MATCH REPORT: Morecambe 0 Shrewsbury Town 0

In a game of few chances both sides had to settle for an opening-day point in a a game that saw plenty of effort

Morecambe boss Derek Adams selected five debutants for the game against Steve Cotterill's side, with Connor Ripley, Donald Love, Max Melbourne, Farrend Rawson and Ash Hunter all handed starts, and all making good impressions.

If anyone was expecting a slow start to the game they would have been badly wrong as Shrewsbury shot out of the traps and created two chances in the opening five minutes.

Luke Leahy fired an effort wide on three minutes and drilled a shot into the side netting from 10 yards out as Cotterill's side started well.

Morecambe then settled into the game defensively and showed their ability to counter-attack as they produced the best moment of the first half.

A Shrewsbury attack broke down and Adams' side hit back with Cole Stockton playing in Dylan Connolly behind the Shrewsbury defence, only to see his final effort well saved by the sprawling Marko Marosi.

The visitors then enjoyed a spell on top with recent signing from Preston North End Tom Bayliss making a mark with two efforts in the box, the second of which was superbly blocked by the excellent Rawson.

The visitors had the better of the early second half exchanges with Tom Flanagan slicing two efforts wide from good openings.

Then the visitors had their best effort on 66 minutes when a George Nurse volley deflected off Stockton's foot but came back off the crossbar, with Connor Ripley beaten.

The Shrews continued to press with Ryan Delaney denying Ryan Bowman a close range tap-in from a left-wing cross, before Julien Dacosta made a real mess of a far post chance in the dying moments.

But after failing to trouble Marosi in the second period, the Shrimps ended the game on the front foot.

And they were denied an injury-time winner when Matthew Pennington produced a superb 92nd-minute block from Connolly'sshot.

Morecambe: Ripley, Love, Rawson, Delaney, Melbourne, Gibson (rep Taylor 66), Fane, Hunter, Connolly, Stockton, Gnahoua. Subs not used: Smith, Weir, Watts, McLoughlin, Obika, O'Connor.

Booked: Love, Delaney.

Shrewsbury: Marosi, Pennington, Dunkley, Flanagan, Nurse, Laahy, Moore, Bayliss (rep Pyke 66), Shipley (rep O'Brien 83), Dacosta, Bowman. Subs not used: Burgoyne, Bloxham, Caton, Craig, Barlow.

Booked; Bowman.

Ref: R Joyce.

Att: 4,725​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​