8th - Morecambe

When it comes to looking back at McIlroy's time as a manager, it does go to show that the wrong career move can really make you suffer. After wonders at Macc, he was unable to repeat the magic at Stockport where he became one in a long string of managers to achieve any sort of success there, and its almost impossible to judge him on his time with Northern Ireland.

And from that point on, it was like he was damaged goods as the only job he could find was filling in for Jimmy Harvey at Morecambe as he recovered from his heart issues. But Morecambe as a club have never looked back since then. Now I don't know whether its simply my own personal point of view, but I tend to see Morecambe in a much healthier state than other promoted Conference sides, even tho' they were never even one of the bigger sides to have come up from the non league abyss, and that is in no small way thanks to McIlroy.

He has firmly established them as a League side, playing football in the right way, and whilst they're always going to struggle to put any sort of sustained promotion bid together, they are so far advanced from the sides that'll be relegation battlers throughout the season. He's done a fantastic job at Christie Park and that'll continue for some time to come. Well until next year when they move to the new ground.

There's always one side who turns out to be the surprise package each season, and I just have this gut feeling that it will be Morecambe who manage that this year. They've always performed well in spells, but its that consistency that they've struggled to get hold of.

Their first season in the League saw them threatening the Play Offs, albeit as outsiders, up until around March, and it was only a dreadful start to last season which ensured that they ended up as mid table. Their form from around December onwards was promotion form, and its that which makes me think that Morecambe can spring a surprise on League Two during this next season.

Squad wise, there's very little difference from this year to last. They've lost Rene Howe who went back to Peterboro before joining Lincoln, but they've secured arguably a better option in Phil Jevons. Jevons joins on loan from Huddersfield. His record at thus level is outstanding, and he showed in a brief cameo with Bury last season just  what he can do.

Scoring goals was perhaps one area in which the Shrimpers lacked last season, but Jevons should more than make up for the departure of Howe, and more than add to the tally of the former Dale loan striker.

Fellow loanee Ian Craney has made the same journey from Huddersfield to Morecambe, and the former Accy man should be a welcome presence in a Morecambe midfield that got over ran at times last season, and the long chase for Southport's Mark Duffy finally paid off when he signed for the Shrimpers over the Summer for an undisclosed fee.

Given that this will be their last season at Christie Park, it might just give them that little bit a lift to help push them up the table. But will it be enough to make the top seven? Probably not, but who'd have predicted Exeter finishing second last season? Anything is possible in this division.

But I think making the top seven may be just that bit too far for them. They'll come close and it will certainly bring optimism to the first season at the new stadium in 2010-11, but they won't be kicking off the new stadium with a new division.

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