Adams: ‘I’ve not been backed enough… it’s hugely frustrating’

Morecambe manager Derek Adams claimed that he hadn’t been backed enough by the club, after the Shrimps drew 1-1 with Portsmouth in League One at the Mazuma Stadium.

Liam Shaw’s first goal for the club was cancelled out in the second half, in a match where the Shrimps were made to pay for missing a number of goalscoring opportunities, in arguably the side’s best overall display of the season.

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‘’That’s 16 points now we’ve dropped from winning positions, the most in the league. That tells you the attacking play that we have and puts to bed any rubbish anybody wants to talk about,’’ said Adams in an emotional interview after the game.

‘’The big thing for me is that over the summer I’ve been disappointed, I’ve had to make changes and unfortunately I’ve not been backed enough. If we had have been, we’ve have had a far different team to what we have now.

‘’I’ve given my all to get ourselves to get ourselves out of League Two and to stay in League One with the help of the staff and the players and that’s my biggest disappointment, over the summer, we haven’t been backed. The previous management were backed, we haven’t been.

‘’It’s hugely frustrating for me. We’re fighting every day, just to compete in this league. I’ve had to try and wheel and deal and it’s not been easy. We’ve done ever so well to stay in League One, because we were down and buried. We’re going to have to do the same again.

‘’(Staying in League One) is like winning the lottery for Morecambe. Some people don’t understand what goes on inside the inner sanctuary of a football club.

‘’I’m proud of the players and supporters today, they were outstanding, but they need to understand where Morecambe Football Club has come from and where it is today.‘’

Morecambe started the game brightly and had a good chance when Ryan Cooney’s cross to the back post found Donald Love unmarked who saw his shot blocked at close range.

Shrimps goalkeeper Connor Ripley was called into action for the first time midway through the first half when he tipped over Owen Dale’s shot from the edge of the box.

Morecambe took the lead ten minutes before the break when Adam Mayor pulled it back across the box from the right, Liam Shaw's first time shot finding the bottom corner.

Pompey goalkeeper Josh Griffiths denied the Shrimps a second right on the stroke of half time when he saved a  drive from Jensen Weir.

After the break, Watts fired just wide from distance, before missing the target from a header from close range.

The Shrimps had another good chance soon after when a free kick from the right found Ryan Delaney nodded wide of target.

Portsmouth then equalised moments later when Anthony O’Connor cleared the ball off the line before Colby Bishop tapped home from close range following a goalmouth scramble.

The Shrimps came close to retaking the lead when second half substitutes Dylan Connolly and Cole Stockton linked up, the former found the latter in the box, but his side footed effort was off the mark

Connolly forced Griffiths into a good save ten minutes from time as the keeper came rushing off his line to deny the Morecambe winger.

Morecambe came close once more when substitute Arthur Gnahoua fired just wide of the right-hand post, before Stockton raced away from the Portsmouth defence and squared the ball to Weir, who was again denied by Griffiths.