2023-24 Prediction League; Game 11 v Morecambe FC (away)

[Div3North]

Morecambe FC

V

Accrington Stanley

2023/24 Prediction League Game 11 v The Crustaceans

Well, once again we didn’t cover ourselves in PL Glory this weekend, courtesy of seven folk thinking we’d win, seven thinking we’d draw, and four others - realists or pessimists, take your choice - who couldn’t see us getting anything out of an in-form Stockport …….. Only one TenFromLen this week (modesty forbids), and in fact we’ve only had three Tens from all the entries in all five games in September …………. the other three who thought/knew we’d get beaten all got four points, with AccyTom18 and OssyKid getting a bonus for our goal, while Valairian - who over-generously prophesied a GoalFest - got 4 points ………….. One ten, two fives, one four, five one-pointers (special shout for Kiwi Johnny (Kiwi John’s relative) who got a bonus for County’s three goals) ……………… Table when I can, but three games in eight days is a bit of a tester …… If it helps, I could tell you who tops the table(?)

Team of the Week this week must be Colchester (who were in the Trouble Zone on 7 points) who Did It Big Style unto League-leading Notts County, winning 5-4 ………….. Non-team of the week must be League One’s Cheltenham, who have now gone 10 League games - 900 minutes and counting - without a goal (P10 D1 L9 GF0 GA17), smashing Halifax’s record out of sight ……. they did score once in a 4-1 loss to Brizzle in the Carabao cup, but that doesn’t count; they also lost 2-0 at home to Brum in the EFL Cup ………. and ironically, their one point and one Goalless Desmond of the season was against Pompey (away) - and Pompey are top of League One! ………..’way the lads! Come on you Robins!

Starter for Ten this game relates to hat-tricks ……… what’s the greatest number of hat-tricks scored in one division on one day? Anywhere?

Morecambe, as you know, is Beside the Seaside; hence their nickname (The Shrimps) - shades of Charles Atlas!……might have been interesting if they’d gone for larger crustaceans and been known as The Crabs; the first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his History of Manchester (1771), when he refers to the "æstury of Moricambe". It next appears four years later in Antiquities of Furness, where the bay is described as "the Bay of Morecambe".

The name is derived from the Roman name Moriancabris Æsturis shown on maps prepared for them by Ptolemy from his original Greek maps. At this distance in time it’s impossible to say if the name was derived from an earlier language (e.g. Celtic language) or from Greek. The Latin version describes the fourth inlet north from Wales on the west coast of England as Moriancabris Æsturis. Translated, this gives a more accurate description than the present name of Morecambe Bay as the Latin refers to multiple estuaries on a curved sea, not a bay, as then the word sinus or gulf would have been used. The name appeared in March 1862 on a steam locomotive built for the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway, which could indicate it was already in unofficial use for the area, but it wasn’t until 1889 that the necessary legislation was passed to officially name the area Morecambe

In 1846, the Morecambe Harbour and Railway Company was formed to build a harbour on Morecambe Bay, close to the fishing village of Poulton-le-Sands, and a connecting railway. By 1850, the railway linked to Skipton, Keighley and Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and a settlement began to grow around the harbour and railway to service the port and as a seaside resort. The settlement expanded to absorb Poulton and the villages of Bare and Torrisholme. The settlement started to be referred to as "Morecambe", possibly after the harbour and railway.

Morecambe was a thriving seaside resort in the mid-20th century. It was home to the largest Pontins resort in the country. Pontins closed in 1993. While the resort of Blackpool attracted holiday-makers predominantly from the Lancashire mill towns, Morecambe had more visitors from Yorkshire (due to its railway connection) and Scotland. Mill workers from Bradford and further afield in West Yorkshire would holiday at Morecambe, with some retiring there. This gave Morecambe the nickname "Bradford on Sea". Between 1956 and 1989, it was the home of the Miss Great Britain beauty contest. and at one point in time, Morecambe had a Crinkley Bottom ……..

Second Starter for Ten, then …………. Who was “Lancashire’s favourite Yorkshireman”?

Notable Morecambians include actress Emma Atkins (Charity Dingle - which was her most famous acting role, not her hobby), Tyson Fury, darts player Eric Chisnall, John Eric Bartholomew (Eric Morecambe), Dame Thora Hird, and the Radford family, possessed of 22 children and 12 grandchildren as of June 2022 ………. just imagine the washing!

The footie club dates back to the turn of the 20th century; however, it wasn’t until 7 May 1920 that Morecambe FC was formed after a meeting at the local West View Hotel. The club then took its place in the Lancashire Combination League for the 1920–21 season.

Sharing grounds with Morecambe Cricket Club during the first season, football proved popular, with crowds in excess of 3,000 for derby fixtures with Lancaster City and Fleetwood Town. Although success on the field was hard to come by, with the club languishing near the bottom of the table, at the end of the first season the club moved grounds to Roseberry Park. A few years later after the purchase of the ground by the then-President, J.B. Christie, the ground's name was changed to Christie Park in his honour. Those early seasons proved difficult, and it wasn’t until 1924–25 that the club began to enjoy some success, claiming the league title for the first time; this was later followed by success in the Lancashire Junior Cup, beating old rivals Chorley after two replays, and in front of over 30,000 spectators.

