One Game at a Time
Morecambe (H) December 17th
Football can be a game of fine margins. Ask Sam Cosgrove, whose header hits the post, or Mike Cooper who by dint of a strong ankle earned Argyle yet another point in his still fledgeling career, as a goalless stalemate in the fens, whilst costing Argyle top spot, hopefully temporarily, by dint of results elsewhere, falls into the "could have been worse" category.
Ipswichâs win which takes then top came at the expense of the pursuing Posh, who have now lost four on the bounce, and Pompeyâs fixture pile up continues to accrue games. Derby, like Argyle, were outmuscled by Burton despite having the chances to have buried them, and Bolton took a late lead only to throw away all three points in injury time.
Injury time also salvaged a point for the Wendies at Sid James Park, which was disappointing as well as it looked like our point gained was going to extend the gap between us until then.
Perhaps the more significant impact of the weekends fixtures was that which occurred on the injury front. Ipswich gained Aluko but have possibly lost Donacien for an unspecified time. They also have Evans due back for Boxing Day, which might be helpful as Morsy picked up another surprise booking.
We had the heartening news that James Bolton is back on the grass but have lost Galloway for a longish spell. Scarr coming back was a bonus but we do look thin on the ground in central defenceâŚ.but only three more games to the WindowâŚ.
The most significant injury news was that of impish Barry Bannan limping off clutching his hammy after thirty-five minutes. No news as to how long he will be missing for but given his goals and assists he is going to be a loss to Wednesday for the time he is out. Get well slowly Barry. No need to rush back. Maybe make sure you are fit for the play offs, thereâs a good lad. Or next season.
So following the end of the World Cup, well at least as far as England are concerned, as it barely rippled the interest of the Scottish FA once again, and the beginning of the winter break for weather, with the postponement of the Papa Johns quarter final , OGAAT faces the dilemma of previewing a game that may fall foul of the freezing conditions. With almost the entirety of the division between them, Argyle get to welcome former boss and all-round ray of sunshine Derek Adams, who makes his third trip to Home Park since his departure in 2019. So far it is an improving progression and based on the last two matches here (three nil and two nil) he will be hoping for a single goal defeat. Of course, they may buck the trend and score themselves, and we all know Derek loves a lead to cling on to. Ask his dog.
If they do the odds are that the goal will come from apparent Argyle summer target Cole Stockton. The striker whose feats last season included some frankly miraculous goals was widely predicted to be on his way last summer as Morecambe cashed in on their prize asset. That he remains a Shrimp means he is either running down his contract to maximise his agents negotiating power, or that more clubs felt that his previous clubs form was a better guide to his long-term value.
That said he has scored a hundred goals in just over 300 appearances, most of them at League two level, but started last season on fire, winning the Player of the Month and Goal of the Month two months in a row, and despite being in a team that scraped away from relegation by two places, was selected in the Divisional Team of the Season.
With the January window opening shortly, expect a man seeking to impress previous suitors Port Vale and Fleetwood Town, as well as clubs looking to add firepower to their challenge.
Another familiar name is Anthony OâConnor, whose spell at Argyle culminated in the infamous three Little Birds Play off defeat at the hands of Why Come. He followed ex-boss Adams when he was released by Bradford City in penning a two year deal and anchors the central defence.
Another familiar name will be Connor Ripley, fresh from saving two penalties against Derby, who in a career based on almost perpetual loans from Middlesbrough, before signing permanently at Morecambe, was distinctive in that he appears to be the only goalkeeper Argyle didnât loan in their season of eight keepers in 2017/18. But can you name them all without looking up on GOS?
Indeed, a quick look at recent scores shows that one all is a favourite with the Shrimps, having bagged points from Exeter Why Come, Derby and Burton recently.
The only other remotely familiar name is one that has recently appeared on the scoresheet for Morecambe. They have their very own Mayor, this one being Adam (no relation to my knowledge) which could lead to some very frustrating score checks on Gillette Soccer Saturday to those only paying half attention to the vidiprinter.
Morecambe itself is one of the smaller conurbations to host League football, having sprung out of the nearby village of Poulton le Sands. The arrival in the late eighteen hundreds of the railway, and the growth of tourism around the local Morecambe Bay, itself derived from the maps of Ptolomy who featured Moriancabris Ăsturis in early maps.
In fact, when Morecambe FC was formed, in 1920, the population in the prior yearâs census was under twenty thousand people.
