The league leaders return to League Two action this weekend, as County travel to play-off chasing Morecambe for our first game at the Mazuma Stadium since November 2010.
Saturday marks our first league game in 11 days after outings in the Emirates FA Cup and Bristol Street Motors Trophy earlier this week. Dave Challinor’s side go into the game sat five points clear at the top of League Two, but without a win in our last two league games following a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Salford City last time out.
It’s certainly getting tighter at the top, with just six points separating us at the top and Notts County down in in sixth. Other notable fixtures in the promotion race this weekend include:
- Forest Green Rovers v Wrexham
- Mansfield Town v MK Dons
- Grimsby v Crewe Alexandra
- Notts County v Walsall
Opponents Morecambe will be hoping to get involved in the promotion picture themselves despite a recent drop in form. The Shrimps currently sit in 12th place, but have two games in hand that would move them into the play-off positions if they were to win them both.
Our Opponents:
Morecambe’s first ever spell in the third tier of English football came to an end after two seasons in May, relegated on the final day of the campaign after a 3-2 defeat away at Exeter City. They finished two points adrift of safety.
Having defied expectations to lead them into League One via the play-offs in 2021, manager Derek Adams departed that Summer for a short and unsuccessful spell at Bradford City, before returning to the Mazuma Stadium just a few months later. He cemented his hero status at the club by leading them to safety in their debut League One campaign, securing survival on the final day.
Although he was ultimately unable to repeat the trick last season, Adams remained at the club over the close season and once again had the club performing above expectations in the early months of the campaign.
Postponements during the international breaks mean they have had games in hand on the rest of the division for much of the season, potentially seeing them fly under the radar when discussing the promotion race. A brilliant run of five wins in six across September and October, though, lifted them as high as sixth place – with the potential to climb as high as 2nd if they won their games in hand.
Plenty has changed since then however, both on and off the pitch. Four straight defeats in League Two has seen them drop out of the top seven, but more significantly the club has been rocked by the departure of manager Adams. The 48-year-old Scot left for the second time just three weeks ago, to re-join Scottish Premiership side Ross County – his third spell in charge at Victoria Park.
News of his departure was compounded by a 6-0 thrashing away at Wrexham just a few days later, under caretaker managers Ged Brennan and John McMahon. Despite that result, Brennan, a one-time Morecambe player, has been trusted with the job on a permanent basis, signing an 18-month deal at the Mazuma Stadium.
Although they were beaten again in their next game at home to Newport County, Morecambe returned to winning ways last weekend with a superb 2-0 win away at League One Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup. It’s the second League One side they’ve knocked out of the competition, having won at Lincoln City in the first round.
County will certainly be wary of 20-year-old Scottish forward Michael Mellon at the weekend. The former Burnley youngster, son of Oldham Athletic boss Micky, has scored ten goals in just 17 appearances in League Two this campaign.
Attention for the Shrimps now turns to arresting that slump in their league form, with Brennan targeting another statement win this weekend against the league leaders.
Match Stats:
- This will be just the sixth competitive meeting between the two sides, and the first since January 2011. County have won two and lost three of the previous five encounters – including both away from home, without scoring a goal.
- Ben Hinchliffe has now kept eight clean sheets in League Two this season, the most of any goalkeeper in the division. If selected, the County legend will make his 350th appearance for the club this weekend.
- If chosen, title-winner Macauley Southam-Hales will make his 100th County appearance on Saturday.
- Paddy Madden’s next goal will be his 50th for Stockport County – becoming the first player to hit that milestone for the club since Alun Armstrong in September 1997.
