United manager Russ Wilcox bemoaned a loss of two points during what he felt was a questionable six minutes added time, causing his side to draw 1-1 with Morecambe.
The Iron went ahead in a game for the 30th time this season, courtesy of Sam Winnall’s 23rd goal of the season, with them pegged back in the fifth of six added by referee Steve Rushton by a header from substitute Jack Sampson.Wilcox stated his team were not good enough in the latter stages of the second half, with Morecambe fully deserved of their point, which steers them ever so closer to the security of League Two football next season.
“I’m a bit disappointed with it this week (the six minutes added time),” Wilcox told The Iron Player.
“I felt there were more stoppages and breaks in play in the first half and he put one minute up. Of course, there were substitutions in the second half, but I’ve done my totting up and it should have been a maximum of four added. I don’t know where he got that from, but he put six up and we have to deal with it.
“Credit to Morecambe. They’ve thrown the kitchen sink at us, thrown centre halves up front and brought the big Sampson on and a great bit of play and a great ball in behind our centre half and full back.”
He added: “It wasn’t to be today. I thought we had done enough. Sam had made a couple of outstanding saves as well and they’ve put us under a lot of pressure.”
Morecambe we the better side in the last quarter of the game, with United allowing pressure into their half and drawing goalkeeper Sam Slocombe into a string of fine saves to add to his growing collection – looking to win his side the game until the late effort from Sampson.
While Wilcox was happy with his sides defending during the game, he felt that his side invited too much pressure, with Morecambe always likely to have one last chance in the remaining minutes of the game.
“The disappointing thing for me in the last twenty minutes was that we stopped playing,” he continued.
“We showed at times what a good outfit we are and when we passed it and moved it through the thirds of the pitch and kept the ball off them, we looked an outstanding time. I felt there was a little bit of fear in the belly in the last twenty minutes. We hoofed things forward and chased things down, but we kept giving the ball back to them.
“It’s something we need to improve on, but you have to give credit to Morecambe and Jim for his substitutions. They had to take chances and have on this occasion.
“You’ve got to remember on the flip side that we’ve gone in front on so many occasions this season and we get pegged back. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve done it far too many times and it’s really frustrating today that we could have been so, so close.”
He added: “We go again on Monday and it becomes a three game season and going into it, we are top of the pack. We have to go into Monday full of confidence.”
See much more from Russ Wilcox, Sam Winnall and Matt Sparrow on The Iron Player.