Shrimps derby ends up as total washout

Morecambe and Accrington will have to meet again after referee Graham Salisbury called off their New Year's Day derby at half-time due to a waterlogged pitch.
Morecambe boss Jim BentleyMorecambe boss Jim Bentley
Morecambe boss Jim Bentley

Stanley were leading 1-0 at the time courtesy of a Billy Kee goal in the 28th minute.

But the rain led to puddles of standing water in several areas of the pitch and the game was abandoned.

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The game itself saw Morecambe start the better with Steven Old forcing Aaron Chapman into a flying early save with a long-range shot that was heading for the left-hand corner.

Jim Bentley’s Shrimps then had two claims for penalties waved away, with Sam Lavelle going down under a challenge from Ben Richards-Everton and Callum Lang also going down in the box when he looked to have been clipped.

The home side hit back and scored with their first attack of note.

Kayden Jackson worked some space down the 
right and produced a dangerous cross which was bundled into the goal by 
Kee.

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The same player then had a golden chance to double the advantage seconds later but headed a Sean McConville cross wide from close range.

The action swung from end to end, before the Preston official surprised both managers and called the game off at the break.

Bentley admitted he was surprised to see this Lancashire derby abandoned.

He said: “If I’m being honest we didn’t expect it. We went into our half-time team talk expecting to go out again when the referee said it was off.

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“I would probably say it was called off a little bit soon but to be fair to the referee he has to consider the safety of the players and he has big decisions to make.

“I know people will say the decision suits us but I think we were very much in the game and I had every confidence that we would get back into it.’’

Accrington: Chapman, Johnson, Hughes, Richards-Everton, Donacien, Clarke, Brown, Nolan, McConville, Jackson, Kee. Subs: Stryjek, McLeod, Watson, Sykes, Hmami, Wilks, Ogle

Morecambe: Roche, Old, Muller, Lavelle, McGowan, Rose, Kenyon, Conlan, Ellison, Lang, Oliver. Subs: Nizic, Thompson, Campbell, Wildig, Lund, Osborne, McGurk

Referee: G Salisbury