Morecambe manager's hope for Bolton Wanderers clash

The Shrimps are back on home soil, looking to continue a run which has seen them lose only one of the last 11 games at the Mazuma Stadium.

Both teams go into the game on the back of defeats, Morecambe having lost at Fleetwood Town last Saturday and Bolton beaten at Portsmouth in midweek.

The two clubs hadn’t met competitively until the behind-closed-doors season of 2020-21 – but an edge has quickly developed.

The first meeting at Morecambe in April 2021 was effectively an automatic promotion decider from League Two, with Ben Jackson’s goal giving Bolton victory after the Shrimps saw Kelvin Mellor sent off.

Last season’s 1-1 draw at the Mazuma Stadium proved an eventful afternoon for all the wrong reasons.

An object was allegedly thrown in the direction of Shrimps’ keeper Adam Smith, before play was suspended amid claims of racial slurs being directed towards the Bolton bench; an investigation that was later dropped.

Bolton’s stoppage-time equaliser then saw a number of their fans enter the pitch.

Five supporters were detained at the match on suspicion of assault and being drunk and disorderly, one man was later charged with pitch encroachment and other fans were handed fixed penalty notices.

Saturday’s game kicks off at 12.30pm and Adams said: “I think, with it being an earlier kick-off, that tells you something in terms of a heavy police presence.

“We all understand what happened last time the teams were here and we don’t want to see any of that this season.

“It’s going to be a capacity crowd, which will make for a very good atmosphere.

“You look at Bolton, who had been in the Premier League for 11 consecutive years, and the amount of fans who travel – I think 550 or something went to Portsmouth on Tuesday, which is superb backing.

“We’ve got our season tickets at very competitive prices, which has enabled us to have 2,800 season ticket holders.

“Our fans have come to the games and have been exceptional in their support of the team, which has helped play a part in our home form.”