The club was founded in 1920 and entered into the Lancashire Combination, where they would remain for the next 48 years, winning the league title on five occasions: 1924–25, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1966–67 and 1967–68. They joined the newly formed Northern Premier League in 1968 and went on to win the FA Trophy in 1974 and the Northern Premier League President's Cup in 1992. Under the stewardship of Jim Harvey, a second-place finish in the 1994–95 Northern Premier League Premier Division season saw them promoted into the Conference. Having been beaten in the 2003 and 2006 play-off semi-finals, Sammy McIlroy led the club to promotion into the Football League with victory in the 2007 play-off final. They finished in the top ten of League Two twice, reaching the play-off semi-finals after fourth-place finishes in 2009–10 and 2020–21; in the latter season they reached the 2021 League Two play-off final and achieved a first promotion to League One. They competed in the third tier for two seasons, before being relegated in 2023, amid financial troubles.
Nicknamed "The Shrimps" due to the coastal town's local speciality food, the club have played home games at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium since moving from their original home at Christie Park in 2010. The club contests rivalries with nearby Accrington Stanley and formerly with non-League neighbours Lancaster City of the same council area, along with other Lancashire clubs.
Football in the town dates back to the turn of the 20th century; however, it was not until 7 May 1920 that Morecambe FC was formed after a meeting at the local West View Hotel. The club then took its place in the Lancashire Combination League for the 1920–21 season.
Sharing grounds with Morecambe Cricket Club at Woodhill Lane during the first season, football proved popular, with crowds in excess of 3,000 for derby fixtures with Lancaster City and Fleetwood Town. Although success on the field was hard to come by, with the club languishing near the bottom of the table, at the end of the first season the club moved grounds to Roseberry Park. A few years later after the purchase of the ground by the then-President, J.B. Christie, the ground's name was changed to Christie Park in his honour. Those early seasons proved difficult, and it was not until 1924–25 that the club began to enjoy some success, claiming the league title for the first time; this was later followed by success in the Lancashire Junior Cup, beating old rivals Chorley after two replays, and in front of over 30,000 spectators.
Christie bequeathed the ground to the club in 1927 and also helped incorporate the club into a Limited Company with a then share capital of £1,000. The rest of the 1920s and the whole of the 1930s saw a constant struggle to keep football alive on the North West coast, with poor results on the field and little or no revenue off the field.
The post-war era saw an upturn in the Shrimps' fortunes with steady progress throughout the late 1940s and nearly all the 1950s, with a visible marked improvement when in 1956 Ken Horton was appointed player-manager. Whilst success was only just around the corner, the foundations for the future were being built. The Auxiliary Supporters club had been formed and with their help many ground improvements were undertaken, so that the on-field success dovetailed neatly with the off-field enterprise. The fourteen years from 1960 could justifiably be said[by whom?] to be Morecambe's Golden Era. This included an FA Cup third round appearance in 1961–62, a 1–0 defeat to Weymouth; a Lancashire Senior Cup final victory in 1968, a 2–1 win over Burnley;[2] and an FA Trophy success at Wembley in 1974, a 2–1 win over Dartford in the final.
The next 12 years were as barren as any previous period in the club's history. Attendances fell from a creditable 2,000 plus to a miserable 200 minus, with a visible decline in the club fortunes during that period. However, in 1985–86, signs of improvement appeared; the club's league position improved, and success in cups came as well over the next few years. It took ten years for the club to reach its ambition of promotion to the Football Conference after many further improvements, not only to the ground but also to the club's structure.
Since elevation to the Conference in season 1995–96, the Shrimps achieved status as one of the leading teams in the league. In fact, only Woking had a longer unbroken membership of the league at this time. The runners-up spot was claimed on one occasion and the play-off positions were narrowly missed twice. Also during this time, the club equalled its best appearance in the FA Cup in both 2000–01 and 2002–03. On both occasions the club faced Ipswich Town, losing 3–0 and 4–0 respectively. Morecambe also defeated a few league clubs in the FA Cup, including Cambridge United in 2000–01 and Chesterfield in 2002–03.
In November 2005, Jim Harvey suffered a heart attack during a league game at Christie Park against Cambridge United. The club quickly declared the appointment of a caretaker manager, Sammy McIlroy, a long-time friend of Harvey. After McIlroy's initial three-month stint as caretaker expired, he was given the job for the remainder of the season with Harvey expected to return on its closure. However, on his first day back as manager of Morecambe, Harvey was sacked by the club and McIlroy was appointed as permanent manager.
