Match Preview | Morecambe (H)

Forest Green Rovers are back in action for one final time in the regular National League season as they take on Morecambe at The New Lawn.

Rovers are confirmed to feature in this year’s National League Play-Offs; however, where they finish and who they will take on is still unknown heading into the last game of the season.

Robbie Savage’s side can either finish sixth or seventh in the table and will either take on Scunthorpe United or Boreham Wood away from home, depending on the outcome.

Ahead of this afternoon’s clash, here is everything you need to know about our opponents.

The Opposition- Morecambe

 Nickname- The Shrimps

League Position- 22nd

Morecambe is the final team to visit TNL in the 2025/26 season.

The Shrimps currently sit 22nd and have been relegated to the National League North.

A 5-1 defeat away at Woking confirmed their fall into England’s sixth-tier for the first time in the club’s history.

They have suffered back-to-back relegations after they dropped out of the Football League for the first time in 18 years the season prior.

The club have actually been relegated for the third time in four seasons, after they finished 22nd in League One in the 2022/23 campaign.

The two sides met all the way back at the start of September, with Rovers coming away with all three points in a 3-1 victory.

After going a goal down, a Tom Knowles brace and Kyle McAllister strike earned Rovers victory on the road.

Rovers will be looking for a similar result today and potentially finish as high as sixth in the table.

The Manager- Jim Bentley

Jim Bentley is the current man in the dugout for Morecambe.

Bentley returned for a second spell in charge of the Shrimps in February after the departure of former manager Ashvir Singh Johal.

He joined on a short-term basis until the end of the campaign, and it has been confirmed that he will step down from his position but remain at the club.

His first spell in charge lasted eight years from 2011 to 2019, with the club becoming an established EFL club under his leadership.

Bentley will be hoping to go out on a high and end his second stint in charge with a victory.

Player To Watch- Jack Nolan

Despite Morecambe’s lower league position, Jack Nolan has had an impressive campaign for the Shrimps. 

In 38 National League games, Nolan has scored 18 goals, tying him sixth in the top scorer’s chart.

He is also on a good run of scoring form, having bagged four goals in his last seven games.

The 24-year-old joined the club from Gillingham last Summer and previously had a goal-filled three years at Accrington Stanley.

A forward with Football League experience, Rovers will need to keep a close eye on Nolan in and around the box.

Head-To-Head

17/09/2022- Rovers 1-2 Morecambe (Wickham 30th)

11/02/2023- Morecambe 1-1 Rovers (Clarke 81st)

30/09/2023- Rovers 1-2 Morecambe (Omotoye 84th)

20/04/2024- Morecambe 1-2 Rovers (McCann 38th & McAllister 44th)