Bentley gets set to sink the Mariners

With both teams already out of the FA Cup, a rearranged game sees the Shrimps head to Blundell Park to face a Mariners side against whom they drew at the Globe Arena in October.

Shrimps boss Jim Bentley made a personal spying visit last Saturday when Town were beaten by Accrington Stanley, Morecambe’s New Year’s Day opponents.

Although that game was abandoned at half-time with Morecambe 1-0 down, they remained 21st in League Two and five points clear of the bottom two.

Central to their hopes of victory tomorrow will be on-loan Wigan Athletic youngster Callum Lang.

Having scored pre-Christmas at Mansfield Town, he came off the bench to find the net against Notts County on Boxing Day before two goals against Yeovil Town last week made it five goals in as many appearances for the teenager. However, Bentley believes the 19-year-old could have leapfrogged Kevin Ellison as the club’s leading scorer this season.

“Callum is a good player but I think he’s missed a chance in every game he’s played,” the manager said.

“I could speak about him for a long time but I’ve had a chat with him and he’s grown as a person – he’s becoming a man.

“We had a friendly against AFC Fylde when he missed two or three chances but he got a goal which seemed to give him a lift.

“Now he’s come out of his shell and he’s close to being one of the louder people in the group. We can’t flog him – we have to manage him right and he has to manage himself right.”