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(Photo-SNS) The Disaster Seasons, Part 1- Celtic Park Celebrations and Douglas Park Despair By Russell Gordon With Morton’s season reaching its climax this evening with a trip to play opponents who have far more at stake than our own favourites, it’s perhaps appropriate that the trip to an Inverness side who are desperate for points, but thankfully not requiring to make up a goal difference deficit, falls on the tenth anniversary of Morton’s darkest day, on the park at least. The 2012-13 season was a gamble for Morton. Allan Moore had recruited well in his previous two seasons with young players such as Michael Tidser and Faoud Bachirou, picked up from the academies of much larger clubs at home and abroad and looking to relaunch their careers, and Chairman Douglas Rae opening the purse-strings to bring in more experienced campaigners such as Peter MacDonald in 2011, and in 2012, Mark McLaughlin, Martin Hardie and Kevin Rutkiewicz to make a challenge for the First Division title and promotion to the SPL. Alas, they were to fall short to a Partick side who were ultimately to prove too strong in the end and the all-or-nothing approach ended with Morton empty handed and needing a massive re-think in their strategy going forward as the club opted for a far more streamlined approach to squad building going into the 2013-24 season. While Bachirou remained under contract, most of the other big hitters moved onto pastures new, and the club took a, let’s say “novel” approach to squad building, with what was mooted to be an 8-8-8 structure, an idea apparently concocted by then club advisor, and future director and CEO Warren Hawke. In essence, the squad would consist of eight senior pros, eight less so, be they youngsters or players aspiring to achieve at First Division level, and eight kids. Fool proof, as we discovered. Morton’s biggest asset Tidser, with a year remaining on his contract made his big money move to English League One side Rotherham United for an Earth-shattering fee of, err… £50,000. MacDonald would move onto title favourites Dundee, while Hardie also departed, but only to League One Airdrie before his career fizzled out. There was however, one unnecessary departure who would come back to haunt Morton far earlier than even the most pessimistic of ‘Ton fans would have predicted. More of that later. So, Moore’s recruitment drive began, and the net was cast far and wide. In came two Slovakians- centre back Tomas Peciar and midfielder Michal Habai, Belgian-born Gambian striker Kabba-Modou Cham and Nicolas Caraux, a French goalkeeper brought in to challenge Derek Gaston for the number one jersey. On these shores, midfielders Reece Hands and Joe McKee came in from Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers respectively, along with left back Marc Fitzpatrick from Motherwell and the most high-profile signing, Dougie Imrie from local rivals St. Mirren. And things started promisingly. There was no shame in losing to Sheffield United and drawing with Tidser’s new club Rotherham a Cappielow, before Morton lost 0-1 to St. Johnstone in the departing Peter Weatherson’s testimonial, as the long-serving striker was thanked and waved off to League Two Annan Athletic. The following week, Morton visited their nearest and dearest, St. Mirren, to contest the Renfrewshire Cup at St. Mirren Park and a terrific performance saw Moore’s side blow the hosts away with that 4-2 victory thanks in no small part to a Reece Hands howitzer from range and a double from Morton’s new talisman, Cham. Happy days. A resounding victory over St. Mirren to lift the Renfrewshire Cup provided plenty of scope for optimism going into the new season. (Photo- SNS) But it didn’t take long for the cracks to appear. The Challenge Cup campaign was over before it begun. A lovely sunny afternoon in Annan in July is normally one of Scottish football’s great joys. When you go down there and lose 0-1 to a late free kick dispatched by the long-serving striker that you prematurely released a fortnight after his testimonial, it doesn’t quite have the same lustre. To add to Morton’s woes, Marc Fitzpatrick started as he would go on by following up a horrendous performance by engaging in an altercation with the furious travelling support. Lessons were at least learned the following week in the League Cup as, despite conceding a last-minute equaliser at East Fife, Morton eased through to a second round date at home to Montrose with a 6-2 extra time victory over the Fifers. The league campaign started with a comfortable, and not unexpected 2-0 home win over Cowdenbeath. With The Blue Brazil, Dumbarton and Alloa all in the division, there was reason to feel that even if Morton were to endure a more difficult season with budget cuts, there would be enough of a buffer with three part-time clubs likely to finish below them, and allowing Morton to cash in the following campaign with the inevitable arrival of at least Rangers and Hearts coming into the league from opposite directions in 2014-15. But two 1-3 defeats on the road, at