EFL LEAGUE ONE
FOREST GREEN 1
Wickham 30
MORECAMBE 2
Phillips 44
Rawson 90+3
Former Forest Green defender Farrend Rawson’s stoppage-time header handed Morecambe their first win of the season in a dramatic finish to the game.
Earlier, ex- Premier League striker Connor Wickham’s moment of magic handed Forest Green the lead on 30 minutes until on-loan Huddersfield Town striker Kieran Phillips’ levelled the game up on the cusp of the break before Rawson popped up at the death.
With the national anthem played before the kick-off and a minute’s applause observed in respect of the late Queen, it was Morecambe who started royally, but found Rovers’ keeper Luke McGee on his mettle.
The Shrimps came close to breaking the deadlock on 19 minutes when Phillips’ mesmerising run ended with the ball spanking the underside of the bar and into the gloves of McGee.
The game was crying out for a moment of quality and Wickham delivered it on 30 minutes, the former Crystal Palace and Everton striker scoring on the angle from 25 yards wide over the floundering Ripley from Corey O’Keeffe’s assist.
On the cusp of the break, Rawson induced a gloved response from McGee and then Phillips brought the best out of the Rovers’ keeper, who was seconds later left flailing as Phillips drew parity with a minute of the first-half to go.
McGee’s fingertips from Cole Stockton’s fizzing strike and then Ripley’s block from Wickham made it an electric start to the second-half. Moments later Regan Hendry’s ball into the box found the head of Dom Bernard who induced a gloved response from Ripley.
The game appeared to be fizzling out, but Rawson pinched it for the Shrimps, nodding in from a Jensen Weir free-kick on 93 minutes.
STAT ATTACK
Ratings out of 10
Forest Green: McGee 8;Marques 7, Casey 7, Moore-Taylor 7; Bernard 7, O’Keeffe 7; Hendry 6 (Stevenson 80, 6), Davis 6 (Little 61, 6), Peart-Harris 6 (Brown 74, 6); Fiabema 7, Wickham 7
Subs not used: Thomas, Jones, McAllister, Bunker
Morecambe: Ripley, Love, Gibson, Rawson, Delaney, Taylor, Stockton, Weir, Bedeau, Shaw, Phillips
Subs: Smith, Fane, Connolly, Gnahoua, Obika, Cooney, O’Connor
Referee: Ollie Yates
Attendance: 2,601
Morecambe fans: 112
Star Man: Luke McGee
