Morecambe boss Derek Adams hopes the focus stays on the football during Saturday’s clash with Wanderers.

The Whites drew 1-1 on their last trip to the Mazuma Stadium thanks to Amadou Bakayoko’s dramatic late equaliser. Skipper Ricardo Santos had earlier been sent off.

However, the fixture was overshadowed by controversy following allegations of racist abuse aimed at the Bolton bench.

Adams hopes to avoid any crowd issues this time around as his side aim to boost their survival chances.

He told the Lancaster Guardian: “I think with it being an earlier kick-off, that tells you something in terms of a heavy police presence.

“We all understand what happened last time the teams were here and we don’t want to see any of that this season. It’s going to be a capacity crowd, which will make for a very good atmosphere.

“You look at Bolton, who had been in the Premier League for 11 consecutive years, and the amount of fans who travel – I think 550 or something went to Portsmouth on Tuesday, which is superb backing.

“We’ve got our season tickets at very competitive prices, which has enabled us to have 2,800 season ticket holders.

“Our fans have come to the games and have been exceptional in their support of the team, which has helped play a part in our home form.”

The Shrimps currently sit 20th in the table – only above the relegation zone on goal difference at this stage.

Adams’ side suffered a 1-0 defeat at Fleetwood last weekend, with Carlos Mendes Gomes’ getting the decisive goal.

Speaking after the game, the manager explained: “I thought we played well overall and produced a really strong performance.

“I thought we started the game better and were on the front foot and causing them problems, but then we handed them the lead with a few mistakes which gave them the chance to score.

“That was really disappointing because it came so much against the run of play and the first goal is always so important.

“The lads did what they could to get back into it and played some good stuff. We passed the ball well, got into good positions and had a really good penalty claim turned down again.

“Things are just not breaking for us at the moment, but it’s all about taking chances and we didn’t do that.”