Morecambe 2 Sutton United 2: Shrimps and fellow strugglers cannot be separated
Morecambe missed the chance to take three points as they let slip a two-goal lead against fellow strugglers Sutton United at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium.
The Shrimps looked good value for a fourth league win of the season on Saturday as superb strikes either side of the break from Miguel Azeez and Jake Cain gave them the advantage.
However, two goals in as many minutes from Lewis Simper and Ashley Nadesan handed the visitors a way back into the game.
Morecambe boss Ashvir Singh Johal made three changes to the side that had drawn at Hartlepool United in midweek.
Yann Songo’o, Rolando Aarons and Joe Nuttall came in for Ludwig Francillette, Elijah Dixon-Bonner and Emmerson Sutton, who all moved to the bench.
It gave the Shrimps two out-and-out strikers for the first time this season; a move that looked set to pay off as they started the game on the front foot and forced a string of early corners.
Despite the pressure, however, chances were difficult to come by.
Ben Tollitt saw a shot bravely blocked by Jack Taylor but it was Sutton who went closest to opening the scoring.
Taylor curled an effort just off target from 30 yards and Kai Jennings diverted a cross from David Ogbonna just wide of the left-hand post.
Nevertheless, it was the Shrimps who broke the deadlock with a fine goal in first-half injury time.
Lewis Payne produced a far post cross which was met by Azeez, who smartly volleyed into the bottom left-hand corner of Tommy Reid’s goal from the left-hand side of the box.
Morecambe then added a second four minutes into the second period when Cain produced a superb left-footed strike from the edge of the area that gave Reid no chance.
The Shrimps were dominant at this stage and Cain was denied a second by Reid, who tipped a fierce shot from distance onto the crossbar.
However, Morecambe’s players then shot themselves in the foot as Aarons gave away a needless penalty with a rash challenge on Junior Eccleston on 72 minutes and Simper made no mistake from the spot.
Aarons then played a hand in Sutton’s leveller two minutes later as he made no effort to stop a left-wing cross.
That ended with Jamal Blackman saving superbly from Simper’s close-range header, only for Nadesan to follow up and slam the ball home.
Tollitt produced the only real moment of threat in the final stages as he cut inside and saw his shot from the edge of the area deflected wide of the visitors’ goal.
It meant that the Shrimps had to settle for a share of the spoils when it should have been so much more.
Morecambe: Blackman, Payne, Kacurri, Songo’o, Williams, Azeez, Cain, Muskwe, Aarons (Sutton 81), Tollitt, Nuttall. Subs not used: Mair, Francillette, Panayiotou, Dixon-Bonner, Raikhy, Nolan.
Sutton United: Reid, Simper, Pruti, Tizzard (Harris 46), Jack Taylor, Ogbonna, Jake Taylor, Eccleston, Jennings (Woodyard 81), Njoku (Nadesan 46), Muller. Subs not used: Aziaya, Phipps, Jones, Bell.
Referee: Gareth Rhodes.
Attendance: 3,650.