Buckle To Look To Youth To Defeat Morecambe

Paul Buckle`s lowly Cheltenham Town host Morecambe tomorrow looking to put daylight between themselves and the League Two relegation zone. A win for the Shrimps, however, would see the North West club go to within one point of the play-off zone and put pressure on seventh placed Plymouth Argyle.

Cheltenham have picked up only six points since former Luton Town man Buckle replaced long time club associate Mark Yates in the hot seat back in November. The club recorded their first victory under his stewardship away at Oxford on the third of January, Liverpool loanees Jack Dunn and Kevin Stewart both netting on their debut in the 2-1 win, but failed to capitalise on this hard work when losing 2-0 to bottom side Hartlepool last time out.

Fans will have to think back to October to remember the last time their side won at home in the league, but are the favourites to put this right and overturn Morecambe with Betvictor and Spreadex both installing the Gloucestershire side at 13/10 for Friday`s game.

Jim Bentley`s Morecambe have won five of their twelve league games away from home, their last win coming in their last game on their travels against Hartlepool. Jack Redshaw grabbed a goal in both halves to earn the side victory in their last clash of 2014.

The club have been unable to build upon this positive performance, however, with their last two games, both at home, finishing goalless. Three clean sheets could be seen as a positive, these draws against Stevenage and Tranmere and the win over the Pools being recorded without the side`s first-choice `keeper, Barry Roche, who is sidelined with a long-term hip injury.

Morecambe can be backed at 13/5 with bet365 to get back to winning ways, whilst it is 9/2 (bet365, Skybet, william hill) for the Shrimps to do so whilst keeping their fourth consecutive clean sheet. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that the last time Bentley`s men beat Town was back in the March of 2012. These two teams met back in September in the reverse fixture at the Globe Arena, with the sides occupying the top two positions in the league (Cheltenham leading the way in first place). That match-up ended goalless. Those fancying another draw can find a price of 12/5 at betfred and Betvictor. Seventeen to two (Betvictor) says the game will end without a goal again to see the Shrimps record a hat-trick of 0-0s.

Recent history favours the Robins though, with Cheltenham doing the double over their opponents last season. The red card to Morecambe captain Mark Hughes saw his side crumble to a 3-0 defeat away from home, whilst at the Globe Arena Troy Brown grabbed the only goal ten minutes from time in a slight victory. Indeed, with a goalless draw being recorded in the match prior to these two wins, tomorrow`s home side have kept four consecutive clean sheets against the Lancashire club.

As a result, Buckle`s boys are 5/2 (Betvictor, Coral, paddy Power, Skybet) to win to nil, whilst betfair`s 11/10 says both teams will score. Four to five at various bookmakers says they won`t. In team news, the Cheltenham boss has told the club`s local newspaper that he is likely to make a number of changes to the side that lost to Hartlepool. The 44-year-old ex-Torquay head coach explained that he was not afraid to bring youth players into his side after chairman Paul Baker told his new recruit that there was no more money left to spend on transfers.

Morecambe will once again look to second-string goalkeeper Andreas Arestidou to replace Roche in goal after on-loan Scott Davies returned to his parent club Fleetwood Town.

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15/01/2015     © Frixo 2026