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Five-star Barrow smash sorry Shrimps
Barrow 5 Morecambe 0
MORECAMBE boss Sammy McIlroy was given plenty to think about as his side's opening pre-season friendly of the campaign ended in a heavy defeat at Barrow.
The Shrimps may have been playing their first 90 minute game since returning back from their summer holidays but there were few excuses for a sorry performance in the rain at Holker Street.
Barrow scored five and in truth could have had more as Morecambe produced a horror show.
The Shrimps, who included new boy Paul Scott and trialists Ryan Harding and David Mannix in the starting side, began well with former Liverpool midfielder Mannix heading a Mark Duffy cross wide and Stewart Drummond also going close.
But from there the first half belonged to Barrow who produced some excellent football going forward and caused the Morecambe defence no ends of problems.
The Shrimps found themselves 1-0 down after just seven minutes when they were undone by a neat one-two on the edge of their own box.
Former Morecambe striker Jason Walker played in Mark Goodfellow and his low cross was met by the unmarked Paul Rutherford at the far post.
Morecambe hit back with Paul Mullin wasting an excellent chance when he clipped an effort inches wide after being put through on goal by Mannix.
It proved to be a costly miss as Barrow took charge and scored two further goals in quick succession. On 28 minutes Goodfellow took advantage of some shocking defending from Harding to curl a left footer past Roche. Seven minutes later Goodfellow then played in Walker who got behind Laurence Wilson and finished calmly past the Morecambe keeper.
Things could have looked even worse had a Walker effort not been ruled out for handball after he closed down Roche's clearance which rebounded back into the Morecambe goal.
Morecambe made wholesale changes for the second half but it couldn't prevent Barrow adding to their score. The Bluebirds made it 4-0 on 57 minutes when Walker played in former Blackburn midfielder Ciaran Donnelly and he produced another clinical finish to round the keeper and slot the ball into the empty net.
New loan signing James Spencer looked sharp for the Shrimps when coming on as a half time substitute and he twice tested Barrow keeper James McKeown with smart efforts from inside the box but it was Barrow who came closest to scoring again when Simon Wiles saw a volley cleared off the line by Darren Moss.
But the home side were to strike again when with seven minutes remaining Rutherford produced a delightful curler from the edge of the Morecambe area to make it five and end a thoroughly miserable night for the Shrimps.
Barrow: McKeown, Spender, Austin, Pearson (rep Jackson 55), Bolland, Donnelly, Rutherford, Boyd, Walker, Forrest, Goodfellow. Subs: Owen, Sheridan, Jackson, Blundell, Wiles, Hulbert, McDonald, Pearson,.
Morecambe: Roach, Moss (Clark 75), Wilson (rep Owens 45), Scott (rep Haining 45, rep Cowperthwaite 88), Harding (rep Parrish 45), Stanley (rep Wainwright 62), Maddix, Drummond, Mullin (rep Wraighte 75), Jevons (rep Spencer 45), Duffy.
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Weather for Lancaster
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light sleet
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South
