From there, Altrincham – who had lost two of their three opening games, but have at least been able to enjoy unhindered preparation – grew into the match and deservedly levelled. The visitors created plenty of chances to win the game in the second half but couldn’t quite make one count.
As they piled forward, Morecambe took advantage of the space left behind, with Ogwuru arrowing a ferocious finish into the far corner before celebrating with the delirious supporters behind the goals.
Before that, Morecambe had at times looked like a team of strangers – because that is exactly what they are. When Panjab Warriors’ takeover was finalised on Monday, the club had five players in their squad.
Since then, 12 have been signed by new manager Ashvir Singh Johal as he begins his first senior managerial role, including 19-year-old second-half substitute Ma’kel Campbell, who only finalised his deal a few hours before kick-off on Saturday morning.
Misunderstandings over when the ball is going long or short, who has a tendency to cut inside or go out wide, and when to launch into a full counter-attack, are to be expected from a team which has had no pre-season and a single training session to work together.
But the sheer quality Morecambe have managed to bring in during a whirlwind few days, including a plethora of players who graduated from the academies of some of the country’s elite clubs, was already enough to turn them into a team that looked competent and talented from the get-go.
Johal was an energetic presence on the touchline for the entirety of the match, delivering instructions about the team’s shape to a midfield clearly adjusting to each other, while the majority of the bellowing of encouragement was left to his newly-assembled backroom staff.
The 30-year-old’s hiring in place of highly-respected former boss Derek Adams drew a mixed reaction from fans, but this start was far more than encouraging than anybody would realistically have expected.
