Football Season Review

Morecambe survived on the final day of the season to secure their Football League status for another season under manager Jim Bentley. The Shrimps are one of the smallest clubs in the league and Bentley was dealt a blow when he lost player of the season Ryan Edwards and leading goalscorer Paul Mullin to Plymouth Argyle and Swindon Town respectively last summer. He was able to keep hold of midfielder Michael Rose, who had another influential season whilst winger Garry Thompson returned for a second spell with the club. They won just two of their opening dozen league matches and soon found themselves embroiled in a relegation battle. They only dropped into the relegation places for one week in October following defeat at Forest Green Rovers. They found goals hard to come by even with the additions of strikers Adam McGurk and Callum Lang at the end of August. They lost just three in 15 league matches following the turn of the year. Sadly eight of them ended in draws and despite doing the league double over promoted Wycombe Wanderers they found themselves still with work to do. A home defeat to relegation rivals Barnet on the penultimate weekend of the season left them on the brink but a goal-less draw away at play-off chasers Coventry City on the final day was enough to finish in 22nd place in the table, above Barnet on goal difference. It was a big relief for Bentley, who continues to keep the club in the league against the odds. The evergreen Kevin Ellison and Callum Lang finished as joint-leading goalscorers with ten apiece whilst goalkeeper Barry Roche was voted player of the season again. Morecambe will start their 12th season in the Football League having just been taken over by Bond Group Investments and they will be hoping to avoid another battle against relegation.

Player of the Season: Barry Roche