Collis scores late to give Morecambe 1–0 win over Darlington

Wednesday 28 October 2026 · By Joel Hetherington

Morecambe beat Darlington 1–0 on Tuesday night, with substitute Teddy Collis scoring three minutes from time, according to the Lancaster Guardian.

The Guardian reported that Collis came off the bench with 10 minutes to go and produced “the coolest of finishes” after being played through on goal. Adam Lakeland made one change from the side that beat Merthyr, with Isaac Buckley-Ricketts starting in place of the injured Matty Daly.

The Shrimps began on the front foot. Darlington goalkeeper Bobby Jones saved from Liam Hogan in the third minute, and then from Buckley-Ricketts a minute later. Taelor O’Kane missed a great chance just before half-time, and Myles Boney had to make a crucial save from Dylan Stephenson in first-half added time.

The second half was more even. Jones denied Buckley-Ricketts again, and Darlington hit back with efforts from Jonah Lowes and Ethan Fitzhugh. Aidan Rutledge dragged a shot wide on the hour and Stephenson’s long-range effort flew just over the bar. Debutant Marcus Neill was denied what looked to be a good penalty claim when he was brought down in the box. The attendance was 2,185.

Beyond Radio described the win as Morecambe’s sixth straight home win in all competitions.

The result leaves Morecambe 10th in the Enterprise National League North on 20 points from 13 games, with six wins, two draws and five defeats. They have scored 19 goals and conceded 12, giving them a goal difference of plus seven. They are two points off seventh-placed Bedford Town, who hold the last play-off place. Only the champions are promoted automatically, with second to seventh going into the play-offs.

Before the game, Lakeland told the Lancaster Guardian that the return of Hogan, Cain and O’Kane mattered, and that “when we have everyone from our group fit and available, we are as good as anything in this league”. Captain Will Smith remains out with a knee injury, which was reported last week to be expected to keep him out for about five months.

Away from the pitch, the Shrimps Trust has criticised the club’s communication. On 25 October, the Trust said the club had not answered questions it submitted on 8 October, that the chief executive had not replied since 18 August, and it said: “We urge the club to respond constructively.” No response from the club had been found at the time of writing.

The next game is at home to Scarborough Athletic on Saturday 31 October, with kick-off at 15:00 GMT. Scarborough did not play on Tuesday and are 19th.

On Saturday 7 November, Morecambe go to Hednesford Town in the league at 15:00 GMT. Hednesford lost 1–0 at Bedford on Tuesday and are eighth.

The postponed league game against Hereford has now been rearranged for Tuesday 10 November, with kick-off at 19:45 GMT, according to Hereford’s website. Morecambe are two points off the play-offs and Hereford are second, so it is a chance to climb.

In the FA Trophy second round, Morecambe travel to Leek Town on Saturday 14 November.

Morecambe have now won their last two league games. The next few games will show how the squad fare with more players available.