Morecambe camp will give Notts County their due respect going into key clash

The Shrimps head there on the back of four wins in six matches; a run which has seen them climb to 19th in League Two.

They are nine points ahead of the relegation places with County having climbed off the bottom of the table after their midweek victory at Carlisle United.

“We can’t disrespect anyone because the club we’re playing are where they are,” Bentley said.

“No club disrespects us because we’re the smallest club; I know when I do my research that managers always pay us the respect we deserve.

“Notts County, I’m sure, are thinking they can’t afford to lose.

“They have to try and take something from it because they are in a worse position than us.”

Back-to-back wins against Forest Green Rovers and MK Dons have given the Shrimps some welcome breathing space going into the final nine games of the season.

Three points on Saturday would also give Morecambe three straight league wins for the first time since August 2016; not that Bentley was contemplating that particular piece of information.

“I’ll be happy with three points,” he said.

“That’s what we’ll try and do; we have to guard against a crowd who might get behind them or, if we do get an early goal, go against them.

“We will do what we can to get something from the game and, hopefully, keep us moving along the track.”

Tuesday’s 4-2 win against an MK Dons side who had started the night in third place came despite horrible, blustery conditions as a result of Storm Gareth.

Richie Bennett’s double took him to five goals in nine appearances for the Shrimps, while Aaron Collins’ late strike gave him four in six outings.

It was the perfect way to cap an impressive few days after seeing off another side with promotion aspirations in Forest Green.

“It was a big win on Tuesday,” Bentley said.

“It was a horrible night, playing one of the top teams in the league, but we’d spoken to the players before the game about how Saturday counted for nothing.

“It was a case of going out there in difficult conditions and testing ourselves against one of the better sides in the division.

“We have to make sure we keep moving forward and enjoy every game we win; that’s what the game’s all about.

“We try and win every game we go into; that will be the case on Saturday and every game until the end of the season.”