Shrimps Boss Sammy McIlroy Talks About Tomorrow

Last updated : 06 November 2009 By Thetashkentterror
Sammy McIlroy
Morecambe manager Sammy McIlroy spoke to The Bay radio earlier in the week after his side had defeated Lincoln 3-1 at home, McIlroy now looking forward to tomorrow's FA Cup first round tie against Carlisle at Brunton Park :


"It has been good to get a win, again there is no doubt about that. It was a good performance against Lincoln, I thought we were comfortable enough winners, but that was the bit of the boost that we needed, especially coming into the cup tie at Carlisle. We don't have anything to lose there and we showed in the cup game against them earlier this season that we have nothing to fear.

"They are favourites obviously, beating Charlton as well, it gives them a bit of a boost with Charlton flying high. But it is a cup tie, we have got no pressure on us and we are going to go there and try to win the game. After that Lincoln performance the boys can't wait so we will be going up there hoping to give Carlisle a tough time.

"The FA Cup, and especially clubs our size, always want a good run and get a bit of publicity and get money into the club. But the draw hasn't been kind to us, but at the end of the day we can only do who we are up against and we will be doing our best to try to beat Carlisle. Ben Smith can't be playing in goal though, Barry Roche is training very hard this week, we have been monitoring him to see how he goes. If not then Scotty Davies will be in goal.

"They say the luck evens itself out from time to time and on Saturday it came our way and rightly so because we have had a little bit of ill-fate over the last couple of months. But you can't depend on luck, you have got to do your own stuff, or try to do your own stuff, and if you do that…… I know if we play well we will give anyone a match.

"Our decision making at times has been letting us down and we have been punished for it, but hopefully after that win under our belt we can kick on from here. Decision making, we have got to just play the basics, defend in the right areas and play in the right areas and hopefully that will work out. But the boys have been in good form this week and we are looking forward to the weekend.

"Neil Wainwright has done very, very well, he went away on loan to Barrow, needed the games, and has come back flying. I thought the boy deserved his man-of-the-match award on Saturday, I thought his work-rate was tremendous and his ball into the box was great. So fair do's to the boy, he needed games, he went to Barrow, did very well at Barrow and now he is back in the side.

"Phil Jevons is getting sharper, his movement, we are working on him with his movement and speed off the mark. I thought that on Saturday he was excellent, he got his penalty by going between two players over that five-yard sprint and got there. So I think there is more to come from Jevons definitely."




Meanwhile Wainwright himself commented to the Visitor :

"Saturday was an ideal time for us to get three points so we can just go into this week's game and enjoy it. There is no pressure on us and when that is the case you often play your best football so I think we have a chance although it will be hard."




That 3-1 home win over Lincoln was only the second victory of the season for Morecambe, but they haven't been losing many matches either though and they have drawn nine of their 15 league games, their away record being four draws and only three defeats - scoring seven but conceding a hefty fifteen. The Shrimps having also been thumped on the road in the first round of the Carling Cup when they went down 5-1 at near neighbours Preston North End.

One of Morecambe's many draws this season obviously came in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy against Carlisle earlier this season. The match finishing 2-2 when Graham Kavanagh scored twice on the night - his second coming in the final minute to cancel out Shrimps goals from Garry Hunter and Wayne Curtis, United eventually going through 4-2 on penalties after the tie had gone straight to spot-kicks.

As for games between the two sides at Brunton Park, well there has only been one and that came in the then Nationwide Conference two days after New Year's Day 2005, on which Morecambe and Carlisle had drawn 1-1 at Christie Park. SKY viewers watching a match where honours ended even again at 3-3.

Carlisle racing into an early 2-0 lead through Glenn Murray and Andy Preece, Wayne Curtis then scoring for Morecambe before Magno Vieira made it 3-1 at the break. The Shrimps weren't to be beaten that day though and second-half goals from Garrys Hunter and Thompson saw the match end 3-3 in front of 6,751 spectators.




In team news for the Shrimps goalkeeper Barry Roche looks set to be quickly pressed into action after coming back this week from three weeks out with a leg injury, Roche needed as loan signing Ben Smith has been denied permission to play in the FA Cup by parent club Doncaster Rovers.

Two other players who look likely to return to the Morecambe squad as well are Huddersfield-loanee midfielder Ian Craney and defender Will Haining, the pair recovering from influenza and a hamstring injury respectively. Definitely sidelined though is centre-half David Artell who is out with a hamstring strain, and also midfield pair Emmanuel Panther (toe) and Fraser McLachlan (knee).



The referee for tomorrow's match is Andy Haines from Sunderland, and he will be assisted down the lines by Peter Davies from Lymm in Cheshire and Richard Clark from Morpeth in Northumberland. Meanwhile the fourth official makes it three men out of four from the north-east as it is Dave McCallum from Wallsend.