Morecambe boss highlights the difference in finances

Victory over Walsall on the opening day of the season was followed by a promising performance in the Carabao Cup defeat at Rotherham United.

Next up for Adams’ players is tomorrow’s trip to a Mansfield Town team, who are habitual play-off challengers.

That is followed by back-to-back home games, the first of which is against newly-promoted Notts County who, in addition to signing former Shrimp Dan Crowley, made a real statement of intent with the arrival of David McGoldrick from Derby County.

Adams’ former employers, Bradford City, are the next visitors as they look for a route out of League Two at the fifth time of asking.

After that is a trip to Harrogate Town, who landed former Shrimp Liam Gibson after he was one of the 14 out-of-contract players released in the summer.

Adams said: “They are all teams who have spent big in this league.

“We lost a player to Harrogate, who has gone and doubled his money by going there from here.

“I think that’s where Harrogate are compared to us and a lot of supporters will not realise that.”

What also emphasises Morecambe’s lack of spending power compared to other clubs is the lack of a confirmed resolution to Sarbjot Johal’s proposed takeover.

Almost a year after he was reportedly first seen watching the club – and almost nine months on from being linked with a proposed buyout – there is still no official answer as to whether it will happen or not.

Vitanic Limited, a company of which Johal is listed as a director, was issued with a First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off at the start of the month.

Another company in which he is listed as a director, Vitanic GB Partners Limited, was served with a similar notice in June before micro company accounts, made up to July 31 last year, were published on the Companies House website yesterday.

It confirmed a total of £151,745 in current assets but with £50,000 also due to creditors inside a year.

That meant capital and reserves dropped to only £101,745 – compared to the £1.282m profit posted by the Shrimps in their accounts for the financial year ending May 2022.