MORECAMBE boss Jim Harvey (pictured) refused to criticise his players after their embarrassing seven to nothing mauling - their worst defeat for 45 years. He admitted that his side were "way below par" after their second half collapse, but ascribed the rest of the disastrous defeat a 'bizarre topsy-turvy match.' He said: "We started well and could have been 2-0 up after the first 20 minutes before we fell behind to two goals. We rallied again but in the second half there was another bizarre collapse. It was a strange game with two sendings off and two own goals."

Kenny Mayers and goalkeeper Andy Banks were the players sent off in the final few minutes of the game to cap an awful night for the men from Christie Park. Frustration told when Mayers floored McAuley in the box to concede a penalty (which McAuley himself scored). And Banks ended his terrible night by knocking down the same player in the last minute. He watched on as the Leek forward made it seven.

Shrimps' defender John Kennedy was another player who had a dreadful evening scoring two own goals. The first was Leek's second in the first half and he was unlucky when Banks palmed a cross onto him. He could do nothing as the ball rebounded off him into the net. His second own goal came with 12 minutes to go when he knocked it past Banks.

It all seemed a long time since the outset of the game when Morecambe had stormed onto the pitch looking the likely winners - Mark Ceraolo missing two good chances to score in the opening minutes.

Now the fans will cling on to those bright moments in the first half - and hope the team who finished in the top six last season can reassert their undoubted class. Leek Town 7 Morecambe 0

Morecambe are away to Hayes on Saturday and at home to Hednesford Town on Monday night before their big game against Southampton to mark the opening of the new stand on Wednesday night.

Team: Banks, Knowles (Rushton), Kennedy, McKearney, Mayers, Hall, Drummond, Healy, Ceroalo, Norman (Curtis), Keeling (Shirley).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.