MORECAMBE v WOKING

3pm on Saturday 31st March 2007
Nationwide Conference

The Cards travel North this weekend with a new management team in charge, searching for three points. Morecambe are eyeing up a play-off place at the end of the season. The Lancashire side sit 6th in the table following their 2-1 win on Tuesday evening.

LAST SEASON
Morecambe kept up their reputation as promotion challengers last season, finishing in the play offs, in 5th place. They were beaten 4-3 on aggregate by Hereford United after a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Christie Park. In November 2005 manager Jim Harvey was taken ill in a league game at Christie Park against Cambridge United. The club declared the appointment of a caretaker manager, Sammy McIlroy. After the initial three months expired, McIlroy was given the job for the remainder of the season and then on a permanent basis.

RESULTS SO FAR
Morecambe have been a fixture in the top half of the table since the start of the season. They went through a 9 game unbeaten run mid-season which hauled them into the play-off hunt. Current form is decent. Although traditionally they?ve always been better at home, this season they?ve had the better form away from Christie Park. They?ve only been beaten 5 times on the road as opposed to winning 8 times at home. Last Saturday they lost away to Burton Albion. Two goals in two minutes from Jon Shaw and Daryl Clare put the Brewers ahead before the break. A Wayne Curtis penalty 9 minutes from time was too little too late for the visitors. On Tuesday evening they bounced back with a win against Northwich Victoria. Matthew Blinkhorn broke the deadlock, heading in from a corner on 20 minutes. Northwich equalised mid-way through the second half only for Chris Blackburn to restore the lead for the home side just 3 minutes later.

THE MORECAMBE SQUAD
Morecambe kept relatively the same squad over the summer. The danger man up front Michael Twiss has 10 league goals so far this season. Elsewhere, Wayne Curtis and Danny Carlton both bring class to the Shrimps front line. One new signing comes in the form of former Leigh RMI and Queen of the South striker David McNiven. He recently had a loan spell with Stafford Rangers but has since returned to the North West. Craig Stanley, who joined from Hereford last summer, has been impressive in midfield and usually partners former Crewe and Macclesfield player Neil Sorvel. Striker Matthew Blinkhorn has recently joined on loan from Blackpool.

THE VENUE
Christie Park
Lancaster Road
Morecambe
Lancashire
LA4 5TJ
E-Mail: shrimps@morecambefc.com

OTHER THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW

? parking ? plenty of street parking around the ground

? admission prices ? standing: adults ?12; concessions ?9; under-16s: ?5; seats: ?1 extra

? segregation ? not normally segregated but, if so, away fans are allocated the Umbro Stand

? pubs ? the club house (JB?s Bar) is open to away fans if the game isn?t segregated, on payment of ?1 for non-members. There is a pub/restaurant, The Shrimp, by the roundabout at the end of Lancaster Road, and the York Hotel is about half a mile from the ground towards the town centre

? kit ? Morecambe?s home strip is red and white so the Cards will be in their away kit.

COME ON, YOU CARDS!

GETTING THERE

BY COACH ? why not take it easy and go on the Supporters? Club coach? It leaves Kingfield at 8.30am and the cost is ?22 for members and ?28 for non-members. Ring the Club Shop (01483 772470) to book a place.

BY CAR ? leave the M6 at junction 34. Then take the A589 from Lancaster to Morecambe. Go straight over two roundabouts, then 2nd exit at 3rd roundabout. Take first exit at mini roundabout. The ground is about 400 yards on the left.

BY TRAIN ? There are no simple routes from Woking to Morecambe station and the journey takes over 6 hours, or some are even more than 7 hours. Trains depart from London Euston to the North West with the 07.50 getting into Morecambe at 13.30. This includes a change at Preston where you would need to catch a bus to Lancaster to get the 12.00 train on to Morecambe. So you would probably need to catch the 06.19 from Woking to Waterloo and get across Town to Euston station in time for the 07.50. The 09.48 from Euston, with the same changes, gets into Morecambe at 14.53 so assuming all connections were on time, you would be pushing it to make kick-off for 3.00pm. Morecambe railway station is about a ten minute walk away from the ground. As you come out of the station, turn right, going straight down Central Drive and then alongside Euston Road. This leads into Lancaster Road, where the ground is located. The first train back after the game is the 16.59 which is cutting it a bit fine after the final whistle. This train gets into Euston at 22.37. The next train after that is the 18.13, getting into Euston at 23.34.