Bentley after top gear from Shrimps
FORMER Shrimp Shaun Miller came back to haunt his old side and leave Morecambe manager Jim Bentley asking for men not boys in his team for the run-in.
Miller came off the bench to volley home an 88th-minute winner for the hosts, who retain theri league status for another season, leaving Morecambe nervously looking over their shoulder after defeat left them four points clear of the relegation places with three games to play.
“There is work to be done,” said Bentley. “I’m sick of people saying we were safe because football being the way it is you can easily get dragged back in and that’s what’s happened. Everyone around us has won and it’s heaped a lot more pressure onto us.
“You could see it happening when Shaun came on – we know what he’s all about and he’s a player I would have liked to have brought in in January because of our goalscoring problems.
“So we’re disappointed. We’re in a position that we need to win one of our next two games at home and I’ve told the players it’s time to stand up and be men.”
Morecambe received a major blow after a quarter-of-an-hour when midfielder Garry Thompson was carried off with an Achilles injury, but the visitors recovered and almost took the lead through Michael Rose’s low free-kick which was expertly saved by a diving Ben Garratt.
Morecambe continued to press after the break with Callum Lang somehow missing from close range after substitute Gregg Wylde’s pinpoint cross.
Double substitutions from both managers hinted at a breakthrough with former Crewe striker Vadaine Oliver entering the fray for Morecambe, but it was Crewe who reaped the benefit from the changes when a late corner from sub Chris Dagnall wasn’t cleared and fellow replacement Miller was able to volley a bouncing shot beyond keeper Barry Roche. “The lads are disappointed in the dressing room, but we have won a game of football, got a clean sheet and we’ve not played well,” said Crewe manager David Artell.
“While the supporters expect a standard here, we’ve won a game and we’ve got a result without playing well, which is not characteristic of Crewe.
“We’ve had one bad performance over the course of the last ten to 12 games and it was a good result. But I would advise anyone watching it again should be over the age of 18.”