When Morecambe made an eventful return to football in 1945

With Morecambe having celebrated their centenary this year, we have told the story of the club’s origins, their move to Christie Park and a successful period in the 1920s which brought league and cup successes.
By Gavin Browne
Published 30th Jun 2020, 12:30 BST
Updated 30th Jun 2020, 18:35 BST
The Morecambe FC team of 1945/46The Morecambe FC team of 1945/46
The Morecambe FC team of 1945/46

This week, club historian Lawrence Bland jumps forward into the 1940s...

The first season after the Second World War, the 1945/46 campaign was a transitional one.

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The Combination was a semi-official competition with only 12 teams taking part.

Morecambe finished a poor ninth and, to increase fixtures, the Combination Cup was run in two mini-leagues; the north and south.

The club made great efforts to win the trophy, so much so that on Good Friday, April 19, the first team was rested for Saturday’s cup game.

Having no reserve team, 11 local players turned out, losing 14-1 at Chorley for the club’s record defeat.

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The Morecambe team that day was: Aldren, Pelter, Hewitt, Davis, Johns, Pilkington, Burgess, Strachan, D Holmes, Quick and Harvey (1).

The decision worked as Morecambe reached the cup semi-final where the top two in the mini-leagues played off.

A 3-1 win at Lancaster was followed by the final against Bacup Borough at Christie Park on May 4.

A crowd of 5,113 saw Morecambe win 4-2 to claim the only trophy the club would win between 1927 and 1962.

The Morecambe team that day was: Carter, Benson, Bowker, J Warburton, Mayor, Levett, Knowles (1), Hodgson, W Holmes (2), Blondell (1) and G Warburton.

Related topics:MorecambeChorley