Exeter City 3-2 Morecambe: Jay Stansfield hat-trick relegates Shrimps
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Jay Stansfield was lifted aloft by his teammates after becoming the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the EFL this season
Jay Stansfield's hat-trick sealed Morecambe's relegation from League One as he led Exeter City to victory over the Shrimps at St James Park.
The game came to life in seven second-half minutes after a flat first half, as Stansfield - on his final appearance at his boyhood club from his loan at Fulham - fired Exeter ahead.
Cole Stockton replied soon after following a defensive error, but Stansfield blasted home left-footed from 10 yards after a Morecambe mistake to see Exeter retake the lead, before hitting a right-footed effort from 12 yards for an emotional third to end his time at St James Park in style.
Stockton scored a consolation goal in the last of 14 minutes of stoppage time.
Morecambe were relegated alongside Accrington and Milton Keynes Dons after Cambridge United's win at Forest Green saw them survive.
Exeter ensured they did not register a club-record seventh successive league defeat as they ended their first season back in League One in 14th place.
Morecambe started well, with Farrend Rawson having a header saved by Jamal Blackman and Daniel Crowley firing just wide from the edge of the box in the opening 15 minutes.
Exeter had more than two thirds of the first-half possession but only had a blocked shot from Demetri Mitchell and a Will Aimson volley from a corner than flew high over the bar to show for it.
Morecambe almost went behind a minute into the second period when Mitchell's cross deflected off Jacob Bedeau and Connor Ripley did well to save.
Stansfield had an effort blocked a minute before he got the opener, as Sam Nombe picked the ball up on the penalty spot and fed Stansfield on the left who blasted low into the bottom right corner.
Morecambe had won their previous three matches to give them a chance of survival going into the final day
But Morecambe replied almost immediately as Jensen Weir's high hopeful ball upfield was allowed to drop by Aimson and Stockton nodded it over Blackman for a gift of a goal.
Nombe blazed over a minute later but Exeter did not have to wait long to go in front as a cross into the box was not dealt with by Morecambe and Stansfield fired home.
The 20-year-old completed his hat-trick when he swept in Josh Key's cross from the right from 12 yards out to pay an emotional farewell to the Grecians.
Stansfield's father Adam was a striker at the club and passed away from cancer aged 31, and Jay came through Exeter's youth ranks before moving to Fulham as a teenager.
There was disbelief at the 14 minutes of added time - Morecambe knew they were going down, having heard about Cambridge's result.
But Stockton ended with a seventh goal in four games when he smashed into the top corner.
"We needed to try and win today and that got tougher in the first half - it was 0-0 but Cambridge were 2-0 up and knowing that meant we definitely needed to win the game," Morecambe manager Derek Adams told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"I think we tried our best, 0-0 at half time, they score a quick goal in the second half and then got a second and we found it difficult after that because we were chasing the game.
"The players gave their all, not only today, but over the season, and we took nearly 900 supporters with us today, which is fantastic.
"Not too long ago we didn't have 900 home supporters, so it's fantastic that they've come with us today.
"We've had tremendous backing throughout the season, but it's not losing today, it's over the season it happens and all I can say is the players have given their best."
Shrimps fail to repeat last season's survival heroics
Morecambe will suffer relegation for the first time in their 103-year history
Morecambe surprised many when they won promotion to League One through the play-offs at Wembley two years ago, in front of a reduced crowd because of Covid.
The crowds eventually returned. As did boss Derek Adams, having initially left for a short spell with Bradford after taking the Shrimps into the third tier.
Adams worked his magic after his return, keeping Morecambe in League One on the final day of last season when many had tipped them to go straight back down to League Two.
But the realities of competing in a league with some huge names began to bite, with the club being put up for sale by owners Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring at the start of this campaign.
Whittingham and Goldring stepped down from the board shortly before rugby union side Worcester Warriors - which they also owned - went into administration, resulting in them being suspended from rugby's Premiership.
Heavyweight champion boxer Tyson Fury was linked with buying the Shrimps before they eventually agreed a takeover with 20-year-old businessman Sarbjot Johal.
As yet, that takeover is yet to go through, but Johal has put "significant" investment into the club to keep it afloat.
His first cash injection came after a delay in wage payments for March, compounding Morecambe's miserable season on and off the pitch, with survival eventually out of their grasp despite morale-boosting wins against Wycombe and Charlton towards the tail-end of the campaign.
Whether this relegation has an impact on his planned takeover only time will tell.