Morecambe out to shock League One high-fliers Shrewsbury

Morecambe defender Sam Lavelle believes ban for diving is harsh

The Shrimps go to the high flying League One side on the back of just one defeat in their last six games and Bentley says his side have nothing to lose as they look to make the third round.

For their part, Paul Hurst’s men enter the clash on the back of two defeats as their flying start falters.

The Shrews are still second in the table however ahead of welcoming Morecambe to New Meadow.

He said: “We know Shrewsbury are a good side and we know we are very much the underdogs but it’s the FA Cup and absolutely anything can happen on the day.

“We have been playing pretty well in recent weeks and even though we lost against Crewe when you look back at the game you can see it was one we should have got something from.

“After a great start they have lost three of their last four games so who knows what could happen.

“We showed at Barnsley earlier in the season that on our day we are a match for anyone and we have enough good players to hurt them.

“We have not been taking our chances this season and that is what has let us down but the good thing is that we are creating chances and if we can get it right on Saturday we have every chance of causing an upset.”

Looking at the wider aspect of the game Bentley says a win, or even being in the hat for the third round, would be a massive boost for the club on and off the field.

A cup shock would set up a potential clash with a Premier League club, a long held ambition of Bentley during his more than six years in charge.

“There has been a lot of doom and gloom around over the past year or so and a good cup run would go some way to helping us get back on the right track,” said Bentley.

“The cup breeds positivity for clubs and their towns and we would love some of the spotlight being on us for the right reasons.”