A SUPERB Chris Blackburn goal and a penalty stroked home by Wayne Curtis gave Morecambe a deserved win over Preston North End on Wednesday night.

The Shrimps always had the edge against a Preston team lacking in first team experience and could easily have won by a greater margin.

Curtis fired the opening volley high and wide in the first minute and Morecambe won their first corner of nine on the night in the second minute.

But it took until 14 minutes for the breakthrough and what a goal it was.

A corner from the left side was cleared to Michael Howard wide out and he played a quick one-two with Michael Twiss before cutting inside and moving the ball on to Nick Rogan.

He played it swiftly on into the path of midfielder Blackburn to curl a first time left foot shot above Preston keeper Gavin Ward and into the net.

It could be the best goal Christie Park will see all season.

Shrimps went off the boil after the goal and gave North End chance to move forward for the first time, with skipper Paul McKenna prompting and probing and Joe O'Neil and Kelvin Langmead asking a few questions of the home defence.

O'Neil came closest to a leveller when his shot from 18 yards cannoned off Adam Sollitt's left hand upright and Langmead should have done better when presented with an opening after Chris Blackburn was caught in possession.

But Morecambe improved again in the second half, wresting control of the midfield from North End through substitutes Dave Perkins and Michael Stringfellow and after McKenna's departure.

Curtis, Danny Carlton, Stringfellow and Bentley all saw efforts miss the target and Ward was only saved from giving away a penalty when he brought down Carlton by an assistant referee's flag raised for off-side.

There was no reprieve on 86 minutes, though, as Carlton nipped in to take the ball off Ward when he failed to control a back pass following a throw-in.

As the Morecambe striker closed in on call Ward unceremoniously dragged him down to give away a spot kick only staying on the field at the discretion of referee Mr Brand.

Curtis easily stroked home the second goal from the spot to seal a highly satisfactory night for the Shrimps.

MORECAMBE: Sollitt, Walmsley, Swan, Bentley, Howard, Curtis, McFlynn, Blackburn, Twiss, Hunter, Rogan. Subs: Carlton (56), Perkins (60), Stringfellow (63), Dodgeson (70), Mahoney (72)