\u201cWell, well, well,\u201d begins the voice over the public address system. Almost all of the 3,700-odd supporters inside the Mazuma Stadium are still dancing wildly, Mark Swindlehurst\u2019s words barely registering.<\/p>\n
He has been Morecambe<\/a> Football Club\u2019s volunteer announcer for 32 years, and his speech is dripping in emotion. Seconds earlier, in the eighth of 10 added minutes, the substitute Daniel Ogwuru secured a precious winner.<\/p>\n As Morecambe broke, Ashvir Singh Johal, who replaced Derek Adams as manager<\/a> only on Monday, placed his hands on his head. As the net burst, and with it the home terrace, he galloped giddily down the touchline.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only thing we didn\u2019t practise was going to a 5-3-2,\u201d Johal said later, composure regained. \u201cThe players came to me, and I wrote on a bit of paper to show them. We scored on the counterattack from that situation.\u201d A grin emerges. \u201cI was quite pleased with that!\u201d<\/p>\n Even before the late twist, Saturday was inked in as a day of celebration. An early-season match against Altrincham<\/a> would not ordinarily be greeted with such enthusiasm, but this was, if not the most important fixture in the English professional game this season, then certainly the most critical in the club\u2019s 105-year history.<\/p>\n Having lost Football League status in April, the club and the town were a shrimp\u2019s shell\u2019s breadth from losing so much more. A convoluted takeover, one delayed and delayed by the former owner Jason Whittingham and his Bond Group, left the club days from being removed from the National League.<\/p>\n Last Sunday, the suspension was lifted and the Panjab Warriors, who gained English Football League approval for the purchase in early June, were finally able to complete their investment.<\/p>\n The wait must have felt worthwhile as their representatives celebrated gleefully from the directors\u2019 box as a result manifested earlier by the club DJ played out. Kick-off was still 90 minutes away when D:Ream started playing. The lyrics \u201cThings can only get better\u201d were apt.<\/p>\n Keith, a fan who has been taking the drum hung by his side to games for three decades, said of the previous uncertainty: \u201cI went through tears and anger \u2013 those were the two extremes. It was like part of my life had gone. Football is a game at the end of the day, but it is a huge part of people\u2019s lives and the whole community.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeff Calvert, present at Wembley when Morecambe won the 1974 FA Trophy, arrived early with son Paul, his wife, his daughter and his three grandsons. \u201cIt\u2019s magical,\u201d he said. \u201cStill surreal at the moment. Thank goodness for Panjab Warriors.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been checking Facebook constantly for months \u2013 I\u2019ve got a repetitive strain injury in my thumb,\u201d Paul added, smiling.<\/p>\n Morecambe manager Ashvir Singh Johal applauds the fans at the final whistle. Photograph: Gary Oakley\/PA<\/p>\n In a swirling ocean of red and black, familiar faces greeted each other and early arrivers were buoyed up by the news that club staff had stuck \u00a3500 behind the ground\u2019s bars. \u201cI never stopped believing,\u201d Anne told her friends in the queue. Some of them did.<\/p>\n Come 11.30am the instantly recognisable dull ring of a PA system preparing for duty sounded. \u201cThe turnstiles are now open.\u201d Sweet, sweet words. Simultaneously, the team sheet confirmed that the five senior players on the books last week would line up alongside six newbies.<\/p>\n Even Craig David could not do lyrical justice to Morecambe\u2019s seven days. Takeover complete on Sunday; new gaffer in on Monday; a dozen new signings from Wednesday; three points on Saturday.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Football Daily<\/p>\n Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n So quick was the turnaround that a mini tube of Pringles was the closest to a hot meal available and the club shop had no replica shirts. They all went weeks ago at a pop-up event run by the kit supplier Terrace on the promenade.<\/p>\n Ten minutes before the start, Morecambe\u2019s new custodians were introduced to the crowd. Unsurprisingly, the reception received was rapturous and rousing. Johal was afforded a similar ovation.<\/p>\n Talk about dropping from a height into roaring flames. Not only is this Johal\u2019s maiden senior role, but also, aged 30, he is the youngest manager across English football\u2019s top five tiers. Oh, and he is the first Sikh to manage a professional British club.<\/p>\n He has a fine record in youth football, though, including time spent with Cesc F\u00e0bregas in Como, and was Kolo Tour\u00e9\u2019s assistant during a brief stint at Wigan. Management is his dream. \u201cThis is not a learning experience for me, because I\u2019m not here to learn,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m here to win and be the best manager I can be.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel Ogwuru celebrates after scoring Morecambe\u2019s late winner. Photograph: Gary Oakley\/PA<\/p>\n At 12.36pm, the seemingly impossible happened: Ben Tollitt, one of last season\u2019s survivors, nudged Morecambe ahead. Johal, his assistant Lee Tomlin and the entire bench shared warm, meaningful embraces, as did friends, loved ones and strangers around the ground. Can you just imagine? Seven days ago most of them couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Given training amounted to 120 minutes across two sessions, Morecambe were excellent. True, they conceded a first-half equaliser and by the end suffered a cramp epidemic, but they held on. And then some. Post match, Bring Me Sunshine, a song synonymous with the area thanks to the comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, was aired. It was sung with gusto by almost everyone.<\/p>\n In future, Whittingham\u2019s tenure \u2013 the good (spoiler: not much) and the disastrous (spoiler: plenty) \u2013 will be discussed in local watering holes and amusement arcades till the cockles come home.<\/p>\n But all that really matters now, like truly, properly, actually, matters, is that a community\u2019s metronome remains ticking. If Morecambe can flip attention into momentum, a bright future awaits. First, though, Aldershot away on a bank holiday Monday. A 524-mile round trip, thank you very much. 5am coach, you say? Bloomin\u2019 heck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWell, well, well,\u201d begins the voice over the public address system. 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