Falkirk and probably more alarmingly, part-time Dumbarton, opened the eyes of many as to just how difficult a season Morton were going to endure. A comfortable 4-0 victory over Montrose earned Morton a plum League Cup draw at Celtic Park, a draw that was conducted the same day as the Glasgow side were thrown in with AC Milan, Ajax and Barcelona in their Champions League group. Perhaps the League Cup draw drew more attention in Greenock than in Glasgow! In the meantime, a home draw with Raith was followed up by another tie at Livingston before Queen of the South came to Cappielow and sauntered out with three points having not even needed to break sweat. Reece Hands’ penalty hitting the Sinclair Street car park proved a particular lowlight. And so, it was off to Celtic Park for what everyone anticipated would be a midweek League Cup hounding. I won’t go into it too much as I’ve discussed it at length in a previous article, but of course, Morton defied all odds despite the loss of David O’Brien to an injury that effectively ended his career, and a barrage of Celtic pressure, with Dougie Imrie’s penalty in the first period of extra time producing the shock of the round and sending the visiting support into raptures, ending the favourites’ treble hopes in the process. Allan Moore fell by the sword in November despite Morton's heroic League Cup win at Celtic Park two months previous. (Photo-SNS) In an eventful week for Allan Moore, he was to tragically lose his brother the following day, before Morton fell to the foot of the table with a 1-3 loss at Dens Park. Things got really desperate the other week as Alloa came to Cappielow and left with a 2-0 victory. But with a few quid pocketed from the Celtic tie, Rae sanctioned the signing of former Rangers striker Nacho Novo, who debuted in a 1-1 draw with Hamilton. Two trips to Fife would follow, with Morton suffering what would, in any normal season be by far their most ignominious result, crashing 1-5 to Cowdenbeath at Central Park, and then 1-2 at Stark’s Park. A spirited performance against St. Johnstone in the League Cup quarter final ended in despair, as Novo was penalised for charging down a free kick that should never have been awarded in the first place, before Caraux spilled the re-take, allowing Gary McDonald to score an injury time winner to send the Perth side through on a night that referee John McKendrick didn’t cover himself in glory. Morton’s 2-0 weekend victory over Dumbarton was to prove a false dawn, as they would go on a losing run of eight games that would see Moore finally relieved of his duties after a 1-5 home defeat by Livingston, Morton exit the Scottish Cup with a 0-4 mauling at Premiership Inverness and go into the new year firmly rooted to the bottom of the pile. But Rae had to go back to the drawing board and appoint a new manager. On paper, the man he plumped for looked a reasonably sound appointment. Kenny Shiels had won the League Cup two years previous during a relatively successful spell at Kilmarnock, and was seen as one of Scottish football’s more colourful characters at the time. He was certainly colourful! After a horrible new year defeat at Dumbarton, which saw disputes breaking out amongst different factions of the support in the stand and fans and players’ relatives exchanging “frank” views, things started to look up. Shiels had dipped into the transfer market in order to rebuild Morton’s failing squad, with the likes of Cham, Novo, McLaughlin, Stephen Stirling and short-term signings Craig Reid and Jake Nicholson moving on. There were a number of arrivals, some with higher profiles than others. Full backs Ben Sampayo and Jamie McCormack came in along with Rangers loanee Barrie McKay, Stuart Findlay on loan from Celtic, the notorious David Robertson, freed Rangers centre back Darren Cole, and the two celebrated, or rather costly- former Scotland striker Garry O’Connor and Hibernian loanee Rowan Vine. O’Connor and McKay combined for the latter to score the only goal as Morton registered their first away win of the season at Almondvale, before tragedy struck the following week. Only a few minutes into the home game with Queen of the South, Morton fan Andy Kemp collapsed on the Sinclair Street terrace and sadly couldn’t be resuscitated. When the game was replayed the following midweek, the club opened the gates for free, asking for donations as a thank you to St. Andrew’s Ambulance services, and attracted their biggest crowd of the season. The eventual 1-1 draw summed up Morton’s frailties as they failed to capitalise on Queens being reduced to nine men, only scraping a draw thanks to Archie Campbell’s late equaliser. Though Morton were in the middle of a five-match unbeaten run, four draws and a win did little to convince their watching public that they had the minerals to get out of the mess they were in. Consecutive home games against fellow strugglers Cowdenbeath and Alloa in February yielded a solitary point and by this stage, there was an inevitability about Morton’s fate. The 0-1 home defeat by the Wasps, which saw Dougie Imrie ordered of for a