Football Season Review

Morecambe safety navigated their way through another season in the Football League with Jim Bentley at the helm. The Shrimps have been sailing through choppy waters in the last two seasons and they were tested once again. Fortunately they have an astute boss in Bentley, who became the longest serving manager in England following Arsene Wenger’s departure from Arsenal in the summer. He might have been worried if he had known goalkeeper Barry Roche would miss more than half the season through injury but he had brought in a more than capable understudy in Mark Halstead. A fabulous display away at Port Vale in February established him as number one and kept Roche out of the side. Injuries were a common theme and Bentley made more impressive signings in the likes of loan winger Piero Mingoia and striker Aaron Collins, who arrived as a free-agent in February and finished as leading scorer with eight goals. Both made a real impact in the second half of the season as the side steered themselves clear of a relegation battle. Bentley successfully converted Jordan Cranston from a left-back to a central midfielder whilst right-back Zak Mills ran Halstead close for player of the season. There is no doubt Morecambe’s success is down to Bentley and with greater stability off the field, they can head into the new season with plenty of optimism.

Player of the Season: Mark Halstead