Forest Green Rovers 5 Morecambe 0: Dismal defeat on the final day of the season
Morecambe ended a miserable season with another heavy defeat as they went down 5-0 to Forest Green Rovers on Saturday.
Jim Bentley wanted his side to finish the season on a high note but they went down with a whimper.
They conceded five goals for the second successive away game and it could have been more, had it not been for some fine Myles Boney saves.
Bentley once again named a mixed team with several main players rested, but they were run ragged by a home side who dominated from start to finish.
Their first chance came just after five minutes when Sean Etaluku’s ball into the box found Tom Knowles, whose shot was superbly saved by Boney.
Kyle McAllister fired straight at the Shrimps’ keeper and lofted the ball just over from a cheeky 40-yard effort before the first goal came on 13 minutes.
Full-back Jili Buyabu found himself free in the box after a short corner and scored from an acute angle.
The Shrimps hit back with a rare attack as Gwion Edwards forced Fiachra Pagel into a save and Paul Lewis failed to convert the rebound with a weak shot that was easily cleared.
Lewis was made to pay in the 24th minute as the home side added a second, when Raheem Conte fouled Jayden Clarke in the box and the excellent McAllister sent Boney the wrong way from the spot.
The chances continued to come for the home side with Tre Pemberton hitting the side netting and Buyabu seeing a well-struck shot tipped over by Boney.
It was the same pattern in the second half as the home side took advantage of some woeful defending.
Substitute Gabe Kircough added a third with a free header on 56 minutes before Ricardo Rees made it 4-0, when he was also – somehow – left unmarked in the box to head home a corner.
Morecambe youngster Adam Fairclough wasted a great chance to add a consolation as he lashed the ball wildly wide from a good opening.
It was Rees completed the scoring when he reacted quicker than any Morecambe defender to score from the rebound after Boney could only parry Knowles’ long-range shot.
The Shrimps went close to ending the game on a positive as Dan Ogwuru did well to power his way into the box.
However, he was denied by Pagel’s excellent block just before the final whistle signalled the end of a dismal campaign.
Forest Green Rovers: Pagel, Mendy, McAllister (Rees 65), Knowles, Clarke, Moore-Taylor (Kircough 54), Campbell, Pemberton, Buyabu (Kengni 65), Etaluku (Haughton 54), Mellor (Doidge 60). Subs not used: Nwoko, Isted.
Morecambe: Boney, Conte (Jameson 70), Fogarty, Akindileni, Edwards, Hogan, Lewis, Tollitt (Campbell 82), Songo’o (Cain 67), Wright (Ogwuru 66), Nolan (Fairclough 66). Subs not used: Scales, Popov.
Referee: Matthew Russell.
Attendance: 2,482.