Derek Adams remaining positive as Morecambe’s wait for a win goes on

Posted Sunday, September 04, 2022 by PA

Derek Adams remains upbeat despite his side not having won a League One game so far this season.

The Morecambe manager said that it was his team’s best display of their league campaign after they drew 2-2 at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Adams’ side twice led after Jensen Weir netted a third goal of the season, blasting in spectacularly from 25 yards on 12 minutes, before striker Kieran Phillips finished to crown a counter-attack after the break.

But Rovers responded each time, first through Ryan Loft converting a deft Aaron Collins cross after half an hour, before debutant Bobby Thomas netted following a corner with 10 minutes of the game left to play.

“I thought that was our best performance of the season,” said Adams. “We played really well. The players that came into the side, the shape of the side, we caused Bristol Rovers trouble all over the pitch today.

“We started off with a fantastic goal from Jensen Weir to go ahead, he put it right in the top corner, and we created really good openings.

“So did Bristol Rovers and it became an open game, end to end. And we knew that would be the case when we came here.

“Eventually they got a goal, to make it 1-1, and we go ahead in the game – a great ball for Kieran Phillips to get his first goal for the club.

“And then they get a scrappy one at the end from a ball into the box that they bundle into the goal, and scrap a draw for them. They will have been hoping for a win but we were in the ascendency a lot of the time today.”

Opposition manager Joey Barton was satisfied with the draw too, given the way the game had panned out.

Rovers have drawn their last three fixtures but Barton pointed to the longer term after the latest score draw at the Memorial Stadium.

“I have to be pleased with a point – we’ve been behind twice,” said Barton after the game. “Morecambe aren’t the sort of side you want to go behind against, with the way they set up.

“They weren’t as bad as Shrewsbury last week for stinking the game out but they had a clear strategy to eat the clock and take the time off the board. From our perspective we gave away two sloppy goals, which shouldn’t happen.

“I felt if we had took the lead today we would have won the game relatively comfortably from there.

“But as it was we gave ourselves a task to get back into it but credit to the lads, we pulled ourselves off the canvas twice.”