JOHN COLEMAN, Morecambe's top goal scorer, has signed for neighbours Lancaster City and was set to make his debut for the Blues last night (Wednesday). Coleman, the Northern Premier League's top scorer in three out of the past five seasons, put pen to paper in a Preston hotel on Wednesday afternoon. He was then rushed to meet the team bus heading for City's league game at Leigh RMI that night, Citizen Sport can exclusively reveal. And in an exclusive interview on the way to his first game, Coleman told the Citizen: "I am really looking forward to playing for a side that is definitely on the way up.

"The moment I spoke to Lancaster I was very impressed with what they had to say and I am convinced that this is a very progressive club.

"I have not left Morecambe because of any bad feeling. My contract was up at the end of the season and Morecambe made me what they felt was a good offer.

"Jim Harvey is trying to build for the future and he wants to bring younger players through. He told me that a couple of clubs were interested in me and that I was allowed to speak to them.

"The speed that Lancaster have moved at has really impressed me and joining the promotion chase has really opened my season up again."

An undisclosed four-figure sum is believed to be involved in the deal which has taken 33-year-old Coleman across the Lune.

Speaking after the signing, City assistant manager Mick Hoyle said: "He is a quality player. We wanted him 12 months ago and when we found out he was available we wasted no time at all.

"This is not just a buy for this season but an investment for the future. We are convinced that we would have got promoted without him but this just puts the icing on the cake of our season."

Coleman, who lives in Kirkby on Merseyside, has an incredible record of 199 goals in 272 games for the Shrimps, 22 of those goals in the GM Vauxhall Conference this season.

He has established himself as a firm favourite with the fans in the past few seasons and his striking partnership with Jim McCluskie was one of the key factors in Morecambe's promotion last season.

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