Shrimpweb

I’m currently in the process of moving to (”somewhere across the Pennines”), so updates are lacking a bit.

While I’m here: best wishes to Mark Lillis if he takes the Hull City job, and hello again to our good friends Lancaster City (who host us on July 29th).

Scott Davies and Paul Lloyd, both products of the youth set-up at Morecambe, have agreed two-year and one-year deals respectively. The pair represent the last (so far) of the youngsters at the club to make the breakthrough in to the first-team squad, but neither is likely to cement a starting spot just yet, despite Davies’ starring role towards the end of last season.

It seems even the new official site is getting quicker than here. At least this site isn’t a Premium TV advertising nightmare, so at least there’s something still unique…

Anyway, Jon Newby is in talks with Greenock Morton after being invited for a trial at Burton Albion, and David Perkins is set to join Colchester United for a six-figure sum. Stockport County also wanted Perkins, so may use the money on other targets, one of which is Carl Baker.

It seems like only a couple of months ago that he joined them, but ex-Morecambe defender Shaun Gray has signed for Southport along with a mere ten others from Burscough. The move marks a return to part-time football for our friends down the coast, having realised that they simply can’t afford to stay professional (unless Charlie Clapham lets go of the reins - a very, very unlikely occurrence).

Celtic (as in the Glasgow one, not Farsley or Stalybridge) reserve striker Diarmuid O’Carroll has moved to Morecambe on a one-year deal, after being allowed to leave Parkhead to seek first-team football. The 21 year-old Irishman is “a natural striker” and was recommended to the club by Jimmy Nicholl. It appears that Sammy McIlroy’s networking has come in handy again.

O’Carroll failed to make any appearances for his former club, but did spend part of 2007 at Ross County on loan, bagging a couple of goals in his three months there. Interestingly, his last few matches for Celtic’s second string were spent at centre-back due to an injury crisis, with Willie McStay praising his versatility.

Diarmuid’s history as a youngster is summarised in an article in County Kerry newspaper “The Kingdom” over here, which is useful background reading should you care what he did in Irish youth football.

Morecambe Reserves will start the season on August 20th with a home tie. The full list is on the Official Site, which probably won’t be published here thanks to all the legal nonsense that usually follows such a thing.

26 year-old Ryan McCann from Queen of the South and 20 year-old Andy Parrish from Bury have both signed. Both are right backs, though the former can play on the wing and the latter in the centre of defence. In the same Visitor report, Matthew Bell and Aaron Taylor’s contracts have finally been confirmed.

Miss a few weeks, and everything seems to happen. Some more news:

• The League Cup tie at Nottingham Forest will now be played on Wednesday, August 13th to avoid clashing with home ties for both Notts County and Derby County on the previous night.
• Steven Drench has joined Southport on a free transfer. However, the man who signed him (Gary Brabin) has just resigned.

Edit: Since Google seem to be offering up this page when searching for Shrimpsvoices, a clarification: it is still alive.

After yet another thankless clean-up job for the current admin team, unofficial club message board Shrimpsvoices will be reset and moved to a new host in the next few days. The address will not change, however. Keith Fitton’s announcement is here, in case you missed it.

Another long break without an update has meant that yet more stories have yet to be discussed. Terrible, isn’t it?

• Clarrie Hollings has passed away aged 78. Clarrie had been at the club in one form or another for decades, being best known for his role as groundsman at Christie Park, and will be sadly missed by all;
• The new stadium project has been delayed by a season, as the legal process has made the deadline of next Summer far too tight. The board have sensibly agreed that it should be opened when finished rather than cutting corners to meet the original date;
• Puma are the new kit manufacturers. The new home shirts are red.
• Morecambe’s fixture list is out and on the official site. Mere mortals (read: people unwilling to pay an extortionate fee) are still banned from reproducing this list, though.
• The draw for the first round of the League Cup was made, with Nottingham Forest away coming out of the bag.
• Neil Wainwright has finally signed on a two-year deal.
• Chesterfield goalkeeper Barry Roche has also signed. The 6′4″ giant had a season to forget with the Spirites, and will be looking to regain his confidence at Morecambe, hopefully remembering how to command his penalty box. As with Wainwright, he will be at Morecambe until the summer of 2010.
• Linfield’s Tommy Stewart was supposed to be coming on a trial when training starts again in July, but has since agreed to join Derry City.
• Southend United striker Charlie MacDonald has rejected the chance to join Morecambe for £30,000 due to the club’s location. For some reason, every striker enquired about just doesn’t seem to fancy the move.
• Michael Howard’s move to Oxford United may be back on, with the Conference National side willing to offer a fee for the left-back’s services.
• Aaron Taylor scored four against Rhyl Town for the English Colleges XI. The young striker is expected to be one half of the new set of first-year professionals, with Matthew Bell being the other (the official announcement will probably not be made until July, however).