MORECAMBE'S dreams of FA Trophy glory went for a Burton on a miserable afternoon as they found the Brewers too strong and stumbled out of the competition.

The Shrimps had never failed to beat Albion but a single goal from skipper Darren Stride made sure that stat changed on a depressing afternoon in Staffordshire.

The game got off to a bright start for Morecambe with Danny Carlton shooting just wide in the opening stages and Jimmy Kelly also trying his luck from distance.

But Kelly's early 25-yarder went straight down the throat of Burton keeper Dan Crane - and that effort turned out to be Morecambe's only shot on target during a frustrating afternoon at Eton Park.

Wayne Curtis had an effort charged down shortly afterwards but the balance of play then turned towards Burton.

The hosts could have gone ahead when a flowing move finished with Jon Shaw shaping to shoot at the back post but Chris Blackburn managed to get across and make the crucial block.

Then Lee Ayres headed straight at Adam Sollitt before the remainder of the first half petered out into tedium.

Burton made their breakthrough on 56 minutes when Sam Shilton swung a corner over and Stride got away from his marker before volleying home from a couple of yards to leave Morecambe stunned.

The goal was a body blow for the Shrimps and things got worse for Jim Harvey as skipper Jim Bentley was forced off after taking a whack in the face in a clash of heads, while David Perkins also took a kick on the leg.

Shaw could have made the game safe towards the end as he extended Sollitt with a 25-yard shot and then broke clear and crossed for Andy Ducros.

But Ducros fluffed his chance and allowed Sollitt to scamper across his line to make the save and then block again from a Shaw header.

With the game deep in stoppage time Morecambe had a chance to force a replay when Michael Twiss found some space for the first time in the game but his shot sailed high and wide from 15-yards.

And as that ball went into the stand it took with it the Shrimps' FA Trophy hopes for another season.

MORECAMBE: Sollitt, Perk-ins, Bentley (Heard 66), Kelly (Walmsley 71), Twiss, Curtis, Thompson, Kempson, Carlton (Howard 81), Hunter, Blackburn. Substitutes (not used): Swan, Robinson.