MORECAMBE fans noisily toasted FA Trophy glory while Lancaster City's followers downed their post-match pints with more plusses than minuses after a Lune derby that suggests both sides will eventually be winners.

Okay, the red shirt masses could celebrate immediate success and the all-important bragging rights over their near neighbours and rivals - after the Giant Axe fourth round set to.

And they may well will be celebrating again in May when the Shrimps reach the Conference play-offs and that shot at promotion into the Football League.

But the solace for City is that even in defeat the signs are there that Phil Wilson is crafting a side capable of making huge strides forward.

It may not happen this season but the shrewd Wilson has players good enough to make the grade, and they made sure Jim Harvey's men knew they had been in a game. And that doesn't mean Morecambe had been kicked around the Giant Axe.

Morecambe were worthy winners but 2-1 was just about right. Any more than that would have been cruel on the Dolly Blues after a day where the Shrimps' full-time status and the associated fitness and extra shade of class gave them the edge.

Any spectator arriving after the teams ran out would have struggled to pick the Conference side from the one from the Conference North in the early stages as City gave it a go from the start.

There was only a minute on the clock when Adam Sollitt got his hands warm in keeping out a Peter Thomson effort and the keeper made a brilliant stop on four minutes when Thomson broke clear against his former employers.

On that occasion Sollitt was aided after his efforts by Jimmy Kelly, who got back to mop up the rebound before another ex-Shrimp Ryan-Zico Black could pounce.

But the keeper was beaten after eight minutes when City sent their fans into delirium thanks to another man from Morecambe, Ryan Elderton.

Andy Scott's free-kick was headed down by Joe McMahon, Steve Jones had a shot blocked but there was Elderton to drill home the rebound from a dozen yards.

City celebrated in style with their fans but is was too early to get carried away, although Thomson sent the fans wild shortly afterwards when his shot rippled the net. Sadly for him and City it was the side netting that bulged as Sollitt scampered across his goal.

Morecambe started to find their feet and their passing game and Jamie Speare suddenly went from virtually unemployed to over-worked.

After 17 minutes the keeper earned his money for the season with a marvellous save to keep his side ahead.

A corner was swung over and Chris Blackburn thundered a header towards the bottom corner of the net. Morecambe's fans and players thought it was in until the long arm of a full-stretch Speare pushed the ball onto the post.

Speare was helpless a minute later when Wayne Curtis nodded down for Garry Hunter to spin and shoot home.

That sent the game into its best spell with City's fourth ex-Morecambe man Neil Uberschar crashing in a 30-yard rocket that was bound for the top corner until Sollitt touched it over.

And the Shrimps were also looking to push forward with Michael Twiss marshalled superbly by Scott and Paul Sparrow finding some rare space before Sparrow nipped away with the ball as Morecambe's leading scorer looked to pull the trigger.

Kelly hit a post from the edge of the box, Sparrow denied Danny Carlton with a block tackle and then Speare stunned the Shrimps again with a fine save.

Twiss created space for Kelly and his 30-yard shot saw the goalkeeper going full stretch again to tip the ball for a corner.

As the interval approached Elderton tried his luck from 25-yards but his lob landed on the roof of the net after Sollitt had chosen to punch rather than catch a Black cross when unchallenged.

Speare denied Lee Elam as the whistle blew and he needed his half-time brew because he didn't half work hard after the break as Morecambe stepped up a gear and some of their crisp passing left City chasing heels.

McMahon hoofed a David Perkins cross to safety from under his own crossbar after one such move, while another one finished with Curtis shooting just over.

And another quicksilver attack saw Carlton cross for the rapidly arriving Twiss but Uberschar deflected his shot for a corner.

Speare saved well from Twiss again but Morecambe's second goal had to come - and it duly arrived on 61 minutes when Curtis crossed for Carlton, who escaped McMahon to tap home.

Lancaster were tiring now on a heavy surface and Carlton should have made it three when he headed wide, while Garry Thompson almost converted another excellent Elam cross.

City had the odd flurry but Morecambe were determined to win and the impressive Jamie Heard whipped over a cross that deserved to be converted but Twiss slipped as he shot and the ball went high over the bar.

Lancaster do not throw in the towel under Wilson and the manager finished the game with Thomson, Black, Jamie Hughes and Tony Sullivan 11 days after it was feared he had broken an ankle in attack with Prince not far behind.

And they forced a couple of late corners and put on a fair bit of pressure on but Morecambe's defence was solid.