Morecambe FC - A Brief History
Football has been played in in the town since the turn of the 20th century but it wasn't until May 7, 1920 that Morecambe FC officially came into existence.
They took a place in the Lancashire Combination League for the 1920/21 season. Football was popular in the town and the club drew well in those early years but the team struggled on the pitch in those early seasons. Their fortunes would dramatically change in the 24/25 season, when they'd win the league for the first time and follow that up with three more seasons with upper table finishes.
However, the rest of the 20's and the majority of the 1930's saw the team struggle both on and off the pitch, as results were few and far between and revenue was almost non-existent.
The post-war era saw an upturn in "The Shrimp's" fortunes, with steady progress throughout the late 40's and through the 1950's and foundations for future success were being built, including the formation of a supporter's club that helped fund many ground improvements. The club would win their second league title in 1961-62 and follow it up with three more league wins in the next six years. After their 1967/68 triumph, Morecambe FC were transferred into the newly created Northern Premier League. The fourteen year period between 1961 and 1974 is commonly referred to as the club's "Golden Era", one that culminated in a thrilling 2-1 win over Dartford in the FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium, which to date remains their only major trophy win outside the five Lancashire Combination League victories.
A long and painful downturn in fortunes would follow, where results on the pitch suffered and supporters stayed home, with match attendance falling to averages of around 200 from highs of over 2000 in the early 1970s. A sharp reversal in form would come in 1985/86, with the team finishing in 3rd place in the league and that started a period of growth and optimism that would culminate in a tremendous 1994/95 season where the club would only lose four out of 42 league games, ultimately finishing second on the table to earn promotion to the Conference Premier League.
Their 12 years in the Conference saw the Shrimps become one of the best and most progressive teams in the league. The team had their greatest FA Cup success during this period, including wins over multiple league clubs. The Shrimps would make it to the playoffs twice (2003 and 2006), losing in the semi-finals in both years and after a fine 3rd place finish in 2006/07, they'd once again lock up a spot in the playoffs. They'd win the semi-final against York City to earn a spot in the finals, which took place on May 20, 2007. In front of 40,000+ fans at Wembley Stadium, they'd defeat Exeter City 2-1 to earn promotion to the Football League for the first time.
Less than two months later, Morecambe announced plans to build a new stadium that would better prepare the club for future success and ambition in league football. The team's last year in Christie Park was 2009/10, where they finished 4th out of the 24 teams, earning a spot in the playoff semi-final. They'd lose 7-2 on aggregate to Dag & Red but spirits at the club and amongst supporters stayed high, as the team moved into their brand new stadium, Globe Arena, in time for the 2010/11 season.
For the majority of the 2010's, the team was mired in the lower mid-table in League Two, with finishes as high as 11th but as low as 22nd out of the 24 teams. However, the historically cash poor club has been able to avoid relegation during that period while maintaining continuity with its coaching staff, retaining manager Jim Bentley for an astonishing 8 years, making him the longest serving manager in the entire English football league. His last hurrah came last year, as he led the Shrimps to a 3rd place finish in League Two to gain automatic promotion to League One in 2020/21, winning League Two Manager of the Year in the process.
Bentley would resign from Morecambe on June 14, 2020 after receiving an offer to manage at Portsmouth and I would be hired seven days later as his replacement, with aims of keeping the club up in League One as my primary goal in year one.