The Shrimps, who had beaten Bournemouth 5-0 before Christmas, stepped up the pressure in the closing stages, with Paul Mullen hitting the outside of the upright, but that was their only meaningful effort.

McIlroy said: "I felt we deserved something out of the game and were denied a penalty in the closing stages.

"I can't fault the effort of the players. They did their best against, let's face it, a very decent Bournemouth side."

Source: Team Talk