In the absence of Harvey, Morecambe reached the Conference play-offs. They lost to Hereford 4–3 on aggregate, but McIlroy was appointed on a permanent basis in May 2006. The following season, Morecambe were promoted to the Football League for the first time in their history after winning the Conference play-off final, beating Exeter City 2–1 at Wembley on 20 May 2007, in front of over 40,000 fans which followed their semi-final victory over York City.[3]
Football League (2007–present)
Chart of yearly table positions of Morecambe since promotion in the Football Conference
On 17 July 2007, Morecambe announced plans to move to a new stadium by the start of the 2009–10 season. However, work did not start on the proposed site until spring 2009, with completion anticipated in summer 2010.[4]
Morecambe played their first Football League game against Barnet at Christie Park on 11 August 2007, earning a 0–0 draw.[5] On 14 August 2007, Morecambe played their first League Cup tie, winning 2–1 against near neighbours Preston North End at Deepdale.[6] The Shrimps then beat another Championship side, winning 3–1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 28 August. In the third round, they faced a third consecutive Championship side, Sheffield United, but lost 5–0. They finished their first League Two season in 11th place with 60 points. They also finished 11th in the 2008–09 season, with 63 points.
The 2009–10 season was Morecambe's last at Christie Park, and they finished in fourth place, qualifying for the play-offs, but lost 7–2 on aggregate to Dagenham & Redbridge. On 10 August 2010, Morecambe played their first match at the Globe Arena against Championship side Coventry City in the League Cup. Morecambe won 2–0, with Andy Fleming scoring the first two goals at the stadium.. After the club finished the 2010–11 season in 20th place, Morecambe manager Sammy McIlroy left the club by mutual consent on 9 May 2011, after five years.[7]
On 13 May 2011, Jim Bentley signed a two-year deal as player-manager.[8] After a promising start to the 2011–12 season, a poor end to the season led to Morecambe finishing 15th in League Two. In Bentley's second season they finished 16th. Bentley signed a two-year contract extension in October 2013,[9] and two further extensions in August 2015 and October 2017.[10] Over this period, Morecambe retained their League status with 18th, 11th, 21st, 18th, 22nd and 18th finishing positions.
2019–present: A League One spell, financial problems
Bentley left the club in October 2019 to become the AFC Fylde manager, having spent 16 months as the then longest serving manager in the top four tiers of English football.[11] In November 2019, Morecambe appointed Derek Adams as manager on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[12] The remainder of the season, shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, saw the Shrimps finish 22nd after 37 games played, again avoiding relegation.
The 2020–21 season proved to be a banner year. The club faced two Premier League sides in various cup competitions, falling to Newcastle United[13] in the third round of the EFL Cup and to Chelsea in the third round of the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge;[14] the latter equalled their furthest run in the FA Cup since the early 2000s. In the league, the club qualified in fourth place for the League Two play-offs with 78 points, missing automatic promotion by one point. Following a 3–2 aggregate win over Tranmere Rovers in the semi-final,[15] the club reached a first League play-off final. In the 2021 League Two play-off final against Newport County at Wembley Stadium on 31 May 2021, Morecambe won 1–0, after Carlos Mendes Gomes converted a penalty in the 107th minute. This earned the Shrimps promotion to League One, the third tier of English football, for the first time in their history.[16] Adams resigned three days later "to pursue an opportunity elsewhere"[17] as manager of Bradford City.[18]
In June 2021, the club announced that former Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson would be manager for the club's first season in League One.[19] Their first game was a 2–2 draw at Ipswich Town.[20] The club once again reached the FA Cup third round, and faced another London-based Premier League side, Tottenham Hotspur. After scoring the first goal, Morecambe were undone in the last 15 minutes by goals from Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Harry Winks to lose 3–1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.[21] After 32 games, Robinson left to take over at Scottish club St Mirren.[22] Goalkeeping coach Barry Roche served a game as caretaker manager before Adams returned as manager on a deal to June 2023.[23] Despite the club flirting with relegation, Adams led them out of the drop zone to finish 19th and retain League One status for a second season.[24]
In October 2022, Adams voiced worries about the future of the club. Its owners, Bond Group Investments, had put the club up for sale in September 2022, with directors Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring (both associated with the collapse of Worcester Warriors rugby union club) stepping down from the Shrimps' board.[25] In March 2023, players' wages were paid late, with funds invested by Sarbjot Johal, who was aiming to take over the club, ultimately bridging the gap.[26] However, uncertainty about the club's ownership continued into June 2023; Johal was also involved in negotiations to buy Wigan Athletic and had not provided proof of sufficient funding.[27]
