In the second half, Barrow piled on the pressure, but the Morecambe defence remained resilient – the side grinding out a 2-1 victory following a late Ben Whitfield goal for the visitors.
It was a successful Easter period for the Rovers, who also go into Saturday’s fixture on the back of two wins. On Good Friday, they overcame play-off hopefuls Crawley Town, with a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Hakeeb Adelakun and Maxime Biamou, while Owen Bailey was the hero on Tuesday when they beat Wrexham AFC 1-0.
Saturday’s two sides last met in December, when Morecambe made the trip over to the Eco-Power Stadium. It will be an afternoon that Shrimps’ fans will no doubt remember, their side leaving Yorkshire with all three points after putting five goals past the Rovers. Eli King opened the scoring, before a Michael Mellon brace and goals from Jacob Bedeau and Dave Tutonda topped off a five-star performance from Ged Brannan’s men.
The Opposition
Despite a difficult start to their campaign in League Two, Doncaster Rovers have had a resurgence in recent weeks that has ensured their safety in the division. The side failed to win in their first seven fixtures of the campaign and were bottom of the table come the middle of September.
Since then, they have had a steady season and are finishing strong, only losing once since the start of February. In this period, they have picked up eight wins, and Grant McCann’s side are currently on a five-game winning streak.
McCann has been in charge at the Eco-Power Stadium since May and is in his second stint in charge of the South Yorkshire club. In his first stint with the Rovers, during the 2018-19 season, the ex-Northern Ireland international guided them to the League One play-offs, where they were defeated by Charlton Athletic.
Key Players
Centre-forward Joe Ironside has been a dangerous asset in the Rovers front line this season, the 30-year-old scoring 18 goals and assisting six in his 47 appearances for the side. Ironside joined the club in the summer of 2023, after spending three years at Cambridge United.
In the January transfer window, winger Hakeeb Adelakun joined the side on loan from Lincoln City. Since then, the 27-year-old has scored six and assisted four, and will be looking to add to his tally before the end of the season.
Ged Brannan’s Pre-Match Thoughts
Morecambe manager Ged Brannan spoke ahead of the fixture. He said:
"They've won five on the bounce I think it is now. I watched their game against Wrexham the other day and they did really well so we know it's going to be a really tough game.
"[The December fixture] was a totally different game, this is a more important game to us than that one was, this gets us in the mix.
"We'll take every game as it comes now, and we will have a right go at them on Saturday."
The Man in the Middle
Darren Drysdale will be the man in the middle at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium on Saturday 6 April, the official taking charge of his 31st fixture of the season. In his previous 30, Drysdale has dished out 111 yellow cards, with an additional four reds making their way out of his back pocket.
Boxing Day was the last time the referee took charge of a game involving the Shrimps; goals from James Connolly and JJ McKiernan earning Morecambe a point away at Bradford City on that day.
Joseph Pettitt and Wayne Grunnill will run the line, with Richard Aspinall the fourth official on Saturday afternoon.
Team News
Long-term absentees Brandon Barker, Stu Moore, and Donald Love will remain sidelined for the Shrimps, with a potential return to the squad for Farrend Rawson.
Listen Live!
Those who are unable to make it to the Mazuma Mobile Stadium on Saturday afternoon will be able to listen to full match commentary with an iFollow Shrimps audio match pass.
Click the banner below to find out more!
