Boro paid dearly for a poor first-half showing, as they conceded twice in the opening 22 minutes, and despite a much-improved display after the break, they slipped to a 2-0 loss at Morecambe, as the hosts sealed a seventh successive home win.

Jono Greening’s side was without the injured Luke Hall, but Harry Green made a late appearance from the bench, his first outing since his ankle injury in pre-season.

Boro never looked like scoring in the first half, although they began brightly when Alex Purver Hannan flicked-on to Alex Wiles, who headed into the path of Mo Fadera in the area, but home skipper Liam Hogan hacked clear.

Morecambe soon got on top, with Ruben Curley firing wide, before they took a fifth-minute lead when a cross from Curley was headed inside the left-hand post by Sunderland loanee Marcus Neill.

In rare Boro forays, Wiles had a shot blocked by Hogan, and Jake Hull glanced a header wide from a Jack Waldron corner.

Boro keeper Ryan Whitley smothered a shot from Neill, then Matty Daly burst clear, and Whitley did well to save with his legs, but Morecambe went 2-0 up when Paul Lewis headed in a Ben Williams cross.

Cameron Coxe twice fired into the chest of the busy Whitley, then shortly before the interval Boro attacked, and a high cross from Waldron was fumbled by keeper Myles Boney, the ball dropping to Fadera who scuffed his shot wide.

The second half was less than two minutes old when a serious medical emergency saw a Boro fan stretchered away by paramedics after collapsing in the main stand.

Play was halted and the teams left the field as CPR was administered at the scene, and the supporter was then transferred to hospital by ambulance.

Play eventually resumed at 4.50pm after a lengthy delay of 42 minutes, and in contrast to the first half Boro more than matched the home side.

Kieran Weledji raced down the left and passed across goal to Rio Allan, whose shot was blocked by Ben Williams, an in-swinging Luca Colville corner was punched out from under the bar by Boney, and Purver Hannan won possession and fed Wiles, who burst forward but was stopped by a Coxe sliding tackle.

For Morecambe, Daly fired straight at Whitley and Alex Brown tackled Elliott Newby when he raced into the area.

On 56 minutes a Waldron cross was met by a thumping header from Will Thornton, but Boney made a terrific flying save to tip over, then Colville turned brilliantly and fired goal-wards, but Boney again made a fine save.

Allan, Weledji and Brown each went on surging runs forward for Boro, but the hosts then created three great chances, as Isaac Buckley-Rickets fired against the bar, Whitley dived to tip a fierce Curley shot onto the bar, and Whitley dived to push a deflected low shot from Teddy Collis wide.

Dom Tear, Colville and Weledji combined to set up Harvey Vincent, whose low cross was cleared by Williams.

In late Boro chances, a Green cross was side-footed wide by Vincent, a Colville strike was blocked by Coxe, and Tear’s ball into the area was booted clear by Luca Davis.

MORECAMBE - Boney, Coxe, Williams, Hogan (c), Baines, Daly (O’Kane 69), Newby (Davis 88), Neill (Blois 69), Lewis (Buckley-Ricketts 69), Cain (Collis 80), Curley, unused subs - Young (GK), Dobson.

BORO - Whitley, Weledji, Brown, Hull, Thornton (c), Purver Hannan (Green 85), Waldron (Vincent 69), Wiles, Allan, Fadera (Tear 46), Colville, unused subs - Maloney, Stuttard, Bradshaw.

REFEREE - Ben Robinson.

MORECAMBE GOALS - Marcus Neill 5, Paul Lewis 22.

GOAL ATTEMPTS - MORECAMBE 11 (10 on target) BORO 8 (2 on target).

CORNERS - MORECAMBE 3 BORO 4.

OFFSIDES - MORECAMBE 0 BORO 3.

YELLOW CARDS - Ben Williams, Ronnie Blois (Morecambe), Alex Purver (Boro).

BORO MAN OF MATCH - Luca Colville.