Morecambe 1 Hereford Utd 0 MORECAMBE'S relegation fears surely evaporated after this win in the sun on Saturday.

And, for once, it was the Shrimps who were lucky. A desperately unfortunate own goal on the hour by the Hereford defender separated the teams and put 1,000 Morecambrians in the mood for a holiday. Despite the lucky goal - the ball rebounded into the net off the knee of Matthew Cross after keeper Andy Quy parried a Dave Gardner shot - the win was no more than Morecambe deserved. The first period was probably best forgotten but in the second Morecambe came into their own. In the end the only disappointment was the team didn't add more goals to their tally. Their best unconverted chance came when striker Neil Morton, on as substitute, knocked it through for classy winger Darren Lyons down the right. Lyons cracked it with a shot that left the keeper no chance but it rebounded off the far post. In the dying moments Morton, yet to score after his much trumpeted signing earlier in the season, looked certain to open his account. Showing his undoubted class he left three defenders in his wake after a mazy run only to see his shot somehow saved by Quy. Other chances fell to Keeling, who marred a good performance by heading a clear header wide, and Lyons who was unlucky not to score after a jinking run.

The second half proved what Morecambe fans have long suspected: that there is enough talent already at the club to march on to a promotion run next year.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.