Morecambe Youth 1-2 Fleetwood Town Youth
Lancaster & Morecambe College
Saturday 23rd November 2013
Michael Muscat’s header on the hour mark earned Fleetwood Town their fifth league win of the season after an entertaining clash against strugglers Morecambe.
Muscat rose highest in the box to meet Robbie Bromley’s corner and power his effort beyond a hapless Tom Stewart in the Shrimps goal.
Following last weekend’s narrow defeat to rivals Blackpool at Lytham Cricket Club, the Cod Army made three changes to the starting eleven.
In came right back Lanre Olapade, midfielder Jordan Lazenbury and attacker Aden Wainwright, at the expense of Wes Newton, Conor Smith and Jonny Conway respectively.
The encounter was the first time this year that the management team could field a squad full of first and second year scholars.
Fleetwood started the game brightly and played with the attacking intent manager Craig Madden has been determined to introduce all season.
Inside five minutes, centre half Michael Muscat sent a looping header just over from a neat Jordan Lazenbury cross, while Keano Deacon’s low drive whistled wide.
Madden’s counterpart, Dickie Danson, must have been pleased with his side’s response, as they carved out a couple of decent opportunities within the space of three minutes.
Alex Naylor forced Town goalkeeper Oliver Martin into a low stop, while Tom Woods should have done better with a close range volley.
However, on 24 minutes, Fleetwood took the lead courtesy of Keano Deacon, who had been a thorn in Morecambe’s side early on.
Deacon picked the ball up on the half way line, drove menacingly up-field and skipped a couple of challenges, before unleashing a strike from the edge of the box which nestled in off the post to give his side what was a deserved lead.
Six minutes later, striker Kurt Willoughby missed a glorious chance to put Town two to the good, but he dragged his shot wide from all of six yards.
Deacon was catching the eye and once again burst through the middle and fired a fierce strike which only went inches wide of Tom Stewart’s far post.
After the restart, Jordan Lazenbury, back from a recent groin injury picked up against Rotherham in the FA Youth Cup, saw his volley saved by Stewart.
Despite Fleetwood being the better side, Morecambe got their noses back in the game on 57 minutes.
Alex Naylor took advantage of some hesitancy amongst the visiting defence – cut in from the right and his strike cruelly deflected off Michael Muscat and beat Oliver Martin in the Town goal.
However, Muscat got his revenge three minutes later as he headed powerfully home from Robbie Bromley’s corner to put the Cod Army back in the ascendancy.
From here on in, Fleetwood were dominant and should, on another day, have won by a far more comprehensive scoreline.
Aden Wainwright, who had just returned from a loan spell at Clitheroe, saw his effort go just over the crossbar, while Jonny Conway missed a gilt edge chance from close range on 76 minutes.
The pair then had another chance to put the game beyond doubt late on, but the Cod Army ended up deserved winners to climb out of the lower echelons of the Youth Alliance League.
Fleetwood Town Youth – Martin, Olapade, Barrett, Muscat, Vile, Lazenbury, Williams, Deacon, Bromley, Wainwright, Willoughby
Fleetwood Town Youth Subs – Bleeker, Smith, Glean, Conway,
Morecambe Youth – Stewart, McGowan, Smith, Towers, Lewis, Lewis, Dunleavy, Roberts, Woods, Naylor, Bailey
Morecambe Youth Subs – Preston, Kitchen, Hilton, Reynolds