Defeat in Lancashire derby
Town suffered Boxing Day disappointment at the Globe Arena as Padraig Amond’s first-half goal won the Lancashire derby for Morecambe.
The Shrimps striker headed into Scott Davies’ corner from Robbie Threlfall’s cross inside the opening 20 minutes after Fleetwood had failed to clear a corner.
Town had chances to level late on, but there was no way past Barry Roach in the Morecambe goals at the Shrimps picked up the three points.
Graham Alexander made only change to the side beaten at home to Cheltenham Town before Christmas with Antoni Sarcevic, on his return from suspension, going straight back into the starting line-up at the expense of Daniel Carr.
However, the home side were looking to move level on points with the Cod Army, and they had early efforts when Alex Kenyon and Kevin Ellison shot high and wide of the Town goal.
Gareth Evans had struck wide of the left post in between Morecambe’s two efforts, but the hosts soon took the lead when Threlfall’s corner was not completely cleared by Town, and his second cross was headed into the bottom-right corner by Amond inside the box.
The Cod Army nearly responded in minutes, though, when Matty Blair’s cross was cleared to Charlie Taylor before the left-back struck past the left post from the edge of the area.
At the other end, Jack Redshaw teed himself up but struck over the crossbar from outside the box, while Blair continued Town’s search for an equaliser by missing the right post from a tight angle.
Mark Roberts, Evans and Sarcevic all then went close before the break, but Shrimps goalkeeper Barry Roche was on hand to see out the danger before the break.
Half-Time: Morecambe 1-0 Fleetwood
Alexander brought on both Jon Parkin and Carr at the start of the second half, with both going straight into attack as Town looked to find a way back into the match.
Jeff Hughes nearly forced an early equaliser with a left-footed strike past the far post, and Parkin then drove one wide approaching the hour mark.
With the less than half an hour to find a leveller, Fleetwood nearly fell two behind when Ellison’s header was saved by Davies, before the Town stopper saved another Ellison effort at the bottom-left corner.
The Shrimps also had efforts through Andrew Fleming and Tony Diagne late on, although the Cod Army nearly nicked a point when Hughes’ strike from close range was blocked on the goal-line.
But Fleetwood could not find the equaliser they wanted, leaving them disappointed with a third-straight defeat.
Full-time: Morecambe 1-0 Fleetwood
FLEETWOOD TEAM: Davies; McLaughlin, Roberts, Cresswell, Taylor; Blair (Parkin, 46), Murdoch (Crowther, 80), Hughes, Evans (Carr, 46); Sarcevic; Ball.
SUBS: Lucas, Hogan, Goodall, Crowther, Carr, Tyson, Parkin.
BOOKED: McLaughlin, Taylor.
MORECAMBE TEAM: Roche; Parrish, Threlfall, Drummond, McCready; Hughes, Kenyon, Fleming, Ellison (McGee, 85); Amond (Diagne, 75), Redshaw (Mwasile, 93).
SUBS: Diagne, Williams, McGee, Mwasile, McGowan, Doyle, Arestidou.
ATTENDANCE: 3,008 (829 Fleetwood).