An early first half goal from Carlos Mendes Gomes was enough to extend Town’s unbeaten run to six as the Cods take all three points in a Lancashire derby with Morecambe.
The hosts enjoyed a good spell of possession early on, but it was the visitors Morecambe who had the game’s first chance when Jensen Weir took aim from just outside the box, but he saw his shot sail over the bar.
Tempers were flaring early on as a challenge between Brendan Wiredu and Morecambe’s Arthur Gnahoua as Wiredu used his strength to nudge the Morecambe man off the ball and staff in the visiting dugout didn’t take too kindly to it.
With the Cods experiencing spells on the ball in the opening exchanges, Scott Brown’s side made that count when they took the lead in the 13th minute through a goal from Mendes Gomes, after some excellent work on the right from Shaun Rooney and Jayden Stockley, the latter then put the ball across the face of goal for Mendes Gomes to stroke home.
Morecambe nearly hit back in the 20th minute when a header from Michael Mellon brushed the bar of Jay Lynch’s goal and wasn’t enough to test the Fleetwood goalkeeper.
Moments later, Mendes Gomes stole the ball from the Shrimps' defence, but his shot was just wide of the target.
Town were really taking the game to struggling Morecambe early on looked like a team five unbeaten. While they trailed, Derek Adams’ side were trying to play some good football and seemed to be passing it around the park well, but to no avail in the first half.
Fleetwood thought they should have had a penalty five minutes from halftime when a shot from Rooney was blocked on the line by what looked like a hand, but the referee didn’t give a spot-kick. In a mostly quiet first half with Mendes Gomes’s being what separated the two sides, Town had the lead in the derby at the break.
Just four minutes into the second half, Town came at Morecambe and started the second 45 minutes just like the first. Josh Vela went surging down the middle of the pitch and eventually found Rooney, whose shot was well saved by Connor Ripley - a fast-paced start to the second period.
Then, a good chance came for Morecambe after some nice play between Dan Crowley and Adam Mayor. Mayor then slipped the ball into the box, but Harrison Holgate was on hand to make the block.
Harvey Macadam then charged forward and took aim, and his shot wasn’t too far wide, a real end-to-end game in the second half.
Lynch was called into action with just under half an hour to go when Morecambe substitute Ash Hunter fired an attempt towards goal, but Lynch stayed firm to gather it.
A substitute of Town’s own Cian Hayes made an impact when he came on and made a spirited run forwards and with his shot, won a corner. Fleetwood were managing the game well in the closing stages of proceedings.
With nine minutes to go, Lewis Warrington linked up well with Rooney to deliver a ball across the face of goal, but Stockley couldn’t quite latch on the end of it to double the Cods lead.
That’s how it ended, another win for Town as the unbeaten run continues. A valiant effort by Morecambe but Mendes Gomes’s goal was the difference.
Cods XI: Lynch (GK), Wiredu (Andrew 45’), Mendes Gomes (Robertson 45’), Vela (C), Stockley (Marriott 84’), Warrington (Earl 89’), Holgate, Nsiala, Patterson (Hayes 68’), Rooney, Macadam
Unused subs: McMullan (GK), Dolan.
Shrimps XI: Ripley (GK), Love (C), Gibson (Melbourne 58’), Rawson, Crowley, Mellon (Hunter 58’), Gnahoua, Weir (Simeu 84’), Bedeau (Taylor 73’), Shaw, Mayor
Unused subs: Smith (GK), Cooney, Austerfield.