Defeat to Crewe Alexandra puts Morecambe into a corner

Stephen Robinson's Morecambe suffered their thirteenth defeat of the season after going down to fellow League One struggler Crewe Alexandra on Thursday. No other team has lost more matches at this point than Morecambe, except the rivals they played on Thursday.

Bottling the lead

Morecambe could not have asked for a better opponent on Thursday to get their campaign back on track. Following last week's nil-nill draw with Fleetwood Town, Morecambe were expected to win this tie.

It began as expected with the home team taking the lead half-an-hour into the game with a stunning header from Greg Leigh sending the ball into the back of the opponent's net.

Morecambe went into the break with a 1-0 lead, having dominated both possession and set-piece opportunities. However, six minutes into the second half, the visitors hit back with a spectacular cross from Tom Lowery sent home by Chris Porter. Morecambe failed to recover and succumbed to the visitor's momentum.

Two minutes before the hour mark, Luke Murphy produced a moment of brilliance. The midfielder hit a half volley from 25 yards out that dipped at precisely the right moment to defeat Morecambe goalkeeper Kyle Letheren.

The visitors sat deep in the final thirty minutes of the game to steal a valuable three points from the Globe Arena.

Morecambe concede space in the relegation battle

The last two results have had major implications for Morecambe's ambition to stay up. Had Morecambe been able to hold onto the lead, they would have got out of the relegation zone, with Lincoln City slipping down.

However, as a result of Thursday's defeat, they are stuck in the relegation zone and more importantly, sit just two points ahead of Crewe Alexandra who are just behind them.

Just six points separate 19th placed Fleetwood Town and bottom-ranked Doncaster Rovers. Morecambe had a great opportunity to pick up full points from the two recent fixtures and climb out of this block. They are currently stuck 21st in the table, having played a game more than Doncaster and Gillingham.

What happens next

Morecambe's next match comes against Doncaster Rovers. Following two earlier slip-ups, they can ill-afford to bottle another tie against a fellow struggling team. Following that, the fixture list looks ever more daunting for Robinson's men, with Wigan and Wycombe paying a visit to the Globe Arena.

Morecambe stands to face a daunting second half of League One with survival on the line.