Morecambe manager isn't giving up on a play-off position

The Shrimps are back in action tonight when they welcome Crewe Alexandra to the Mazuma Mobile Stadium (7.45pm).

They go into the game after a below-par display against a Doncaster team, who clinched their sixth successive victory.

With Crawley Town beating Mansfield Town last weekend, Brannan’s players are five points adrift of the top seven in League Two with four games remaining.

The Morecambe boss said: “We are still taking it game by game, we have nothing to lose or fear and we will see what happens.

“Saturday was disappointing but who would have thought at the start of the season that we would even be in this position at this stage of the season?

“We were favourites to go down but the lads have been great.

“They have a lot of belief in themselves and I believe in them too and we will just keep going.”

Tonight sees Morecambe host a Crewe side they defeated 3-2 five-and-a-half weeks ago.

While their opponents sit sixth in the table, they have only won one of their last eight matches in falling seven points behind the top three.

Then, on Saturday, the Shrimps travel to a Stockport County team which – depending on results tonight – could be in a position to claim automatic promotion in front of their own fans.

Before then, however, Brannan wants to see a response tonight after a disappointing day on Saturday.

Goals inside the opening quarter from Luke Molyneux put Doncaster in control before Tommy Rowe netted their third in second-half stoppage time as the Shrimps pushed players forward.

Brannan admitted: “It was a really disappointing day for us and, for some reason, we just didn’t get going.

“We were really flat from the start and they deserved the win on the day.

“It’s no fluke why they have won so many games in a row and they outbattled us all over the pitch today and ran more than us, which is really disappointing for me – and it just wasn’t good enough.

“We had a few chances towards the end, but didn’t take them, and we have to pick ourselves up now for our game on Tuesday.”