Home start for Morecambe in 2023/24

The Shrimps get the 2023/24 campaign underway on Saturday, August 5 against the Saddlers, who finished 16th last season and now have Mat Sadler in permanent charge after an interim spell towards the end of the campaign.

August also features home games against newly-promoted Notts County and Derek Adams’ previous employers, Bradford City, before ending with a trip to Harrogate Town, who have former Shrimp Liam Gibson among their ranks.

The other promoted club, Wrexham, host the Shrimps in late November before Newport County visit the Mazuma Stadium the following midweek.

That will be the clubs’ first meeting at League Two level since the promotion play-off final in 2021, as well as heralding the return of former Morecambe favourite Aaron Wildig.

The return meeting will also be a Tuesday night game in mid-March which, subject to postponements, is Morecambe’s longest midweek trip of the league season.

League Two is a relatively northern-based division in 2023/24 with only nine clubs based south of Walsall: Newport, MK Dons, Forest Green Rovers, Colchester United, Swindon Town, AFC Wimbledon, Sutton United, Gillingham and Crawley Town.

In terms of the festive fixtures, the return games at Bradford and Notts County are on Boxing Day and December 29 respectively, followed by Harrogate’s visit on New Year’s Day.

Accrington Stanley will be the Shrimps’ hosts on Good Friday before Barrow AFC visit on Easter Monday.

Forest Green are scheduled to be the last visitors of the season on April 20, as the season ends with a trip to Swindon seven days later.

The fixtures in full are as follows:

August

5: Walsall H

12: Mansfield Town A

15: Notts County H

19: Bradford City H

26: Harrogate Town A

September

2: Salford City H

9: Barrow AFC A

16: Gillingham A

23: Swindon Town H

30: Forest Green Rovers A

October

3: Accrington Stanley H

7: Colchester United A

14: Crawley Town H

21: Sutton United A

24: Tranmere Rovers H

28: AFC Wimbledon H

November

11: Grimsby Town A

18: Crewe Alexandra H

25: Wrexham A

28: Newport County H

December

9: Stockport County H

16: Doncaster Rovers A

23: MK Dons H

26: Bradford City A

29: Notts County A

January

1: Harrogate Town H

6: Walsall A

13: Mansfield Town H

20: MK Dons A

27: Colchester United H

February

3: Crawley Town A

10: Sutton United H

13: Tranmere Rovers A

17: AFC Wimbledon A

24: Grimsby Town H

March

2: Crewe Alexandra A

9: Wrexham H

12: Newport County A

16: Salford City A

23: Gillingham H

29: Accrington Stanley A

April

1: Barrow AFC H

6: Doncaster Rovers H

13: Stockport County A

20: Forest Green Rovers H

27: Swindon Town A

Later this morning, Morecambe will also find out their final group stage opponent in the EFL Trophy, having already been drawn alongside Barrow AFC and Blackpool.

This afternoon also sees the draw for round one of the Carabao Cup with Morecambe ball number 23 in the northern section.