professional foul as he tried to pick up the pieces from his hapless teammates’ failings, kicked off a run of six consecutive defeats, which included 0-3 doings at Central Park and Palmerston, with Vine seeing red for reacting to the Cowdenbeath locals’ jibes on a chastening evening for the ‘Ton. Morton looked to have plumbed to their deepest low when Rae bemoaned the signing of the clearly unfit O’Connor in the national press. Things were really, really grim. The signing of former Scotland striker Garry O'Connor proved an unmitigated disaster (Photo- source unkonwn) Morton hardly proved to be April fools though, and consecutive home wins over Dumbarton and Livingston at least raised a smile before relegation was confirmed by a 0-2 defeat to Alloa at Recreation Park. We all knew it was coming, and it was perhaps comforting to get it out the way so that we could look for some green shoots of optimism. Joy of joys, Morton had the top three to play in their remaining games. Putting a spanner in Dundee’s title charge, thanks to Imrie’s late winner was great fun, possibly made better by the against-all-odds nature of the victory against a club with which there is very rarely much love lost when they meet Morton. A Rowan Vine equaliser the following week ended Falkirk’s remote title hopes, before a trip to Hamilton on the final day. There was no hiding from it- this had been a dreadful season. But things had began to improve, and we could look forward to the new season with optimism. The club held a Question-and-Answer session in the Supporters’ Club the night before the game, and Douglas Rae confirmed that Shiels would lead Morton in their charge for promotion back to the Championship. Those plans were all in tatters 24 hours later, as Hamilton, two points and eight goals behind Dundee in the title race, had to go for broke. With Accies two up in only eight minutes, it didn’t bode well for Morton. Imrie reduced the arrears before Tony Andreu completed a first half hat-trick to send Hamilton in 5-1 up at the break. Morton had a chance to restore some respectability early in the second half as Imrie was felled in the box by ex-Morton keeper Kevin Cuthbert, but the custodian redeemed himself by stopping Vine’s pathetic spot kick. By the time Imrie added his second, he merely made the score 7-2, before three goals in the final twelve minutes, with Mikael Antoine-Curier helping himself to four on the day and Stuart Findlay, one of the few successes of the season, the unfortunate scorer of Hamilton’s ninth. Elsewhere, Dundee held on to seal the title and Accies eventually joined them in the Premiership, thanks to a dramatic play-off final win over Hibs, but it didn’t prevent any accusations of corruption and resentment coming from Tayside, which still lingers ten years on. It’s easy to see why, with Morton so impressively denting their title charge just a fortnight earlier, but it was hardly inconceivable that a team who could lose 1-5 and 0-3 at ninth-placed Cowdenbeath and collect a grand total of zero points from their six away games against the three part-time teams in the division, were capable of a capitulation to a team who really had to rack up the goals. There was no hiding from it- the reason this Morton team were so heavily beaten wasn’t because they were fixing anything, it was because they were appalling. Shiels was of course to resign after the defeat- the best thing that could have happened to Morton with Jim Duffy rebuilding the squad and eventually returning Morton to the Championship at the first time of asking, while the big names, the loanees and the journeymen all moved on with few tears shed. Only Imrie and Findlay’s departures were mourned, though Bachirou’s departure was greeted with mixed reactions as he was rumoured to have gone on strike to engineer his move. While that one game was a permanent stain on Morton’s history, the whole, bizarre season was a catalogue of errors that had to be seen to be believed. Whenever someone tells you that the Morton team they are watching is the worst they’ve ever seen, those of us unfortunate enough to have seen that Morton side will always have an answer. Surely- surely, we will never see their likes again.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Morton – Match Preview by Russell Gordon The curtain comes down on the cinch Championship for another season as Morton take the long road up the A9 to visit Inverness Caledonian Thistle for a game which could confirm a second successive fifth placed finish for Dougie Imrie’s side after an up-and-down season in which they fell short of the promotion play-offs with a bit more to spare this time around. However, the hosts have a lot more at stake than pride and prize money, as they fight to avoid a place in the play-offs at the wrong end of the table and will have one eye on events at Hampden as they seek a favour from Airdrie against eighth-placed Queen’s Park, who sit a point above Thistle. