Sport - Morecambe Today: News, Sport, Jobs, Property, Cars, Entertainments More

The Shrimps produced a poor performance to suffer their first Conference defeat since October 7 last year and in doing so slipped back out of the Conference play-off spots. Sammy McIlroy's side were never at their best against a York team who played some neat football throughout, bossed the midfield and seemed to be a yard quicker in body and mind throughout.

Apart from a bright start when Fraser McLachlan came close to opening the scoring in the first minute with a volley that drifted just wide of the right hand post the Shrimps only started to test the visitors after they had gone 3-0 down. Chris Blackburn pulled one goal back 15 minutes from time when he headed home a Michael Twiss corner but it proved to be a mere consolation.

Substitute David McNiven, given a rare chance to show what he can do, looked lively and twice forced York keeper Tom Evans into saves from neat volleys, and Wayne Curtis also tested the visitors' stopper but it was all too little too late.

It was York who had the better chances in the first half.

With Neal Bishop and Steve Bowie dominant in midfield they began to force a number of openings.

Jim Bentley had to make a vital tackle to deny Craig Farrell from latching on to Bishop's neat through ball and Darryn Stamp missed a golden opportunity when he headed wide from close range.

Steven Drench then had to save well to his left from a neat Bowie curler and the Morecambe keeper thwarted Stamp again when he raced from his line to claim another testing through ball.

Drench was finally beaten a minute before the break as the Conference's top scorer Clayton Donaldson raced in to bundle the ball home from close range after the Morecambe keeper could only parry a Bowie strike that took a wicked kick off the surface.

The Shrimps then conceded a sloppy second two minutes after the break when York countered quickly and Farrell curled home Manny Panther's lay off from the edge of the area with a right foot shot that beat Drench to his left..

Morecambe tried to come back with Craig Stanley shooting wide from 25 yards and Wayne Curtis forcing Tom Evans into a neat save with his trailing leg.

But as Morecambe pushed forward York scored again when man of the match Bowie, a long time target for the Shrimps several seasons ago, stabbed home the loose ball from 12 yards out after another right wing attack led by Farrell and Panther.

Blackburn set up a platform for a comeback but time ran out as Morecambe slipped to their first defeat in 10 Conference games.

MORECAMBE: Drench 6, Yates 7, Howard 6, Bentley 6, Stanley 7, Twiss 7, Hunter 6 (rep Walmsley 66), Curtis 6, Blackburn 7, McLachlan 6 (rep Brannan 66), Rigoglioso 6 (rep McNiven 48). Subs not used: Robinson, Lloyd.

Booked: Twiss, McLachlan.

YORK: Evans 7, Craddock 7, Goodliffe 7, Parslow 7, Lloyd 7, Bishop 7, Bowie 8 (rep McMahon 83), Panther 7, Donaldson 7, Farrell 7, Stamp 6 (rep Woolford 90).

Subs not used: Greenwood, Webster, Reid.