MORECAMBE'S travel sickness bug bit again on Saturday when they crashed to a 1-0 defeat to Gravesend and Northfleet despite holding most of the aces.

The Gravesend goal arrived on the half hour when Charlie MacDonald headed home from close range after Morecambe keeper Steven Drench had made a magnificent save.

But that's the way the luck goes when the footballing gods are against you and Drench barely had a touch as Morecambe pressed and grateful Gravesend defended in numbers.

Danny Carlton went close on 38 minutes, pictured, when he slid in only to find himself inches away from making contact with Chris Blackburn's cross into the six-yard box.

It was an agonising miss and then Carlton set up Michael Twiss who was denied by a smart stop from Craig Holloway in the home goal.

And then in stoppage time Garry Thompson curled one just over the top.

The Shrimps continued to dominate after the break with Thompson again sending a free kick over before looking on in amazement after 62 minutes.

He scorched past his marker and into the penalty area before hitting a low and hard shot that appeared all the way in.

That was until it hit Holloway, bounced into the ground and looped up and over the bar and onto the roof of the net.

It was a freaky moment and perhaps Twiss was still baffled when he screwed the ball wide from the resulting corner.

Then Wayne Curtis was denied before Keiran Walmsley saw a free kick deflected wide as Morecambe went down to their fifth 1-0 defeat of the season and their seventh loss so far this campaign.

Morecambe: Drench, Blackburn (Walmsley 77), Bentley, Kempson, Howard, Thompson, Perkins, Brannan, Curtis, Twiss, Carlton (Kelly 84). Subs (not used): Stringfellow, Davies, Lloyd Referee: D Phillips