Morecambe attackers challenged to net crucial goals

Adams saw his charges produce one of their worst performances of the season as they suffered a 1-0 defeat against struggling Gillingham on Saturday.

Robbie McKenzie’s late goal gave Gillingham a first victory in 14 matches and inflicted an eighth defeat in 10 league games upon the Shrimps.

The Morecambe boss says his team, who remained second-bottom of League Two but are now three points from safety, need to raise their game.

That starts with tonight’s home match against an AFC Wimbledon team in fifth position, four points adrift of the automatic promotion places after losing to Bromley last weekend.

“We have to look at it like we have 12 cup finals to come between now and the end of the season,” Adams said.

“We have had a tough run of fixtures and there are more tough ones to come.

“Overall we have competed very well, but we have lacked that final bit of cutting edge quality that could have helped us get more points.”

The need for points has become all the more important, with bottom club Carlisle United beating Barrow AFC last Thursday to draw level with the Shrimps.

Third-bottom Tranmere Rovers then picked up a valuable draw with Port Vale on Saturday lunchtime as the race to avoid the drop intensifies.

Adams says it is time for some of his players to show just what they can do.

He added: “We have an abundance of forward players in our squad.

“Now it is now up to some of those individuals to really go and set a marker down and score the goals for us.

“We haven’t got enough players scoring goals, the facts show that, but we’ve got enough players trying and willing to score goals.

“We have got enough players who can score goals and that is what we are trying to achieve.”

A full round of League Two fixtures tonight means Carlisle and Tranmere are also in action.

Carlisle welcome league leaders Walsall while Tranmere visit a Grimsby Town team in eighth, only three points adrift of the play-offs after four wins from their last six.