FOUR home games against top class opposition and three short trips to meet smaller fish are on the cards for Morecambe FC as they build up to yet another momentous season.

The Christie Park players will report back for pre-season training on July 1 - with the countdown to Conference action starting less than two weeks later.

The players kick off on Saturday, July 12, at the Holker Street home of Unibond high fliers Barrow (3pm) and follow that up on Wednesday, July 16, by travelling to take on Sean Teale's surprise FA Trophy winners at Burscough (7.45pm ko).

The first visitors to play on the newly relaid Christie Park pitch will be Scots Division Two outfit Queen of the South on Saturday, July 19, just three days before Oldham Athletic travel north to play the Shrimps (Tuesday, July 22 at 7.45pm).

Then come the big two - Jim Harvey's side face successive Saturday home games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers on July 29 and August 2, respectively, both games kicking off at 3pm.

And in between the Shrimps will play at Rivacre Park in Wirral against Alvin Macdonald's Vauxhall Motors (Tuesday, July 29, 7.30pm).

With the countdown to the season now moving into top gear for management and staff at Morecambe, season tickets are on sale - with the club hoping to attract more 'regular' followers than ever before.

Chief executive Rod Taylor says the push is on to get the average Christie Park home gate up to around 2,000 in order to sustain the club's long-held ambition of gaining Football League status