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News There will likely be a few playing their last game for Morton as the annual turnover of the playing squad begins. With Lewis Strapp out, we can only hope that we haven’t seen the last of him, though it was nice to see Iain Wilson, presumed absent for the remainder of the campaign, get a place on the bench against big-spending Raith Rovers last Saturday. After a difficult afternoon for Jai Quitongo, this observer would like to see Jack Bearne get a run out from the start, given he’s contracted for next season and has impressed on his fleeting appearances from the bench. Grant Gillespie, another whose future is in doubt, could continue in midfield after another good performance last weekend, though I suspect Jack Baird may return to the fold in place of Kirk Broadfoot. After Broadfoot’s yellow card against the Fifers on Saturday took him to eleven in the league, a further booking could see him miss the start of next season, wherever that may be. There could be final appearances for the likes of Robbie Muirhead, Robbie Crawford, George Oakley, Darragh O’Connor, Alan Power, Calum Waters and Lewis McGrattan, while I suspect guys like Broadfoot, Quitongo, Jamie MacDonald and Tyler French will certainly not be returning in July. Current Connections The only Inverness player to have had the honour of pulling on the famous blue and white hoops is their loanee Ross County striker Alex Samuel, who enjoyed a season-long loan at Cappielow from Swansea City in 2015-16, notably scoring a double in an extra time League Cup third round victory over Motherwell and a late equaliser in a 1-1 Renfrewshire derby draw at St. Mirren Park in November 2015. Wallace Duffy was signed by hapless ex-Morton boss David Hopkin on loan from St. Johnstone as Morton prepared for the COVID-hit 2020-21 season, but left without playing a game as Inverness offered the centre back a more permanent deal that suited the player and his parent club more favourably than a short-term deal in Greenock. Kirk Broadfoot spent the 2021-22 season in the Highlands, helping Inverness to a third-placed finish in the Championship, and progress to the Premiership play-off final after beating Championship shock-troops Arbroath in a semi-final penalty shoot-out. They were however, dispatched 2-6 on aggregate by St. Johnstone in the final, before Broadfoot took the step down to Lowland League circus-act Open Goal Broomhill, then returning to the Championship with Morton. George Oakley had two spells with Inverness- the first an eighteen month spell from July 2017 to January 2019 under John Robertson in which he contributed to their 2018 Challenge Cup success, and a second more brief spell in the first half off last season when he was rumoured to have had a falling out with the notoriously difficult Billy Dodds, before moving onto Morton in a move that looks to have benefitted all parties other than his former employers. Morton boss Dougie Imrie also spent two seasons in the Highlands between 2008 and 2010. Tale of the Tape There’s not been much between the teams this season. The first meeting at Cappielow in October was postponed because it was a wee bit windy, so Inverness couldn’t possibly have been asked to travel to Greenock, despite Morton being forced two weeks previously to play Queen’s Park at Hampden when flooding in Greenock prevented the majority of the Morton support and even midfielder Jack Bearne even getting out of Greenock. Nothing to do with Inverness suffering an injury crisis, no. When the match was eventually played, Morton came out on top thanks to an early George Oakley goal, as the former Inverness hitman latched onto a mistake from Nikola Udjur to dink the ball into the net and give Morton a first half lead. That was doubled in the second by Jack Baird, who got on the end of a long Lewis Strapp throw in to lash Morton into a two-goal lead ten minutes from time. A late Adam Brooks header wasn’t enough to rescue a point for Duncan Ferguson’s side. As 2023 drew to a close, Morton weren’t extended the same courtesy of a postponement despite the treacherous conditions on the A9, but returned with a 0-0 draw from a pretty turgid game, very much a point gained. Things weren’t as good on Inverness’s next visit to Cappielow as Morton’s sixteen-match unbeaten run stuttered to an end with an insipid 0-2 defeat. Billy McKay’s early strike set the tone for a game that Morton just didn’t look themselves, and Sean McAllister’s free kick deceived a clearly unfit Jamie MacDonald in the Morton goal to double the Highlanders’ lead. Morton huffed and puffed with little success and were victims of a display of timewasting and game management that would have had Jose Mourinho purring from their visitors. