FORTRESS Christie Park has been breached at last!

Morecambe lost at home for the first time in 14 months on Tuesday - and the fact that it was table-topping Chester City who did the damage didn't make defeat any easier to take.

But to be fair, Mark Wright's well-organised side just about deserved to edge it as they allowed the Shrimps possession of the ball for long periods but easily snuffed out any real threat to their goal.

The midfield battleground belonged to City, with Michael Stringfellow having one of his less productive nights and the running of Garry Thompson and Wayne Curtis well shepherded.

As a result, Shrimps were too often forced to pass the ball back to keeper Craig Mawson to lump it forward in an effort to by-pass the centre of the field.

Morecambe could point to a Curtis snap-shot from the edge of the box that was deflected onto the outside of a post after 34 minutes and a 42nd minute volley from Danny Carlton - following a Keiron Walmsley free kick - as decent chances carved out in the opening half.

But Chester also had their moments, the best being a Ben Davis thunderbolt from 25 yards which cannoned back off Craig Mawson's bar after the best move of the half.

The breakthrough came on 72 minutes, immediately after Shrimps boss Jim Harvey had sacrificed defender Iain Swan and Curtis to bring on Nick Rogan and Gary Hunter in a bid to win the game.

Chester broke down the right wing and a deep cross was headed back across goal to where danger man Darryl Clare just beat Mawson to stab the ball into the net from a couple of yards.

Having done the damage, Clare then left the field as Chester decided to consolidate.

In a frantic final 15 minutes, Shrimps threw everything at the visitors in the bid to hold onto the unbeaten home tag.

Danny Carlton - booked for a series of niggling fouls which were a testament to his frustration on the night - was replaced by Jamie Murphy as Harvey threw Jim Bentley forward to try to batter down the Chester back line.

But a Walmsley free kick which narrowly beat the bar and landed on the roof of the net and a Rogan header which was clawed away for a corner in the fourth minute of stoppage time were as close as they came.

MORECAMBE: Mawson, Walmsley, Bentley, Garnett, Swan (Hunter 71), Perkins, Thompson, Collins, Stringfellow, Curtis (Rogan 71), Carlton (Murphy 85)