Swansea City are our hosts in the third round of the FA Cup, as we look to continue our strong cup run.
Morecambe will be hoping to beat opposition from a higher league for the third time in as many FA Cup fixtures on Saturday 6 January as they travel across the border to South Wales to face Swansea City at the Swansea.com Stadium.
The Shrimps travelled to League One sides Lincoln City and Wycombe Wanderers in the first and second round of the cup, embracing their role as the underdogs on both occasions with 2-1 and 2-0 victories respectively.
Goals from Eli King and Tom Bloxham at Adams Park sealed Ged Brannan’s men their place in the third round of the cup in early December during an emphatic performance in a cold and foggy Buckinghamshire. They will be hoping for similar fortunes on Saturday, in what will be an undoubtedly tough challenge against Championship opposition in Swansea City.
The last game for the Shrimps came on New Year’s Day, where they hosted Harrogate Town at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium. Goals from Jordan Slew and a stoppage time Jacob Bedeau equaliser earned Morecambe a point – the least they deserved after a much improved second half performance.
The Swans also played host to their opposition on the first day of 2024, West Bromwich Albion the visitors to the Swansea.com Stadium. A second half goal from Liam Cullen securing the South Wales side three points.
Saturday will be the first meeting of the two sides, having never played in the same division.
The Opposition
After a shaky start to their campaign, finding themselves in the relegation spots in mid-September, the Swans have managed to rally and now find themselves in 16th position in the Championship standings. Eight wins, eight draws and 10 losses earning the side 32 points after 26 games.
After Michael Duff’s December departure, Swansea City have been on the search for a permanent manager to take charge. At the time of writing, no such appointment has been made.
Key Players
Jamie Paterson has been a dangerous asset for the Swans so far this season, with five goals and four assists to his name. The 32-year-old attacking midfielder has been at the club since the summer of 2021, and is in his third season with the side.
Captain Matt Grimes has played in every fixture for the side so far this season, scoring three and assisting four along the way. The central midfielder has made over 270 appearances for the club since arriving at the Swansea.com Stadium in the January of 2015.
Ged Brannan’s Pre-Match Thoughts
Morecambe manager spoke ahead of the visit to South Wales.
"It's great, Saturday is all about the FA Cup and the lads are looking forward to it," he said. "They're really excited about it. We're going to go there and give it our very best."
"We're going there with no pressure on us, we're the underdogs and we will see what we get out of it."
"The lads will go there full of confidence, we've had two really hard games in the FA Cup already this year. We've beaten Lincoln and Wycombe, so bring on Swansea, let's see what happens there."
"They're going to be quality, they're going to be top notch. They're all great on the ball, proper athletes. It's going to be a really tough game."
"We'll go with a gameplan, and hopefully it works."
The Man in the Middle
Referee Tom Nield will take charge on Saturday afternoon, donning black for the 16th time this season. In his last 15, he has dished out 61 cards - one red alongside 60 yellows.
Nield last officiated a game involving the Shrimps back in August 2021, when Morecambe made the trip down to Gillingham. On this day, the visitors finished on the wrong side of the 2-1 scoreline.
Richard Wild and Garry Maskell will run the line at the Swansea.com Stadium, with fourth official Lee Swabey completing the team of officials.
Team News
Stu Moore and Donald Love remain sidelined for the Shrimps, along with midfielder JJ McKiernan, who came off in the New Year's Day fixture at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium.
iFollow Information
Audio and video match passes are unable to be sold for The FA Cup fixtures – only users with monthly & seasonal subscriptions will have access to the live audio commentary.