The club did not reach the League until 2007, when they won the play-offs under ex Manchester united and Northern Ireland star Sammy McIlroy. The Irishman had stepped into the breach after then manager Jim Harvey, a close friend, had suffered. a heart attack the previous season. Harvey had assumed the position was temporary whilst he recovered, but McIlroy continued in post after Harvey was declared fit to work again and the rift caused has, to this day, never been repaired between them.
The Clubs ground for many seasons was Christie Park, named for the former benefactor and Chairman who bequeathed the club the ground. Indeed, their mascot was Christie the Cat, and not as many assume Sammy the Shrimp, who is of course Southendâs mascot.
The club moved to the Globe Arena, a purpose built if petite stadium, with a capacity of just under six and a half thousand. The ground was renamed in a sponsorship deal in 2019 to become the Mazuma Stadium ( a local mobile phone recycling business).
The local areas dependence on tourism, as well as the local harvesting of seafood especially Morecambe Bay Potted shrimps, served the town well and the area had two piers. With the growth of international tourism, this level of income declined as no longer would the town become "Bradford on sea" to coincide with the mill workers holidays. The affinity with the Yorkshire tourism was reflected in the work of Alan Bennett who often featured the town in his work, including his BBC Play for Today âSunset across the Bayâ, about a couple relocating from âmucky mucky Leedsâ. Bill Bryson also spent quite a time in the area as witnessed by his chapters in "Notes on a Small Island". He likes it.
The town lost the West Pier in the late 1970âs and the Central pier followed suit in the early nineties. The town also briefly boasted the World of Crinkley Bottom, a joint venture with Noel Edmonds which opened and closed in 1994. After a court case in which Edmonds was awarded around a million pounds in compensation, the Council reckoned the entire affair had deprived the local residents of some two and a half million pounds of wasted expenditure. On the plus side the local railway station at Bare was renamed Bare Crinkly Bottom.
Morecambe also boasted the largest Pontins camp in the UK, although that also closed in 1993, and was still being touted for sale as recently as 2021. The Middleton Towers site was opened in 1939 (timing is everything) but was swallowed up in the demise of holiday camp style vacations.
The townâs most famous son is of course Eric Bartholmew, who lived on Christie Avenue and later found fame as Eric Morecambe. The town has a famous statue to him doing him iconic end of show leaving dance, but as all true football fans know Morecambe was a Luton Town fan and, eventually, director and Chairman, even featuring the club in his TV shows with Ernie Wise. It is not known if Wise was a football fan although he was born in Bramley, LeedsâŚ.so that is a possibility, despite him calling Billy Bremner, Billy Brengun and manager Don Revie, Don Gravy in a seventies Goal magazine interview. Wise also professed to attending a few Peterborough games as his local team but only if they were free!
In fact, Morecambe started life as a Preston fan, according to an interview he conducted with Derek Dougan, and he revealed that his father once played for Poulton, a forerunner of the Morecambe team. Eric was seduced by Luton when he moved to Harpenden whilst working on TV, and his dual loyalty was celebrated in 2009 when the clubs finally met in a league match for the first time.
One comedian with a strong association with Morecambe FC was Jim Bowen, who despite being born in Accrington and a lifelong Blackburn Rovers fan, ended up as President of the club for ten years in its non-league days. Eventually forced to resign by supporter backlash after professing his undying devotion to Rovers on a Granada TV series, Bowen, once claimed to have bribed a referee with a âbrown envelopeâ during an FA Cup run as a joke, which apparently caused ripples as the referee at the time felt he might be summoned to explain himself by the FA. The man who once said âGreatâ forty-three times in a half hour episode of Bullseye was commemorated at a home game with Exeter after his death. Oh well.
Morecambe arrive, not only bottom of the league, but also looking over their financial shoulder as they club is owned by the same group that owned the recently failed Worcester Warriors rugby team, and are up for sale. Local boxing legend Tyson Fury, whose gym is at the Mazuma is rumoured to be interested in taking over, but time will tell.
Hopefully, as Tyson will doubtless confirm, as in boxing, a good big un should always beat a good little un, although every contest has a fighters chance of landing a knock out blow.
Can Argyle hold Morecambe at bay? Will the game survive the weather?
Will Argyle bring us sunshine against Morecambe? Or will we be wise after the event?
Christmas is just around the corner, and we want our present early this year!
COYG!!
