Morecambe defeated League Two rivals Grimsby Town at Blundell Park on penalties to progress to the second round of the Carabao Cup, with both sides most likely valuing the game time as highly as the result.
Story of the game
First half
Grimsby had played just one friendly fixture before this cup clash and their lack of preparation showed in the opening five minutes of the game, with the Town players looking uncertain in possession.
The most uncertain was Luke Waterfall, whose weak header aimed back towards his goalkeeper fell short of its target and into the path of Cole Stockton. The Morecambe striker was just beaten to it by the vigilant James McKeown in goal, but the ball fell to and was lifted coolly into the net by Adam Phillips to open the scoring for the visitors.
The home side were positive going forward, with plenty of diagonal balls to stretch the defence and some brief moments of brilliance from James Tilley and Sean Scannell.
Midfield starlet George Williams cultivated a reputation as a set-piece specialist at Forest Green, and he has already shown signs of his skill at his new club, scoring a free-kick on his Grimsby debut against Cleethorpes Town.
To add to the catalogue of dead ball delights, the midfielder swung in a lovely ball from the right to find the head of Waterfall who almost redeemed himself but was denied by the woodwork from close range.
Max Wright started at right-back but swapped with Elliot Hewitt half-an-hour into the first period and showed his on-the-ball skills as he found Scannell, who guided his whipped cross just over the bar.
Town made their pressure count shortly after when Matt Green, who squandered a golden chance minutes earlier collected Danny Preston’s cutback and fired past a crowd of Morecambe defenders to find the top left corner and equalise.
It was a quick start for the visitors and a resurgent finish to the half from the hosts that left the scores level at one apiece at the break, with much to ponder for both managers, with worrying and encouraging moments in equal share.
Second half
Ian Holloway’s side started the second half as they finished the first, dominating possession of the ball to open up the Morecambe defence who held firm for the most part.
Despite this, chances were few and far between as the teams wrestled for superiority in the middle of the park, with the game understandably slowing down slightly due to the long layoff for both sides.
Ball retention was not a problem for Grimsby, however going forward it became one dimensional, with the build-up play slow and the long diagonals losing their surprise factor.
Derek Adams had clearly instructed his wide players to create an overload on the wings and press the Town centre-backs out of possession, and the visitors looked more likely to score for large periods of the second half.
McKeown made his fair share of saves during the game, but his best came with just minutes left as Carlos Mendes strong shot on the right-hand side of the box looked destined to ripple the net, but the Grimsby skipper got kept the scores level and that’s how it stayed at full-time.
The visitors prevailed on penalties, with John O'Sullivan converting the all-important spot-kick after McKeown missed from the spot.
Takeaways from the match
Town should strengthen on the defensive end
It may have been just a lack of game time and rustiness that was the undoing of the defence at times, but spaces were aplenty for the Morecambe forwards early on and a costly mistake from Waterfall topped it off.
McKeown had to make a couple of good saves to keep it at one in the first half and Wright did not look comfortable at right-back, which highlights the need for a replacement for Luke Hendrie who missed the game through injury.
Lack of match fitness evident for both teams
The first half produced plenty of noteworthy moments but as the game wore on and the lactic acid built up in the legs of both teams, the pace slowed significantly and sloppiness on the ball became a feature of the second period.
Both sides had spells in each half and it’s an issue that will only resolve itself with more game time.
Stand-out players
Grimsby Town – Danny Preston
Merely days after signing on-loan from Nottingham Forest for the season, Preston slotted right in at left-back and showed his capabilities on both ends of the pitch.
It was his trickery down the by-line that set up the equaliser and he looked the most comfortable out of Town’s defensive line.
Morecambe – Carlos Mendes
Mendes looked the most lively of the Morecambe midfielders and was key to their good play in the second half as the Shrimps pushed to end the tie in 90 minutes.
His strong effort late on was good enough to win a tight game of football and the attacking midfielder did well to push the ball out wide quickly and stretch the Grimsby team which looked tired late on.