Morecambe boss Ged Brannan was full of praise for his players as they battled to a 1-0 victory over Crawley that took them level on points with the League Two play-off spots.
Brannan’s side were forced to defend for long periods against a good Town side but a goal from substitute Jordan Slew in the 68th minute was enough to give them the three points.
Brannan said: “They were a really good team and got behind us a few times but we defended superbly and put our bodies on the line and did everything we could to get the three points.
“We were solid all over the pitch and looked a great unit and there were good performances all over the pitch and it was fantastic to keep the clean sheet.
“We showed our heart tonight and showed what a good unit we are. I could not ask for any more from the lads and I’m delighted with the win.”
Slew made it two goals in two games when he slotted home a superb right-wing cross from Joel Senior at the far post.
Before that Crawley had the better of the game.
The closest they came to an opener was in first-half stoppage time when Klaidi Lolos saw his header from Will Wright’s corner superbly saved by home keeper Archie Mair.
The Reds wasted another glorious chance just before the hour when top scorer Danilo Orsi volleyed Kellan Gordon’s right-wing cross over from just two yards after some more excellent approach play.
The visitors continued to push with Harry Forster seeing two shots blocked by the excellent Farrend Rawson and Lolos stabbing an effort wide after a great run into the box as the Shrimps defended their lead superbly.
Forster made a great chance for himself with time running out but skewed his final shot well wide of the Morecambe goal.
Crawley manager Scott Lindsey was left frustrated.
He said: “It’s a tough defeat to take because we played really well tonight. We created a lot of chances but you could feel that the longer the game went on the more possibility they might have of getting round the back and sneaking a goal and that is what happened.
“When you dominate the game as much as we did and miss the chances we have, that is more reason for us to concentrate more at the back and we did not do that and it cost us the game.
“The biggest frustration was the lads think the perfect goal exists but it doesn’t and sometimes you have to make a better decision than try and walk the ball over the line.”
Watkins start for England in Greece was 'no slight on Kane' - Carsley
Outgoing England interim manager Lee Carsley says his decision to start Ollie Watkins over Harry Kane against Greece was 'no slight' on his captain.
The Three Lions had suffered nine withdrawals from their initial squad announced last week, although Kane remained available for selection and came on for Watkins in the 66th minute.
But Carsley's decision paid off, with Watkins putting England ahead after just seven minutes, with his fifth international goal setting them on the way to a 3-0 win in Athens, with an own goal and Curtis Jones rounded off the scoring.
"It was brilliant for Ollie to get a goal," Carsley said. "It's important that I think if we are going to put these players in a position where we are going to go and win the World Cup, then these players need to have as many experiences as they can.
"So, it was no slight on Harry. He'll start the next game and I think there are a lot of positives to take from that performance."
When asked how the England captain reacted to not being named in the starting XI, Carsley explained that Kane had no issues with it.
"He was absolutely fine. It would be fair to say he wants to play every game, like all top players do," he said.
"I think he understands that it's important that other players experience that kind of experience that we had tonight.
"He's a great example to the rest of the players and I expect him to start on Sunday and play well."
The decision to start Watkins over Kane came alongside other selection decisions, as Rico Lewis, Noni Madueke, Jones, Lewis Hall and Morgan Rogers all featured for a youthful England side, with the latter three making their senior debuts.
Despite Carsley's roots as England Under-21 coach, he assured the post-match media that there was no nepotism on his part to include the more inexperienced players.
"No, none at all, to be fair," the interim boss said. "None at all.
"I see the quality that the players have got. You're now seeing it in terms of the younger ones, that they're more than capable with the mentality and quality they've got to play in stages like tonight.
"I thought a lot of the players, especially the younger ones - well, all of the players, to be fair - played with such quality tonight.
Deschamps: Mbappe not in 'happiest' period of his career
Didier Deschamps says Kylian Mbappe is "going through a period that is not the happiest of his career", which is why he is not included in France's Nations League squad.
Les Bleus were frustrated on Thursday as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Israel in front of a record-worst attendance at the Stade de France.
Despite the disjointed performance, France booked their place in the quarter-final of the Nations League with a game to spare.
However, post-match discussions came back around to Mbappe's absence and Deschamps' decision to leave him out of the squad.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 15 appearances since joining Real Madrid, but he has hit the back of the net just once in his last six outings. Deschamps reiterated that he believed leaving his captain at home was the best decision for the player during this international break.
"He's not here, so I'll tell you what I already said. Leave him alone," Deschamps said. "I said what I had to say.
"Sometimes it's good not to say too much. There's no sanction. It's factual. He's in a complicated situation, I'm behind him.
"He's going through a period that's not the happiest of his career. Despite everything, he wanted to come. I think it's better for him at the moment. Everyone has the right to have a complicated period.
"There's the physical aspect, the psychological aspect too. There are constant interpretations, whether I speak or I don't speak. So, I'm careful to weigh my words. Either I say something, or I say nothing. I didn't say anything but I'm not going to get into debates."
France dominated against Israel, having 24 shots, eight of which were on target, as they created 2.22 expected goals.
They also had 72 touches in the opposition box, compared to the visitors' two, and 94 final third entries, though they struggled to find a way through a resolute Israel side.
Deschamps was frustrated by the lack of goals in particular and expects to make changes for their final Nations League group stage match against Italy on Sunday.
"I can't be satisfied with what we produced. We should have won. We're capable of doing better," Deschamps added.
"We could have done more against an opponent that was very compact and wasted a lot of time. We had the chances to win, but we weren't efficient enough. There was much more energy in the second half, but we still couldn't score.
"I need to take stock. There will definitely be some changes.
"I'll wait until the final training session on Saturday. Playing three days later is never easy, and there's fatigue, which is normal and not an excuse, but the players' bodies are under strain."
Jamaica 0-1 United States: Pepi give visitors advantage in Nations League quarter-final
Ricardo Pepi's first-half strike gave the United States a 1-0 advantage over Jamaica after the first leg of their Concacaf Nations League quarter-final.
The hosts saw a penalty saved in the first half before their frustrations were compounded late on thanks to Mason Holgate's red card.
The USA had the lead just five minutes in – having smothered a Jamaica attack at one end, the visitors caught them out with a pacy counter-attack, with Pepi sweeping it into the back of the net.
Shortly after, Shamar Nicholson was brought down by Matt Turner when he tried to take it around him, but the goalkeeper made amends, diving low to his right to deny Demarai Gray from 12 yards.
In the second half, Holgate was denied a tap-in by Yunus Musah before Turner scrambled to stop Leon Bailey's corner from nestling into the net as Jamaica searched for an equaliser.
With 86 minutes on the clock, Holgate received a second yellow card in just over 10 minutes for dragging Brandon Vazquez back, meaning he will miss the return leg in Missouri on Monday.
Data Debrief: Hitting the mark
Pepi got the all-important goal on Thursday, and is the fourth player to score 12 goals for the USA before turning 22 years old, joining Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore and Christian Pulisic.
But it was perhaps Turner who actually had the most vital interventions; he has now saved three of the eight penalties he's faced for the USA, including two against Jamaica.
Mauricio Pochettino also could not have asked for a better result from his first competitive game in charge of the Stars and Stripes as he became just the third full-time manager to win his first competitive away match, joining Bob Bradley (2008) and Steve Sampson (1996).
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