In May 2023, Morecambe were relegated to League Two after a defeat by Exeter City.[28] The Shrimps then confirmed 14 players would be leaving upon the expiry of their contracts, with no players offered new deals.[29] In August 2023, Morecambe received a suspended three-point deduction for paying its players late in March.[30] In December 2023, Morecambe and owner Jason Whittingham were charged by the EFL for failing to adhere to an agreed process regarding players' wages,[31] and in April 2024, the three-point deduction was activated and Whittingham was fined £10,000.[32] The club finished the 2023–24 season in 15th place.[33]
On 30 April 2024, after succeeding Derek Adams as manager in November 2023, Ged Brannan left the financially troubled club to join League Two rivals Accrington Stanley.[34] Manager-less, with chief executive Ben Sadler joining Walsall, and with only one player (striker Charlie Brown) under contract for next season due to an ongoing transfer embargo, the club was described as "a circus" by its chairman Rod Taylor on 8 May 2024.[35] On 20 May 2024, Morecambe announced the departure of 16 players at the end of the season, leaving the club with a five-strong first-team squad.[36] The following day, club directors called on Whittingham to sell the club to avoid a 'catastrophic outcome'.[37][38] Derek Adams returned for a third spell as Morecambe manager in early June 2024,[39] when Whittingham said the club was talking to four potential buyers.[40] In early July 2024, talks over a possible buyout of the club were reported to be at "an advanced stage",[41] the transfer embargo was lifted (though Morecambe were fined £5,131.82 for failing to meet payment obligations)[42] and Morecambe signed 15 players.[43]
Kit and main sponsors
Table of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors appear below:[44]
The Shrimps mascot is Christie the cat.[50] The cat was named after Morecambe's old Stadium, Christie Park.
Rivalries
Starting in the early 1990s, Morecambe have been engaged in a bitter rivalry with Lancashire neighbours Accrington Stanley. The Shrimps failed to beat Accrington in 16 attempts after their 2007 promotion to the Football League before Aaron Wildig's goal gave them a 1–0 win over their rivals in August 2015. Morecambe's other local rivals include Barrow, Lancaster City, Fleetwood Town, Kendal Town and Southport.
Rochdale Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. The team currently competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English league system. Nicknamed 'The Dale', they have played home matches at Spotland Stadium since 1920 and, until 2019, contested derby matches with Bury.
Samuel Baxter McIlroy is a Northern Irish retired footballer who played for Manchester United, Stoke City, Manchester City, Örgryte (Sweden), Bury, VfB Mödling (Austria), Preston North End and the Northern Ireland national team.
Michael John Twiss is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He scored 95 goals in 458 competitive matches in a 15-year career.
Kevin Ellison is an English former professional footballer who plays as a forward for Northern Premier League Division One West club Vauxhall Motors.
James Harvey is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.
Gerard Daniel Brannan is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the assistant manager of Accrington Stanley.
Carl Paul Baker is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger or as an attacking midfielder.
Barry Christopher Roche is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and now works as a goalkeeping coach for Morecambe. He is a former Irish Under-21 international.
James Graham Bentley is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a centre back. He is currently the first team manager at Southport F.C.
Garry Kevin Langrish Thompson is an English football coach and former player who was last manager of Bradford.
Derek Watt Adams is a Scottish football manager and former player who is the current manager of EFL League Two club Morecambe. Adams played professionally for six clubs, including Ross County and Motherwell, where he made over 300 league appearances during his playing career and has managed over 635 games thus far, achieving four promotions.
Mark James Duffy is an English football coach and former player who was most recently manager of Northern Premier League Premier Division club Warrington Rylands.
Connor James Ripley is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL League Two club Port Vale.
Cole John Stockton is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League Two club Salford City.
Samuel Mark Lavelle is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League Two club Carlisle United, where he is also the club captain. Born in England, he represented Scotland at youth international level.
Ben Hedley is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for National League North club Darlington. He previously played in the Football League for Morecambe, as well as in non-league football for Witton Albion and Bradford.
Carlos Mendes Gomes is a professional footballer who plays for EFL League One club Bolton Wanderers, as a winger. Born in Senegal, he plays for the Guinea-Bissau national team.
Joel Toby Senior is an English professional footballer who plays as a right back for EFL League One club Bristol Rovers.
Michael Jordan Donald Mellon is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Stockport County on loan from Burnley.
↑ The Lancashire Cup– A Complete Record 1879–80 to 2006–07, by Gordon Small. A SoccerData Publication on behalf of the Lancashire Football Association. 2007. ISBN978-1-905891-04-7.
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