Carlisle United 0 Morecambe 1: ​Edwards on hand to claim three points for Shrimps

​Gwion Edwards was the Shrinps’ goal hero with a strike just after the hour to give his side a perfect post Christmas present.

Shrimps’ boss Derek Adams made two changes from the side that lost to Bromley with Edwards and Callum Jones returning in place of Adam Lewis and Yann Songo’o who dropped to the bench.

Carlisle started the game on the front foot and should have taken the lead in the third minute when Jordan Jones’ corner wasn’t claimed by Harry Burgoyne and the ball fell perfectly for Aaron Hayden but he missed the target from two yards out.

Two minutes later Burgoyne did well to save Harrison Neal’s long-range effort, before Morecambe came into the game with Edwards forcing Carlisle keeper Gabe Breeze into a smart save with a shot from the edge of the area.

Ben Tollitt twice broke free down the right and delivered a cross that was just inches ahead of the sliding Jones, before laying the ball back to Edwards who dragged his effort wide of the post. Morecambe started the second half sharply with former Shrimps’ skipper Sam Lavelle producing a goal-saving block from Rhys Williams’ close-range effort from Marcus Dackers’s lay-off.

Edwards then saw an effort deflected wide for a corner before the Shrimps took the lead on 61 minutes.

Dackers received the ball on the left side of the area and put in a dangerous cross for Edwards, who scored at the second attempt.

The Shrimps’ hopes of victory were given a further lift when Carlisle midfielder Jon Mellish was sent off with a straight red card for a late challenge on Tom White.

The Shrims looked for a second but were twice denied by Breeze who saved sharply from Paul Lewis and Jordan Slew but in the end it mattered little as Edwards’s goal was enough to clinch the much needed win.

Carlisle: Breeze, Harper, Lavelle (Buggins 69), Hayden, Neal, Ellis, Mellish, Sadi (Adu-Adjei 60), Barclay, Jones (Harris 69), Armstrong. Subs not used: Smith, Charters, Dudik, Hetherington.

Morecambe: Burgoyne. Hendrie, Stott, Williams, Tutonda, Jones (A Lewis 80), White, Tollitt, Macadam (P Lewis 67), Edwards (skew 80), Dackers. Subs not used: Taylor, Hope, Millen, Songo’o.

Ref: S Oldham.

Att: 9,225.