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis After years of racking up debt with scant regard for actually paying the bills, this may be the season that the chickens come home to roost for Inverness. Losses in the region of £1 million year on year were never going to be sustainable, and it could be argued that last season’s fortunate cup run, after being given a second chance by Queen’s Park’s administrative folly only kept the wolves from the Inverness door. A poor start to this season saw Dodds emptied after having been given a two-year deal in the summer, to be replaced by former Scotland striker Duncan Ferguson. The high-profile appointment paid off immediately, with a 3-2 success at Arbroath which took Thistle off the foot of the table at the expense of Morton. Ferguson brought in striker Cillian Sheridan and midfielder David Wotherspoon and embarked on a six-match unbeaten league run, though the Irishman was to be quickly released to sign for relegation rivals Queen’s Park and Wotherspoon signed up at title-chasing Dundee United. The signing of Samuel has been a relative success, with the Welshman notching a hat-trick at big-spending Raith Rovers to give Inverness a shock win, but after that new-manager bounce in the autumn, Inverness haven’t really got going, with their only league victories since January other than that Cappielow success being consecutive wins over Arbroath and Queen’s Park last month. Since those two victories, which took Inverness up to eighth, Ferguson decided he was going to take a leaf out of his namesake Sir Alex’s book and play some mind games, making disparaging remarks about the professionalism of already relegated Arbroath, in the hope it would rile the Red Lichties players up for the visits of Morton and Queen’s Park. Ferguson indicated that Arbroath had chucked it, making numerous references to this in his pre-match press conference ahead of their televised defeat to big-spending Raith Rovers, failing to note that Arbroath had lost the previous six prior to relegation being confirmed and were in fact, out of their depth, rather than not interested in getting results. With Morton comfortably confirming their survival a fortnight ago, and Queen’s Park smashing five past poor Arbroath, while Inverness were losing to the big-spending Kirkcaldy side and failing to pick up maximum points at their cousins from Dunfermline, leaving Inverness a point behind the Spiders going into the final day. Photo - GBR Photographs. What’s Happening Elsewhere? With this being the final weekend of the regular season, most issues are resolved. Champions Dundee United will collect the trophy in front of the BBC Scotland cameras as they host play-off bound Partick, who will probably have more than one eye on Tuesday’s quarter-final against Airdrie. The Diamonds meanwhile, travel to Hampden for a match the Queen’s Park will be looking to win, or at least match Inverness’s result against Morton to confirm their Championship place for next season. Big-spending Raith Rovers will have a week off ahead of their play-off semi-final and close with the visit of Arbroath, who we bid a fond farewell to after five years in the Championship. A match that will be of interest to Morton will be the meeting of Ayr United and Dunfermline at Somerset Park. While a draw would see Morton guarantee a fifth placed finish, provided they don’t lose by any more than four goals, a Morton win would be the preferable outcome, with Dunfermline currently sitting a point behind Morton and Ayr two behind. The worst-case scenario is a sixth placed finish. In the Premiership, Livingston’s relegation could be confirmed if they fail to match Ross County’s result. The Lions travel to Fir Park, while County host Hibernian. Celtic host Hearts on Saturday while Kilmarnock travel to Govan on Sunday in the race for the title. In the race for the final Europa Conference League place, Dundee host St. Mirren, needing a win to reach that coveted fifth place. Good luck to them. League One minnows Falkirk (I might as well say it one last time) will collect the trophy at the 5th (fifth) time of asking as they host Alloa, and there’s a mammoth tie at the bottom, as Stirling host Annan, with both teams level on 38 points. With Annan’s superior goal difference, a draw will be enough for the Galabankies, while Stirling need a win to avoid a relegation play-off place. Perhaps the biggest focus however, will be on the battle to avoid meeting East Kilbride in next week’s play-off final. With three teams in the mix, Stranraer look to be the ones heading for the dreaded date with destiny. Stranraer host champions Stenhousemuir, who have bizarrely drawn their last eight games in a row, while Clyde, two points ahead, visit Elgin. Should Clyde draw, a three goal Stranraer win will send the Bully Wee into a derby day showdown with the Oystercatchers. Bonnyrigg, who host Forfar, can technically go down, but such is their goal difference advantage, it’s hard to find a scenario where that will happen. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 2nd May 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Given the jeopardy for them, it’s perhaps unsurprising to see that Inverness are favourites at 11/10, with Morton priced at 21/10 and the draw at 12/5. Morton to win to nil is 4/1, with George Oakley priced at 8/1 to score two or more goals. Match Officials Referee- Craig Napier takes charge of his fourth Morton match of the season, having officiated our first 0-0 draw at Hampden, our 4-0 Scottish cup win over Bo’ness United and the 1-1 draw with Partick. The under-fire official drew criticism in the week over his conduct when refereeing Motherwell’s 0-1 defeat at Pittodrie, with ‘Well boss Stuart Kettlewell and captain Laim Kelly particularly scathing about his behaviour. AR 1- Gordon Crawford AR 2- Kevin Buchanan

