Morecambe 1 Macclesfield 4 THE Shrimps were sent tumbling out of the Spalding Cup on Tuesday night by a brilliant performance by Sammy McIlroy's Macclesfield. Morecambe, missing Ian Cain, Ian Monk and 'keeper Glenn Johnstone through injury, were rarely in this quarter-final tie after Marc Coates fired the Cheshire side ahead in the second minute. That goal sparked a brief attacking spell from the Shrimps. Paul Burns saw a long range effort brilliantly saved and Jim McCluskie had one goal disallowed before equalling the scores on ten minutes following a good Michael Knowles cross.

The visitors had the game in the bag thanks to two goals in the next 20 minutes. Their second score came in the 21st minute when Tony Hemmings caused havoc on the left and crossed for Kevin Hulme to score.

The third summed up Morecambe's night - Hemmings in-swinging corner going straight into the net with 'keeper Andy Banks stranded.

The game was killed off two minutes into the second half when Hulme grabbed his second goal of the game, this time getting on the end of Phil Power's cross.

Shrimps new boy Neil Sang - formerly with Crewe Alexandra and Everton - was thrown into the fray in place of Andy Grimshaw with 20 minutes to go but there was little he could do to affect the outcome. TEAM: Banks, Burns, Armstrong, Dullaghan, Lavelle, Grimshaw, Foley, Comstive, Coleman, McCluskie, Knowles. SUBS: Sang, Hughes, Norman. Morecambe 0 Hednesford 1 HEDNESFORD managed to do something no other Vauxhall Conference side has done at Christie Park this season, they stopped Morecambe scoring. Jim Harvey's men were shut out at home for the first time in 25 games by high-flying Hednesford who won the game thanks to a first half goal and a fine performance by 'keeper Scott Cooksey. Cooksey started as he meant to go on, denying Shrimps striker John Norman twice and then Ian Monk in the first few minutes of the game - one a great reaction save from point blank range.

The only goal of the game came after 32 minutes when Hednesford front man Colin Lambert headed down a cross and Joe O'Connor smashed it past Glenn Johnstone.

Try as they might, the Shrimps couldn't break the furious rearguard action Hednesford employed.

Big Jim McCluskie sent a header wide after coming into the fray as a second half sub but Morecambe were limited to long range efforts for the majority of the game. TEAM: Johnstone, Burns, Knowles, Dullaghan, Lavelle, Grimshaw, Monk, Foley, Coleman, Norman, Cain. SUBS: Hughes, Comstive, McCluskie

Morecambe travel to Bath City in the Vauxhall Conference on Saturday, kick-off 3pm. They entertain Halifax, also in the Conference, next Tuesday (March 12) at Christie Park.

Blackburn Rovers bring their 'A' team to Christie Park tomorrow night (Friday) to face Morecambe's reserves with a number of big names likely to feature for Blackburn.

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