The Mazuma Stadium Saturday 28th January 2023
Morecambe 5
Crowley (20), Connolly (og, 47), Love (49), Stockton (62), Mayor (88)
Bristol Rovers 1
Collins (90)
Referee: Will Finnie Attendance: 4,259
The postponement of the home match against Wycombe Wanderers the previous week had given manager Joe Barton time to work with his squad and bring in three new faces, namely goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe, defender Jarell Quansah and midfielder Grant Ward.
Balcombe and Quansah started this game while Ward was on the bench. Liverpool teenager Quansah was not only making his Rovers debut, it was also his first ever league match.
For the home side goalkeeper Connor Ripley was playing against Rovers for a fifth different side. The shot stopper also sported a shaven head and a warm up top with the Anderton printed on the back. A great friend of the Rovers defender, the two were previously team mates at Accrington.
All this preamble stops me talking about the game, but there’s no putting it off any longer! Although Rovers began brightly and looked dangerous down the right where Scott Sinclair and Luca Hoole linked up well, there was very little threat to the Morecambe goal.
They were good in possession, but either passed sideways or backwards and it became a frustrating watch for the 612 Gasheads who had made the long trip to the Fylde coast.
It was the home side who made the breakthrough and, it must be said, it came about as a result of an error by new custodian Balcombe who saw a long range shot from Daniel Crowley bounce just in front of him as he dived to his right. The unfortunate debut boy could only help the ball into the roof of the net.
As half time loomed Michael Mellon hit the base of the post with Balcombe beaten and Rovers went straight up the other end where an Aaron Collins volley was touched on to the bar by Ripley’s fingertip save.
Any hope for turnaround at the start of the second half didn’t materialise and within four minutes of the restart the home side were three goals ahead and Rovers well and truly beaten.
James Connolly got the final touch on a Mellon effort and was credited with an own goal on 47 minutes and two minutes later Donald Love was given a clear run on goal following a short corner and took full advantage of the space afforded to him before blasting a shot past Balcombe.
Cole Stockton added goal number four just after the hour mark and Rovers then contrived to miss a penalty, awarded after Josh Coburn had been fouled in the area. Ripley saved Scott Sinclair’s spot kick and then saw his side go five goals clear when Adam Mayor’s low drive beat the unfortunate Balcombe.
Collins did pull a goal back in the final minute, his 14th league goal of the season, but on a day when their defending was ponderous and their midfield non existent, it was scant consolation.
In a game where new boy Quansah proved that he might be an astute signing and Ward (the 990th player to make his Rovers debut) put in a decent 30 minute cameo it really was a game to forget.
Barton was scathing in his criticism afterwards, labelling the performance as embarrassing and promising changes in personnel before the transfer window closed just three days later.
Morecambe: Ripley, Rawson (Delaney, 65), Bedeau, Simeu, Love, Shaw, Weir, Gibson (Cooney, 89), Crowley (Hunter, 73), Mellon (Mayor, 73), Stockton.
Substitutes: Smith, Gnahoua, Obika.
Bristol Rovers: Balcombe, Hoole (Anderson, 58), Quansah, Connolly, Gibbons, Coutts (Ward, 58), Finley (McCormick, 69), Evans (Loft, 58), Sinclair, Collins, Coburn (Marquis, 69).
Substitutes: Belshaw, Whelan.
ALSO
Former Rovers goalkeeper Adam Smith spent the 90 minutes on the Morecambe bench
Yellow cards were issued to James Connolly and Luke McCormick
Paul Coutts, Sam Finley and Scott Sinclair all wore the skipper’s armband at some point during the game
Sinclair saw his penalty saved
Rovers league debuts for Ellery Balcombe, Jarell Quansah and Grant Ward
Three substitutes used
Six added minutes
(photos courtesy of JMP)
Keith Brookman