And the eight keepers were McCormick, Te Loeke, Letheren, Cooper, Matthews, Mannion, Child and Roos
Morecambe (H) December 17th
Football can be a game of fine margins. Ask Sam Cosgrove, whose header hits the post, or Mike Cooper who by dint of a strong ankle earned Argyle yet another point in his still fledgeling career, as a goalless stalemate in the fens, whilst costing Argyle top spot, hopefully temporarily, by dint of results elsewhere, falls into the "could have been worse" category.
Ipswichâs win which takes then top came at the expense of the pursuing Posh, who have now lost four on the bounce, and Pompeyâs fixture pile up continues to accrue games. Derby, like Argyle, were outmuscled by Burton despite having the chances to have buried them, and Bolton took a late lead only to throw away all three points in injury time.
Injury time also salvaged a point for the Wendies at Sid James Park, which was disappointing as well as it looked like our point gained was going to extend the gap between us until then.
Perhaps the more significant impact of the weekends fixtures was that which occurred on the injury front. Ipswich gained Aluko but have possibly lost Donacien for an unspecified time. They also have Evans due back for Boxing Day, which might be helpful as Morsy picked up another surprise booking.
We had the heartening news that James Bolton is back on the grass but have lost Galloway for a longish spell. Scarr coming back was a bonus but we do look thin on the ground in central defenceâŚ.but only three more games to the WindowâŚ.
The most significant injury news was that of impish Barry Bannan limping off clutching his hammy after thirty-five minutes. No news as to how long he will be missing for but given his goals and assists he is going to be a loss to Wednesday for the time he is out. Get well slowly Barry. No need to rush back. Maybe make sure you are fit for the play offs, thereâs a good lad. Or next season.
So following the end of the World Cup, well at least as far as England are concerned, as it barely rippled the interest of the Scottish FA once again, and the beginning of the winter break for weather, with the postponement of the Papa Johns quarter final , OGAAT faces the dilemma of previewing a game that may fall foul of the freezing conditions. With almost the entirety of the division between them, Argyle get to welcome former boss and all-round ray of sunshine Derek Adams, who makes his third trip to Home Park since his departure in 2019. So far it is an improving progression and based on the last two matches here (three nil and two nil) he will be hoping for a single goal defeat. Of course, they may buck the trend and score themselves, and we all know Derek loves a lead to cling on to. Ask his dog.
If they do the odds are that the goal will come from apparent Argyle summer target Cole Stockton. The striker whose feats last season included some frankly miraculous goals was widely predicted to be on his way last summer as Morecambe cashed in on their prize asset. That he remains a Shrimp means he is either running down his contract to maximise his agents negotiating power, or that more clubs felt that his previous clubs form was a better guide to his long-term value.
That said he has scored a hundred goals in just over 300 appearances, most of them at League two level, but started last season on fire, winning the Player of the Month and Goal of the Month two months in a row, and despite being in a team that scraped away from relegation by two places, was selected in the Divisional Team of the Season.
With the January window opening shortly, expect a man seeking to impress previous suitors Port Vale and Fleetwood Town, as well as clubs looking to add firepower to their challenge.
Another familiar name is Anthony OâConnor, whose spell at Argyle culminated in the infamous three Little Birds Play off defeat at the hands of Why Come. He followed ex-boss Adams when he was released by Bradford City in penning a two year deal and anchors the central defence.
Another familiar name will be Connor Ripley, fresh from saving two penalties against Derby, who in a career based on almost perpetual loans from Middlesbrough, before signing permanently at Morecambe, was distinctive in that he appears to be the only goalkeeper Argyle didnât loan in their season of eight keepers in 2017/18. But can you name them all without looking up on GOS?
Indeed, a quick look at recent scores shows that one all is a favourite with the Shrimps, having bagged points from Exeter Why Come, Derby and Burton recently.
The only other remotely familiar name is one that has recently appeared on the scoresheet for Morecambe. They have their very own Mayor, this one being Adam (no relation to my knowledge) which could lead to some very frustrating score checks on Gillette Soccer Saturday to those only paying half attention to the vidiprinter.
Morecambe itself is one of the smaller conurbations to host League football, having sprung out of the nearby village of Poulton le Sands. The arrival in the late eighteen hundreds of the railway, and the growth of tourism around the local Morecambe Bay, itself derived from the maps of Ptolomy who featured Moriancabris Ăsturis in early maps.
In fact, when Morecambe FC was formed, in 1920, the population in the prior yearâs census was under twenty thousand people.
