Morecambe FC have time to recover ahead of trip to Scunthorpe United

Morecambe boss Jim Bentley is glad of a blank midweek as the Shrimps recharge their batteries after a hectic first month.
Lewis Alessandra (right) scored Morecambes second goal against Salford before being substituted.Lewis Alessandra (right) scored Morecambes second goal against Salford before being substituted.
Lewis Alessandra (right) scored Morecambes second goal against Salford before being substituted.

Last Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Salford City was the club’s 10th game of the season, a run which has included four consecutive Tuesday matches.

They now have a free week to prepare fully for Saturday’s trip to Scunthorpe United as well as allowing some players to recover from injuries and illness.

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Bentley explained: “We’re battling through. I’m pleased we’ve got a week’s rest because we’ve got the likes of (Luke) Conlan who’s struggling with a knee and an ankle.

“We’ve brought off Lewi (Alessandra) who’s been sick, Barry Roche was sick before the (Salford) game so I don’t know what’s going on there; we’ll have to see what’s what.”

Despite having arguably his strongest squad, Bentley had been keen to do some further business on transfer deadline day.

With Alex Kenyon injured for the next month, a utility player had been on the Shrimps’ shopping list but nothing happened.

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“We have a couple of walking wounded at the minute,” Bentley acknowledged.

“We did want to try and freshen the squad up a little bit.

“You look at Salford bringing four in – very good players – but that would have been an area at centre-half and centre midfield that we probably wanted to improve.

“We’ve looked at a player who can play both but, unfortunately, we can’t do it.”

The Shrimps sit 20th in the table as they travel to a Scunthorpe side bottom of the league and with only one point from their opening seven matches this season.

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Morecambe go there on the back of the draw against Salford, even if Ammies’ boss Graham Alexander felt they should have won 4-0; an opinion that bemused Bentley.

He said: “I’m not sure their side should have won 4-0 when we’ve scored two goals and had other opportunities so I don’t know where that one’s come from.

“They should have scored four goals, obviously they scored two – one of them down to ourselves, both from my point of view – but they missed two penalties as well.”