Morecambe FC v Harrogate Town: Everything you need to know about the Shrimps

Here's everything you need to know about the Shrimps ahead of this weekend's contest at the Mazuma Stadium.

The opposition

Morecambe currently sit 13th in the table having won six and lost six of their 16 league outings thus far. They will kick-off the game three points ahead of Harrogate, who are 17th.

They made a fine start to the season, coming out on top of four of their opening five League Two fixtures, though their form from mid-October onwards has been rather mixed.

Derek Adams' men have however been hard to beat in their own back yard of late, losing just one of their last eight home matches in all competitions.

The Shrimps have netted 19 League Two goals, while shipping 27 at the other end, meaning that they have the third-leakiest defence in the division. By comparison, Town have scored 17 and conceded 20.

Morecambe's shots-per-game ratio in league fixtures stands at 11.4, slightly worse than Harrogate's 13.1 (according to www.whoscored.com).

At 61.4% their pass completion rate thus far is the third-lowest in the division, rather less than Town's 66%.

And, given that the Lancashire outfit have enjoyed an average of just 45% of possession during their 16 League Two matches - the second lowest percentage in the division - Harrogate (51.4%) should expect to see plenty of the ball.

Adams' team's disciplinary record is also inferior to that of this weekend's visitors. They have picked up 27 yellow cards and one red, while the Sulphurites have been shown 18 cautions and suffered one dismissal.

Attacking midfielder Adam Phillips, who is on loan from Premier League Burnley, is Morecambe's leading scorer, having netted seven goals while also contributing three assists.

Carlos Mendes Gomes, Cole Stockton and Aaron Wildig all have four strikes to their name this term, though the latter two may miss Saturday's game through injury.

Last time out

The Shrimps suffered a 2-1 away defeat at league leaders Newport County last weekend. Mendes Gomes' 32nd-minute equaliser looked as if it would earn Morecambe an excellent point on the road, only for disaster to strike late on.

Left-back Stephen Hendrie was sent off for bringing down Josh Sheen inside the penalty area and Matty Dolan converted the resulting 83rd-minute penalty to settle to contest.

Last five

Dec 5 - Newport County (a) L 1-2

Dec 1 - Barrow (h) W 1-0

Nov 28 - Solihull Moors (h) W 4-2 (FA Cup)

Nov 24 - Salford City (a) L 2-1

Nov 21 - Scunthorpe (a) D 1-1

What they said

“Like ourselves, they [Harrogate] have picked up 13 points away from home,” Shrimps boss Adams said.

“They have done well after coming into the league and, like Barrow, they have been very competitive and kept much of the same squad.

“The gap between League One and Two is narrow but the gap between League Two and the National League is smaller than that.”

Team news

Defender Hendrie and forward Jordan Slew are both suspended, while midfielder Freddie Price is likely to miss out with an ankle problem.

Central midfielder Aaron Wildig (ankle) and striker Cole Stockton (hamstring) are doubts, but could feature.

Previous meeting

The sides have never played each other before.

Bookies' odds

Morecambe 29/20

Draw 23/10.

Harrogate 17/10.

Referee

Ollie Yates (Staffordshire) has dished out 51 yellows and one red card in the 14 matches he has officiated in 2020/21.