Defences on top as Morecambe and Shrewsbury start season with a draw

Morecambe and Shrewsbury played out an opening-day 0-0 draw at the Mazuma Stadium.

A game that saw plenty of effort, but few clear chances at either end, finished all square with both defences on top.

Shrewsbury started quickly and created two chances in the opening five minutes, with Luke Leahy firing wide and drilling a shot into the side netting before Morecambe had the best chance of the half on 26 minutes.

Cole Stockton played in Dylan Connolly who had a free run on goal but saw his effort well saved by the sprawling Marko Marosi.

The visitors had the better of the early second-half exchanges and went close to opening the scoring on 66 minutes when a George Nurse volley deflected off Stockton’s foot but came back off the crossbar with Connor Ripley beaten.

The Shrews continued to press with Ryan Delaney denying Ryan Bowman a close-range tap-in from a left-wing cross.

But, after failing to trouble Marosi in the second period, the Shrimps were denied an injury-time winner when Matthew Pennington produced a superb block from Connolly’s shot.