Two sides separated by just two points in the League Two table clash at the Mazuma Stadium on Tuesday evening, as Morecambe square off with Crawley Town.
The Shrimps remarkably fought back from two goals down to sink Crewe Alexandra 3-2 over the weekend, while the visitors' meeting with Barrow was postponed due to heavy rainfall.
Match preview
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The die was seemingly cast within the opening 49 minutes of Morecambe's showdown with Crewe Alexandra on Saturday, where Elliott Nevitt's opener and a Shilow Tracey effort propelled Lee Bell's team into a two-goal advantage at the Mornflake Stadium.
However, the never-say-die Morecambe bit back with a superb turnaround in the final 25 minutes, where Joe Adams and Jordan Slew got the Shrimps back on level terms before an own-goal from Mickey Demetriou in the 83rd minute completed an incredible fightback.
By leaving Crewe Alexandra dumbfounded with their tremendous powers of recovery, Morecambe snapped a three-game winless streak in the second tier to remain in the hunt for a playoff position, sitting ninth in the standings with just a three-point disadvantage to Gillingham, who have played a game more.
Sandwiched in between the two teams are eighth-placed Barrow - who have a game in hand on Ged Brannan's team - and ending a dampening sequence of home results is the next item on the Morecambe manager's agenda for Tuesday night.
Indeed, the Shrimps have only managed to prevail in one of their last eight clashes at the Mazuma Stadium - a 1-0 beating of Sutton United in February - which also represents the only time in their last nine League Two home games that they have kept a clean sheet.
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As torrential rain battered British shores late last week, Crawley's encounter with Barrow was one of three League Two matches to fall victim to the elements, as their contest was postponed to a later date owing to a waterlogged pitch.
The cancellation of their weekend fixture came at a highly inopportune time for Scott Lindsey's crop, who have been building up a head of steam in the fourth tier with three straight wins to nil, sinking Forest Green Rovers and AFC Wimbledon before coming away from Accrington Stanley's turf with maximum points on February 24.
With 68 minutes gone, Harry Ransom's header - the defender's first goal of the League Two campaign - got Crawley over the line, and after enduring a miserable four-game losing run in all tournaments from January 13 to February 10, the visitors are now unbeaten in four.
Thanks to their revival, the 11th-placed Reds cannot be discounted in the race for for a top-seven position - sitting five points below the playoff spots with two games in hand on Gillingham - and five of their last seven League Two away matches have now ended in victory.
However, Crawley were bested by Morecambe on home soil as recently as February 3, where the Shrimps once again recovered from an early setback to prevail 2-1 thanks to a Ged Garner brace, and the hosts have also triumphed in each of their last two Mazuma Stadium showdowns with their fellow promotion outsiders.
Team News
Morecambe did not emerge unscathed from their terrific fightback win over Crewe Alexandra, as left-back Max Melbourne was forced off in the dying embers, although it is unclear how severe the 25-year-old's problem is.
Crewe boss Brannan can afford to rest Melbourne on Tuesday, though, as fellow left-back David Tutonda is back from a two-game ban for picking up 10 yellow cards and should slot straight back into the hosts' starting XI.
Since bagging a game-winning brace in last month's affair with Crawley Town, Garner has only netted once in his subsequent four League Two fixtures, but the Barrow loanee should still spearhead the charge alongside either Gwion Edwards or Slew.
Meanwhile, Crawley have enjoyed a longer recuperation period to recover from any bumps or bruises, but there is concern over midfielder Liam Kelly, who came off in the first half against Accrington Stanley due to an apparent hamstring problem.
The seriousness of Kelly's concern is unknown - Ronan Darcy is primed to deputise if need be - but the visitors should otherwise be working with an identical squad from their most recent triumph.
Morecambe possible starting lineup:
Mair; Bedeau, Stokes, Rawson; Senior, Khumbeni, Songo'o, Tutonda; Adams; Slew, Garner
Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Addai; Ransom, Wright, Conroy; Tsaroulla, Williams, Darcy, J. Kelly; Lolos, Campbell; Orsi
We say: Morecambe 1-1 Crawley Town
With an exceptional defensive record and lengthy recuperation period under their belts, Crawley can feel optimistic of avoiding a third successive loss against Morecambe, whose performances at home often leave a lot to be desired.
However, the Shrimps can never be underestimated in the face of adversity, and we think that a contest as tight as the standings would suggest will end all square.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