The club did not reach the League until 2007, when they won the play-offs under ex Manchester united and Northern Ireland star Sammy McIlroy. The Irishman had stepped into the breach after then manager Jim Harvey, a close friend, had suffered. a heart attack the previous season. Harvey had assumed the position was temporary whilst he recovered, but McIlroy continued in post after Harvey was declared fit to work again and the rift caused has, to this day, never been repaired between them.
The Clubs ground for many seasons was Christie Park, named for the former benefactor and Chairman who bequeathed the club the ground. Indeed, their mascot was Christie the Cat, and not as many assume Sammy the Shrimp, who is of course Southendâs mascot.
The club moved to the Globe Arena, a purpose built if petite stadium, with a capacity of just under six and a half thousand. The ground was renamed in a sponsorship deal in 2019 to become the Mazuma Stadium ( a local mobile phone recycling business).
The local areas dependence on tourism, as well as the local harvesting of seafood especially Morecambe Bay Potted shrimps, served the town well and the area had two piers. With the growth of international tourism, this level of income declined as no longer would the town become "Bradford on sea" to coincide with the mill workers holidays. The affinity with the Yorkshire tourism was reflected in the work of Alan Bennett who often featured the town in his work, including his BBC Play for Today âSunset across the Bayâ, about a couple relocating from âmucky mucky Leedsâ. Bill Bryson also spent quite a time in the area as witnessed by his chapters in "Notes on a Small Island". He likes it.
The town lost the West Pier in the late 1970âs and the Central pier followed suit in the early nineties. The town also briefly boasted the World of Crinkley Bottom, a joint venture with Noel Edmonds which opened and closed in 1994. After a court case in which Edmonds was awarded around a million pounds in compensation, the Council reckoned the entire affair had deprived the local residents of some two and a half million pounds of wasted expenditure. On the plus side the local railway station at Bare was renamed Bare Crinkly Bottom.
Morecambe also boasted the largest Pontins camp in the UK, although that also closed in 1993, and was still being touted for sale as recently as 2021. The Middleton Towers site was opened in 1939 (timing is everything) but was swallowed up in the demise of holiday camp style vacations.
The townâs most famous son is of course Eric Bartholmew, who lived on Christie Avenue and later found fame as Eric Morecambe. The town has a famous statue to him doing him iconic end of show leaving dance, but as all true football fans know Morecambe was a Luton Town fan and, eventually, director and Chairman, even featuring the club in his TV shows with Ernie Wise. It is not known if Wise was a football fan although he was born in Bramley, LeedsâŚ.so that is a possibility, despite him calling Billy Bremner, Billy Brengun and manager Don Revie, Don Gravy in a seventies Goal magazine interview. Wise also professed to attending a few Peterborough games as his local team but only if they were free!
In fact, Morecambe started life as a Preston fan, according to an interview he conducted with Derek Dougan, and he revealed that his father once played for Poulton, a forerunner of the Morecambe team. Eric was seduced by Luton when he moved to Harpenden whilst working on TV, and his dual loyalty was celebrated in 2009 when the clubs finally met in a league match for the first time.
One comedian with a strong association with Morecambe FC was Jim Bowen, who despite being born in Accrington and a lifelong Blackburn Rovers fan, ended up as President of the club for ten years in its non-league days. Eventually forced to resign by supporter backlash after professing his undying devotion to Rovers on a Granada TV series, Bowen, once claimed to have bribed a referee with a âbrown envelopeâ during an FA Cup run as a joke, which apparently caused ripples as the referee at the time felt he might be summoned to explain himself by the FA. The man who once said âGreatâ forty-three times in a half hour episode of Bullseye was commemorated at a home game with Exeter after his death. Oh well.
Morecambe arrive, not only bottom of the league, but also looking over their financial shoulder as they club is owned by the same group that owned the recently failed Worcester Warriors rugby team, and are up for sale. Local boxing legend Tyson Fury, whose gym is at the Mazuma is rumoured to be interested in taking over, but time will tell.
Hopefully, as Tyson will doubtless confirm, as in boxing, a good big un should always beat a good little un, although every contest has a fighters chance of landing a knock out blow.
Can Argyle hold Morecambe at bay? Will the game survive the weather?
Will Argyle bring us sunshine against Morecambe? Or will we be wise after the event?
Christmas is just around the corner, and we want our present early this year!
COYG!!
And the eight keepers were McCormick, Te Loeke, Letheren, Cooper, Matthews, Mannion, Child and Roos
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