We make the short trip across Lancashire to the Wham Stadium on Friday 29 March, when we face Accrington Stanley.
The Shrimps will be hoping for a good Friday when they travel to Accrington Stanley to continue their Sky Bet League Two run-in. Ged Brannan’s side are in need of a positive result, after a recent string of losses have slightly slowed Morecambe’s play-off push.
Gillingham were the visitors at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium on Saturday afternoon, making the long trip up from Kent. Jordan Slew put the Shrimps ahead in the 11th minute after a brilliant piece of play from Charlie Brown. The lead was short lived, and Oliver Hawkins levelled proceedings in the 18th minute for the Gills. The Shrimps took the lead again in the second half; Charlie Brown the scorer this time, poking home a ball across the six-yard box from Ged Garner. Yet again, the Gills equalised shortly after through Timothée Dieng before Connor Mahoney won the game for the visitors in the 86th minute.
In their weekend fixture, Accrington Stanley made the journey to South London to face Sutton United. The three points stayed in the capital, Sutton United coming out 3-1 victors on the afternoon – the first time they have won two fixtures in a row in their current League Two campaign.
Friday’s two sides last met in October, under the lights at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium. The Shrimps took the lead through loanee James Connolly before Tommy Leigh equalised with his 70th minute penalty; the spoils ultimately shared on this evening.
The Opposition
Accrington Stanley have had a mixed campaign in League Two this season. Following a strong start, the Reds found themselves in ninth position at the turn of the new year. Since then, their form has dipped, and they have remained in 16th since the middle of February. 14 wins and eight draws see the side on 50 points, well clear of the relegation zone and nine points short of the play-off spots.
Last Friday, John Doolan was appointed as First Team Manager, having spent a two-game spell as interim manager following John Coleman’s departure.
Key Players
Jack Nolan tops the goalscoring charts for the Reds so far this season, the 22-year-old bagging 14 goals in his 38 league appearances this campaign. The winger has also been an important provider within the squad, setting up 10 goals in all competitions. Nolan made the move to the Wham Stadium in the summer of 2021, having previously spent a spell at Walsall.
Joe Pritchard has also been an important part of Accrington Stanley’s season; the central midfielder having scored six and assisted another six in all competitions. Pritchard has been with the Lancashire outfit for almost five years, making over 125 appearances for the club in the process.
Ged Brannan’s Pre-Match Thoughts
Morecambe manager Ged Brannan spoke ahead of Good Friday's Accrington trip, and returning to his former club.
"It's going to be a great game, a great occasion," he said.
"I've been there before when Accrington have played Morecambe, so I know what it's all about and it means a lot to the fans, so we'll give it our best shot.
"It'll be interesting, I've still got a lot of friends there so I'm looking forward to seeing them and obviously see the reaction the give us.
"I know John Doolan really, really well. We speak all the time, more or less every day about football one thing or another, so it's going to be interesting against him.
"He knows his football so I'll have to be on my toes."
The Man in the Middle
Alex Chilowicz takes charge of this Lancashire derby and will be joined by assistants Conor Brown and Jacob Graham as well as fourth official Daniel Woodward.
The American arrived on the EFL scene in December 2023, and has issued 49 yellow cards and 0 reds.
Friday will be the first time Chilowicz has taken charge of either Morecambe or Accrington Stanley.
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