ALDERSHOT TOWN 0

MORECAMBE 2

MANAGERIAL crises come in all shapes and sizes, but Gary Waddock certainly faces the first severe test of his short, sweet stint in the Aldershot hotseat.

In a knee-jerk climate that saw Portsmouth boss Tony Adams axed after just 22 games, it is premature to even contemplate the future of the man who brought League football back to the Recreation Ground after a 16-year hiatus.

But Waddock's honeymoon period is most certainly over, as his rudderless side continued their unenviable malaise, slumping to a wretched defeat to mid-table rivals Morecambe.

It is now 10 games since Aldershot have tasted victory, and the 11 men who meekly surrendered to Sammy McIlroy's physical outfit look a far cry from the fearless bunch that stormed the Blue Square Premier and rose to touching distance of the play-offs in the first half of the season.

It is times like this that managers earn their corn, and to Waddock's credit, the usually guarded manager alluded to the task in hand.

"We did absolutely nothing in the match to get a result. It was the worst performance of the lot. There was no energy, no enthusiasm," he fumed after a 40 minute lock-in in the home dressing room.

With several players out of contract at the end of the season, and based on what he witnessed at the Rec, Waddock hined that some previously difficult decisions may well have been made a little easier in recent weeks.

"I said to the players after the game that not one of them was guaranteed a starting position next week. The players will have to work hard in training this week to try to impress Martin Kuhl and me, that's for sure.

"I asked the players 'are you good enough for this level?' My answer to them is: yes, you are, on the back of what you achieved earlier in the season. You competed and got good results.

"But now the whole group has to stand up and be counted," he added. "And that includes me."

On a fine Saturday afternoon a faultless pitch glistened in the sun, but after an early reprise of 'Gary Waddock's red and white army', the normally boisterous home crowd fell virtually silent for the next 90 minutes as a horror show unfolded.

Aldershot were errant at best, seemingly content to either give the ball away or bypass the midfield by hoofing endless high balls to the diminutive but willing Jake Robinson.

With the burly defensive duo of Jim Bentley and Danny Adams on the end of continual aimless punts, Morecambe dominated possession, and created chances when their plodding, agricultural brand of football desired.

After half-chances for Marvin Morgan – who appeared woefully exposed at this level – one of the worst opening 45 minutes in living memory ended with the ball in Aldershot's net.

Michael Twiss, one of the few Morecambe players with genuine flair and technique, snared Aldershot's meek attempts at an offside trap and darted down the left wing.

After reaching the byline, Rene Howe reacted first to Twiss' low centre, firing an effort that Alex McCarthy did well to block at his near post. But neither the Reading loanee nor the wayward Aldershot defence could prevent the unmarked Wayne Curtis from prodding home from five yards.

One can only imagine Waddock's ire at half-time, but it certainly was not enough to shake his men into decisive action.

It is all too easy to criticise, but the normally sublime Scott Davies appeared jaded, his midfield compatriot Ben Harding was a little boy lost as the game passed him by, and the less said about Louie Soares the better.

Clearly lacking a leader on the pitch, Aldershot continued in the same vein after an initial burst from Andy Sandell, who helped Morgan earn the first corner of the game. It came to nothing.

And before the Shots could build on their foothold, Morecambe doubled their lead.

Operating as an emergency left-back, the normally reliable Davies skewed a misplaced clearance to Stuart Drummond.

A full 35 yards from goal, the midfielder controlled the ball and marched forward. Seeing space in front of him, he thumped a crisp, yet speculative strike from well outside the box. His well-struck effort duly sailed into the net with the ball flying through McCarthy, who really should have done better.

As far as the action was concerned, that was about that, as Morecambe thwarted the little attacking prowess offered by Aldershot, with the slump of Waddock's side confirmed by the occupation of 14th place in League Two.

On this evidence, they deserve to be there, but it is up to Waddock to arrest the decline.

Aldershot: McCarthy, Lindegaard, Blackburn, Winfield, Charles, Soares, Davies, Harding (Hudson 63), Sandell, Morgan, Robinson. Subs (not used): Day, Grant, Newman, Jaimez-Ruiz.

Morecambe: Roche, Yates, Artell, Bentley, Adams, Wainwright, Hunter, Curtis, Drummond, Twiss, Howe (O'Carroll 67). Subs (not used): Taylor, McStay, Bell, Scott Davies.

Attendance: 2,872.