After elevation to the Bananarama - then “The Conference” - in season 1995–96 - the Shrimps became one of the leading teams in the league.; only Woking had a longer unbroken membership of the league at that time. They claimed the runners-up slot on one occasion, and the play-offs places were narrowly missed twice. Also during this period, the club equalled its best appearance in the FA Cup in both 2000–01 and 2002–03: on both occasions the club faced Ipswich Town, losing 3–0 and 4–0 respectively, but they also defeated a few league clubs in the FA Cup, including Cambridge United in 2000–01 and Chesterfield in 2002–03. In 2005/6 Morecambe reached the Conference play-offs. They lost to Hereford 4–3 on aggregate; Sammy McIlroy was appointed Manager. The following season, Morecambe were promoted to the Football League for the first time in their history; finishing third in the League (behind The Daggers and Oxford); they did York 2-1 in the semis, and Exeter 2-1 in the Final at Wembley; their team for that match included one Ged Brannan, their goals by Gary Thompson and Danny Carlton … in 2021 they won the League Two playoff Final, beating Newport 1-0 by a 107th-minute goal from Carlos Mendes Gomes

Starter for Ten: while we’re doing hat-tricks …………. between 28th May 1959 and 20th November 1963, England strikers scored a total of eight hat-tricks in friendlies, World Cup Qualifiers, and the British Home Championship ………… four of those hat-tricks were scored by Bobby Charlton; but which England striker scored the other four?

They very generously accompanied us down the Greasy Pole of Oblivion last May, finishing 22nd in League One to our 23rd, and beating us on GD (-31 plays -37); 13 left the club at the end of the season (most notably, perhaps, Cole Stockton to Burton Albinos, Arthur Gnahoua to Grimsby, and Connor Ripley to Port Vale) ……… Ten arrived to replace them, including striker Jordan Slew from FC Halifax Town, LB David Tutonda from Gillingham, DMF Yann Songo’o from Bratfud and Charlie Brown from Cheltenham ………. it seems that Snoopy declined an invitation to join him

Currently they’re 12th - P9 W4 D2 L3 GF11 GA11 for 14 points; they lost away at Mansfield (3-0), at Harrogate (2-0), and at Gillingham (2-1); first away win was last Saturday, when the Did It Unto Vegan Greenpeace, 2-1 ………. at home, they’ve drawn with Notts Co (0-0) and Swindon (2-2), and beaten Walsall 2-1, Bratfud 3-0, and Salford Moneybags 1-0 …..so, undefeated in five at home (alarm bells already) at Fortress Mazuma ………. gone, sadly, are the days of a guaranteed six points from them every season in the League …………. leading scorer is Micky Mellon with six

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 7.45 on Tuesday October 3rd …. they’re out of the EFL Cup on penalties (4-2) after a half-Desmond at Rotherham, and Liverpool u7s beat them in the Trophy, so it isn’t all good news …….. but it isn’t all bad news either ……… And the greatest number of hat-tricks on one day in the same Division - despite various claims from The PrawnSandwich League, Serie A, Ligue Un in France, and La Liga - is actually the English Division One on Saturday 22nd, 1930, when eleven games produced SEVEN hat-tricks ………… the Jimmy, Jack and Joe Show produces triples from Jack Ball in the Owls’ 5-2 win at Leicester, Les Bruton for Blackburn (5-3 v Huddersfield), Jimmy Dunne for the Blades at home to Man U, Jimmy Eason for Pompey (4-0 v Liverpool), Jack Firth (Brum 4 Grimsby 1), Jack Lambert (Arsenal 5 Middlesbrough 3) and Joe Robson for Huddersfield in their 5-3 loss at Blasckburn (see above) ……….. I did once see Man City lose 6-4 at Maine Road to Wolves, and there were two hat-tricks in that game: Billy McAdams for City (can't remember or trace who got Wolves's HT); crowd was 43,650; I was eleven that day …………. And Lancashire’s Favourite Yorkshireman was Variety star Albert Modley ………. and the four hat-tricks that Bobby Charlton didn’t score for England between May 59 and 20th November 63 were scored by Jimmy Greaves (20th November he scored four against Northern Ireland in an 8-3 battering)……… and, on a historical note, on 22nd November 1963 - two dqys later - JFK was assassinated …..

Good luck to everyone! ………. Keep the Faith! ………. And thanks for playing!

[Watchdog]

Jack Nolan to score both goals > Morecambe 1-2 Accrington Stanley

[MikeA]

1-0 Stanley, please.

Wolves scorers at Maine Road on 5 September 1959: Deeley, Murray 2, Slater 2, Lill

[andyd]

Morecambe 2-1 Stanley

[Greger]

I’ll go for Morecambe 1 Stanley 0.

[Div3North]

Originally Posted by MikeA

1-0 Stanley, please.

Wolves scorers at Maine Road on 5 September 1959: Deeley, Murray 2, Slater 2, Lill

Thank you Mike. I’ve always thought one of their players hit three - maybe VAR changed it 😳

[AccyMad]

They're in slightly better form than us at the moment, we've had two disappointing results in a row & add to that our injury situation - there's only one way to go & that is up (according to Yazz)

2 -"1 to Stanley please

[cashman]

2-1 STANLEY its time to stuff em i think.

[VALAIRIAN]

Originally Posted by Watchdog

Jack Nolan to score both goals > Morecambe 1-2 Accrington Stanley

Two goals from the bench, now that is some going......

[choirboy]

Morecambe 1-2 Stanley for me please.

[Exile on Spencer St]

Originally Posted by Watchdog

Jack Nolan to score both goals > Morecambe 1-2 Accrington Stanley

Originally Posted by VALAIRIAN

Two goals from the bench, now that is some going......

And in the last ten minutes!

[mab]

Morecambe 1-2 Accrington Stanley For me please

[ossy kid]

Morcambe 2-0 Stanley

[teach]

1-1 for me please

[Kiwi Johnny]

3-1 Stanley, coz I remember ( like Div 3 Nth says) that we regularly had stuffed shrimps twice a season not so long ago.