AFTER upsetting the odds for 48 games in League Two, captain Sam Lavelle intends to stick to the blueprint in the play-off final against Newport County AFC.

The Shrimps finished 22nd in 2019/20 after being 18th the previous year but Derek Adams has turned them into contenders for promotion despite their measly budget.

Morecambe pushed Cambridge and Bolton Wanderers all the way for the final automatic promotion spot and then beat Tranmere Rovers in the semi-finals.

That has earned a Wembley clash with the Exiles for the right to head to the third tier, a level that the Lancashire side have never played at.

Monday afternoon will definitely be tense and probably tight but Lavelle hopes to prosper thanks to a normal build-up.

Morecambes Sam Lavelle

Morecambe's Sam Lavelle

"It is a massive game for the club and the fans, we all know that," said the defender, who will hope for more luck than he had against the Exiles in March when he conceded an early penalty and was sent off later in the first half.

"We are just trying to treat it like another game, we're preparing for the match like we have for games all season.

"I don't think anyone would have expected us to do as well as we did this season and to finish fourth and miss out on automatic promotion by just one point was unbelievable and the lads deserve a lot of credit for that.

"We started the season really well and have kept that form all season and been in the top four or five all season which is testament to the lads, the staff and the manager.

"It's definitely been the most enjoyable season I have had here and it is hard to believe how the club has turned round its fortunes since we went to Coventry three years ago needing a point to stay in the Football League.

"That was a massive day for a very different reason to Monday but we got through it and we have a lot of players who are used to big games.

"We have a really good squad this season and whenever someone has been injured someone has come in and done a great job and that has made a massive difference. We don't just have a strong starting 11, we have strength in depth and that has proved important.

"We know our strengths and we know we create chances and we have hit good form at the right time and will be doing all we can to take that form into Monday's game.''