Like Rovers, Morecambe are relative newcomers to the football league, gaining promotion to League 2 for the first time in their history in 2007 under the management of Sammy McIlroy.  Under Derek Adams, their current manager (now in his 2nd spell at the club), they won promotion to League 1 through the play-offs in 2021.  Like Rovers, they were relegated back to League 2 last season (though they did manage to last for 2 campaigns in League 1). 

Their nickname is The Shrimps, after the local speciality food of this coastal town.  Confusingly, Southend Utd are known as The Shrimpers for the same reason.

This is a meeting between the worst home record in League 2 hosting one of the worst away records.  Morecambe are unbeaten at home so far, but haven’t yet got a single point on the road. 

They have had home wins against Walsall, Bradford and Salford, and a home draw with Notts County.  In their last outing they held Swindon to a 2-2 draw at home, in spite of losing Yann Songo’o to a second yellow card in the 56th minute.  Away from home they have lost 3 times, to Gillingham, Harrogate & Mansfield.  They are 14th in the table – 4 points above Rovers, having played one game less.

Their recent home game with Salford descended into a mass brawl in the 94th minute.  Both clubs received 4-figure fines for failing to control their players.  Morecambe won the game 1-0 – Salford’s Matthew Lund was sent off in the 90th minute.

Don’t expect a goal-fest!  Morecambe’s defence is one of the meanest in this league and they aren’t prolific goal-scorers either (just one goal away from home so far).

Their leading goal-scorer is Burnley loanee Michael Mellon, who has 4 goals so far.  Michael is the son of former Scottish midfielder Mickey Mellon.  Mickey Mellon is based in Blackpool and managed Fleetwood in his first managerial appointment between 2008 and 2012.  Since then, Mickey has had a couple of spells in charge of Tranmere, as well as spells at Barnsley, Shrewsbury and Dundee.

Morecambe still have some off-field issues rumbling.  The club’s owners (who also owned the now-collapsed rugby club Worcester Warriors) put the club up for sale in 2022.  Morecambe FC are said to be financially sound, in spite of Worcester Warriors going into administration but the ongoing ownership issues still aren’t resolved.

Defender Farrend Rawson was with FGR from 2018 to 2020.  Nottingham-born Faz left to join Mansfield in 2020 before moving to Morecambe in summer 2022 when his contract at Mansfield expired.

In his first 5 games this season for Morecambe, Faz has 3 yellow cards, 1 red card and 1 goal to his name.

Farrend Rawson, when he was at FGR

20 year-old striker Michael Mellon is Morecambe’s leading scorer.

After guiding Morecambe into League 1 in 2021, Derek Adams is now in his 2nd spell at the club

Until the end of last season, Morecambe had the distinction of never having been relegated in the history of the club.  For a single season, of all the clubs in the top 4 divisions, Morecambe were the only one never to have been relegated.  Even through the lower leagues Morecambe had never felt the heartache of dropping down a division.  OK, on some occasions, as part-timers, it wasn’t possible for them to be relegated in certain divisions, but it was still an impressive achievement!  Last season’s drop from League 1 to League 2 lost them this crown.

In case you were wondering, FGR have suffered 2 relegations – they dropped to Division 2 of the Gloucestershire Northern Seniors League in 1955 (though they came straight back up the following season!).  And, of course, last year!

Check out what the Morecambe fans are saying on the Shrimper’s forum here – Morecambe Forum

Morecambe moved from their old stadium, Christie Park, to their new one, the Mazuma Stadium (formerly the Globe Arena), in 2010.  During the move, they left their mascot, Christie the Cat (named after the old stadium), who was left locked up in a first aid room.  A month later a man walked into the club shop offering to sell them the mascot costume!  In the end, Christie was returned in good faith (and for free) after some gentle police persuasion, and has continued to perform his duties ever since.

Christie, the abandoned cat!

Morecambe sits on the Lancashire coast, between Blackpool and the Lake District. Morecambe Bay is famous for its local delicacy – Morecambe Bay potted shrimps.  Not surprising how the club got its nickname – The Shrimps!  The Bay is huge and sandy, covering 310 square kilometres, making it the second largest bay in Britain after The Wash.  Not only is it huge in size, Morecambe Bay is one of the most important wildlife sites in Europe, boasting abundant bird life and diverse marine habitats.

The town of Morecambe is an adopted home to one of boxing’s biggest names – Tyson Fury.  Apparently it’s not uncommon to see Fury in Morecambe with his family, interacting with local residents.

Two of Morecambe’s most famous names include actress Dame Thora Hird and the comedian Eric Morecambe.

Morecambe was the home town of John Eric Bartholomew, who became known by his stage name of Eric Morecambe and who, with partner Ernie Wise, became the country’s most famous comedy double act until Morecambe’s death in 1984.

The statue of Eric Morecambe has become a tourist attraction in Morecambe.

Actress & comedian, Dame Thora Hird, had a career spanning 70-years and became something of a national treasure