Morecambe 1-2 Leyton Orient
The Shrimps suffered their first league defeat of the season at the Globe Arena with Orient once again taking the most of a huge slice of luck to take the points.
Last season the O's beat Morecambe 1-0 twice with two of the luckiest goals you will ever see and they carried that luck into this game with a second half winner coming after a huge deflection sent Barry Roche the wrong way.
Morecambe started well with Cole Stockton seeing an effort flash wide of Alex Cisak’s right-hand upright before their best first-half opportunity came on 19 minutes.
Kevin Ellison was played in behind the visitors’ defence but his right-footed effort was pushed away by Cisak.
Stockton had another effort blocked before the visitors took the lead with the half-hour approaching.
Bowery’s shot was deflected behind for a corner which the Shrimps failed to clear fully.
Possession eventually found Liam Kelly, 25 yards out, and he curled a shot past Barry Roche with the ball taking a huge kick off the greasy surface before beating the Morecambe keeper.
Kelly was off target from 18 yards moments later as the visitors sought a second goal with Gavin Massey curling an effort wide on the counter-attack.
Jack Dunn had a shot blocked and Stockton an effort easily saved as the opening half drew to a conclusion with the visitors in front.
Roche was forced into early action after the break, pushing out Robbie Weir’s deflected effort before the Shrimps drew level.
The ball found Ellison 20 yards out and his first-time shot flew past Cisak to bring Bentley’s players on level terms.
Roche denied Bowery when he got behind the home defence but could do nothing moments later when Bowery’s shot deflected off Whitmore and wrongfooted the keeper.
Boss Jim Bentley brought on Rhys Turner and Alex Kenyon but it was the visitors who came closer to scoring again.
Roche was forced into a hat-trick of saves, keeping out headers from Tom Parkes and Yvan Erichot, as well as Bowery’s effort at his near post.
The Shrimps ended the game by throwing bodies forward but failed to test Cisak as the O's held on for the three points.
Morecambe: Roche, Wakefield, Edwards, Whitmore, McGowan, Fleming (Kenyon 63), Rose, Barkhuizen, Dunn (Turner 63), Ellison, Stockton (Mullin 86). Subs: Nizic, Molyneux, Massanka, Jennings.
Leyton Orient: Cisak, Hunt, Parkes, Erichot, Kennedy, Cornick, Kelly, Weir, Massey, Bowery, McCallum. Subs: Sergeant, Palmer, Nnomo, Semedo, Pollock, Koroma, Judd.
Attendance: 1,665.
Referee: John Brooks.