Morecambe 0 Barrow 1: Late spot-kick settles outcome of friendly
Morecambe ended their pre-season campaign with a narrow defeat to National League neighbours Barrow.
A late Olly Crankshaw penalty gave the visitors the win in a well-contested game where the Shrimps showed some promising signs ahead of the first league game of the National League North season.
Boss Adam Lakeland was still without Joe Garner and Taelor O'Kane but was able to choose a strong squad that included all three central defenders in Will Smith, Lewis Baines and Liam Hogan.
The strong defensive foundation helped ensure chances were at a minimum against a Barrow side looking to bounce back into the Football League at the first attempt.
The game itself only came to life towards the half-hour mark as a Cameron Coxe cross flew across a dangerous area begging for a final touch before Isaac Buckely-Ricketts was played in by Maty Daly and forced a low save from Ben Winterbottom at his near post.
Barrow’s only effort of note in the first period came from striker Alex Reid, when he was played in on goal but shot straight at Joe Young.
The industrious Coxe, always keen to get forward, saw a left-foot shot blocked.
The second half saw both sides lift the tempo with summer signing Elliot Newby coming close to scoring against his former club with a header from Will Smith's cross that floated inches wide.
Barrow began to force some pressure themselves with Crankshaw seeing one shot deflected and another superbly blocked by Hogan.
Danny Rose forced Joe Young into a save on 76 minutes before Lewis Baines nearly scored as a corner came into the Morecambe box, but Young kept the ball out from point-blank range.
The decisive moment of the game came in the 84th minute when Baines was adjudged to have committed a foul in the box, and Crankshaw sent Young the wrong way from the spot.
MORECAMBE: Young, Coxe, Williams (Fairclough 82), Hogan, Smith (Collis 75', Baines, Leigh (Trialist A 75), Daly (Trialist B, 82), Newby, Buckley-Ricketts (Blois 75), Lewis. Subs Not Used: Boney, Newall, Goodyear.
BARROW AFC: Winterbottom, Oakley, Williams, Crankshaw, Reid (Smith 61), Walker (Cameron 61), Amos (Whitfield 78), Kalambayi, Harper (Jackson 61) Marriot (Rose 72), Benjamin. Subs Not Used: Barrett, Raglan, Digie, Kouyate, Earing.
Referee: C Jones.
Attendance: 1,444.