EXCLUSIVE

STAR Shrimp Garry Thompson has snubbed the Football League, insisting he wants to make the big time with Morecambe.The Kendal-born wingman was a major target of both Bury and Accrington Stanley, with the Shakers particularly keen on snaring the 25-year-old.But Thompson has handed Bury a dose of Gigg pain by putting pen to paper on a two-year deal to stay at Christie Park."It really has been two weeks of long, hard thinking," Thompson tells the Lancaster and Morecambe Citizen. "The offers from Bury and Accrington were very tempting."But why move? I feel that Morecambe is a club going places and I want to be part of it.""There are exciting times coming up and, after thinking about it, I wanted to be a Morecambe player." Thompson admits he was surprised by the sacking of Jim Harvey but adds: "The club decided that they needed a change. "That's nothing to do with me but I do know that Sammy McIlroy can do a good job, as he proved in the few months he was in charge while Jim was poorly. "The club wants to go forward and Sammy can help us do that and the news of the ground re-development can only help. "We want to make it into the League and I want to be part of that. "And if there was any justice we would be going up this season. In the first game against Hereford the referee cost us. "We should have gone to Edgar Street 2-0 ahead but it was 1-1 and then down there we were the better side even though we were behind a couple of times and then they snatched it. "But that is what happens sometimes and you have to pick yourself up and work towards next season." Thompson, who has spent all of his career with the Shrimps, adds: "I am really delighted to be staying and even though the season has only just finished I can't wait for next season to start."