Morecambe FC appoints Ashvir Singh Johal as new manager

Morecambe FC has appointed Ashvir Singh Johal as the new manager to replace Derek Adams.

Singh Johal is the former first-team coach at Wigan Athletic and spent 10 years coaching at Leicester City.

At 30 years old, he becomes the youngest manager in the top five tiers of English football.

The Shrimps announced Adams' departure on Monday evening, bringing his third spell at the club to an end.

This came the day after new owners Panjab Warriors took over at the club.

"Morecambe Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Ashvir Singh Johal as the club’s new first team manager," said a club statement on Tuesday.

"He arrives at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium with an excellent reputation as a forward thinking coach and leader, bringing with him a wealth of experience in player development, tactical innovation, and building high-performance cultures.

"Ashvir spent 10 years at Leicester City, coaching players in the academy setup from U7s all the way through to U18s, during that time Leicester City went through their most successful period as a football club.

"His first experience at first team coaching came when he joined Wigan Athletic in 2022 as first-team coach in the Championship.

"In June 2025, at 30 years old, he completed his UEFA Pro Licence with the FA, the highest qualification in management and football coaching.

"His appointment marks an exciting new era for the Shrimps as the club continues its journey under fresh ownership and renewed ambition. 

This is Singh Johal's first managerial role.

He said: "I think the fans can expect someone who's extremely hard working but really proud to represent them and their town, and make sure they've got a team that really represents them on the pitch.

"Every single day that I'm here that's my responsibility, and it's something I'll make sure I achieve, and make sure that we don't leave a day where we're not working towards that objective.

"The immediate priority right now is going to be to identify the players that we need in this building to ensure Morecambe Football Club can perform well in the National League.

"I've been fortunate that my career to date has taken me through a variety of experiences. 

"I worked for 10 years at Leicester City. I'm really proud of the fact that a lot of players that I've worked with are now playing in the Premier League and Championship, and playing international football.

"From there I followed Kolo Toure as his assistant to Wigan Athletic. Unfortunately on the pitch, that wasn't the best experience, or we didn't achieve what we set out to do but I learned so much in that period which has made me a better manager and ready for this opportunity.

"After Wigan, Cesc Fabregas took me to Como in Italy as his assistant. I really enjoyed that period there, and also implemented ideas that are different to the norm in this country and that made me a better coach and manager.

"I returned to England and became manager of Notts County 'B' team. All in all I've had a lot of good experiences.

"This is about Morecambe Football Club, it's about building a team that can perform on the pitch. How do we build the processes and infrastructure behind the scenes, so the club becomes sustainable in the next few years, with a steady pipeline of players to go into the first-team.

"We want to make sure that the situation that happened in Morecambe over the past couple of years, never happens again.

"No club, no town, no people deserve that.

"I'm coming to be part of the Morecambe family. There are already some great people here, there's great people in the town. How do I bring my skills, the staff I'm bringing, how do I bring the players, to fit into that environment and make that better. That's what's going to wake me up in the morning and make sure I give my all for this club.

"I want to make sure we don't just survive in the National League, we thrive.

"First and foremost, I am now a Morecambe supporter.

"Seeing the stories in the media over the last few weeks, that made me emotional. That made me understand the essence of this club, what it means to the community, the people and the staff.

"Now it's about building and growing, and making sure that in three, four, five years' time, this is a completely energised and galvanised Morecambe Football Club that thrives in the EFL.

"I can't wait to meet our supporters at the first game, and I will do everything I can to make them proud every single day."

The club said he would take charge with immediate effect and will begin preparations for the upcoming season, wishing him every success in his new role.

One of his tasks will be to rebuild the squad, which has been affected by the departure of a number of key players during the recent ownership and financial crisis, and a transfer embargo preventing the signing of new players.

Morecambe FC announced the departure of Adams (below) in a statement on Monday.

"Morecambe Football Club, now proudly backed by Panjab Warriors would like to extend its sincere gratitude to Derek Adams for the leadership and steadiness he brought to the club during a testing chapter for the club," said a club statement.

"His return instilled direction and purpose, helping guide Morecambe into League One for the first time in their history and stabilized the team under immense pressure.

"As the club enters a new era, a strategic transition in leadership, has been made with respect and appreciation for Derek’s services.

"We wish Derek Adams every success in his future endeavours."

Also on Monday, representatives of Panjab Warriors arrived at Morecambe FC on their first full day as owners. They are pictured below with representatives from the Shrimps Trust, and Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale.

A club statement said: "Morecambe Football Club is delighted to confirm that the acquisition of the club by Panjab Warriors has now officially completed, upon National League formal approval for completion of the sale to take place," it said.

"The National League have confirmed to us yesterday that the current suspension from the National League has been lifted and once all outstanding football-related debt is paid the current (transfer) embargo will also be immediately lifted. 

"We can confirm that we have received funds from our new owners Panjab Warriors this morning to pay all outstanding wages, HMRC liabilities and all other football creditors which will all be paid by Wednesday 20th August 2025 and will be in the bank accounts of all individuals by the end of Wednesday."

A long-running saga surrounding the club ownership and finances had led to the Shrimps being suspended from the National League and unable to start the new season as scheduled on August 9.

The National League said on Sunday, that: "It is the intention for Morecambe's first National League game to be on Saturday 23 August at home against Altrincham FC."

We await confirmation from the club that this game will go ahead. It is scheduled for a 12.30pm kick-off.

The Shrimps' next scheduled fixtures are an away game against Aldershot on Bank Holiday Monday (August 25), then another home match with Woking on Saturday August 30. 

Read more: Morecambe Football Club parts ways with manager Derek Adams - Beyond Radio