Craig and Stephen discuss Morton's riveting 0-0 draw with Raith.

Morton v Raith Rovers – Match Preview by Russell Gordon With Morton’s place in the Championship secured for another season, and their big-spending visitors Raith Rovers’ place in second all but confirmed at the time of writing, but most probably set in stone by the time the match kicks off, Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology hosts the deadest of dead-rubbers on the penultimate weekend of the season. All that is at stake for Dougie Imrie’s side is the incentive to finish fifth in the league and coin in a few more quid in prize money as they build towards next season, while their profligate visitors will have one eye on a play-off semi-final in May against Airdrie or Partick. Match tickets are available at the below link: Fanbase | Select Ticket (fanbaseclub.com) Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News With Lewis Strapp and Iain Wilson missing the remaining games, I wouldn’t expect too much by way of changes to the starting XI. It was of course, a delight to see George Oakley back in the team, and to see he and Robbie Crawford back on the score sheet. We could, as is often the case, see Grant Gillespie rotated with fellow veteran Alan Power, but after the club captain’s fine performance at Gayfield, he could possibly feel a bit hard done to if he doesn’t retain his starting berth. Darragh O’Connor could come in for Jack Baird having replaced the vice-captain on Saturday at Gayfield. Calum Waters will likely retain his starting berth in the absence of Strapp and a few soon-to-be-out-of-contract players could be making their last Cappielow appearances as Morton players, with the likes of Alan Power, Kirk Broadfoot, Darragh O’Connor, Robbies Muirhead and Crawford and (whisper it) George Oakley amongst others not yet tied down for next season as yet. Current Connections There aren’t too many connections in the two playing squads, with only Morton captain Grant Gillespie and reserve keeper Jamie MacDonald having represented the Kirkcaldy side. Gillespie spent one season in deepest, darkest Fife in season 2018-19 as they finished second in League One behind Arbroath before falling to Queen of the South in the play-off final, while MacDonald enjoyed three seasons in the Kingdom before moving onto Morton after his release this summer when the moneymen rode into town. Andy Millen can of course count Raith among his many former employers, while there are only a couple of family connections in the Raith squad, with Ross County loanee Kyle Turner, the son of ex-Morton midfielder Tommy, and Millen’s son Ross also on the books in Kirkcaldy. The full back however, hasn’t featured since their 0-1 SPFL Trust trophy semi-final defeat by Airdrie in early February after an alleged falling out with manager Ian Murray. It would appear that the big-spending Fifers’ #youbelong tagline doesn’t extend to players who have the temerity to disagree with their manager. Tale of the Tape It doesn’t make for good reading thus far. Morton visited Stark’s Park on the second day of the league season, and a performance of the ages from hapless referee David Munro set the standard for the official’s season. Having fallen behind to an early Jack Hamilton goal, Morton were two behind after fourteen minutes as the referee awarded a penalty for a Lewis Vaughan dive in the not-so-close vicinity of Darragh O’Connor, but in the clear line of Munro’s vision. Vaughan of course, doubled the big-spending Fifers’ lead from the spot and enjoyed his moment in front of the furious visiting support. It didn’t take long for Morton to make a game of it however, as Robbie Muirhead bulleted home a fantastic header from Lewis McGrattan’s pinpoint cross to reduce the arrears three minutes later. Munro then failed to send off Jack Hamilton half an hour in for a second booking on an afternoon he threw yellow cards at yellow jerseys as if it was going out of fashion. Ross Millen was also fortunate, but probably unsurprised, not to see red for an elbow on 57 minutes before Robbie Crawford stabbed home a thoroughly deserved equaliser twenty minutes from time. Alas, this was a game Morton were doomed to get nothing from, and despite Munro’s awful officiating throughout, it was Kirk Broadfoot who took the blame for big-spending Raith’s winner, as he was caught in possession on the halfway line by Callum Smith who went onto notch the winner. With Morton stretched late on, they were to concede an injury-time penalty, but MacDonald denied Josh Mullen from the spot and Morton were left with nothing from a game they deserved so much more from. Me? Still bitter seven months on? Absolutely. There could be no complaints when the moneybags Fifers came to Greenock at the end of October for a real Halloween horror show, though. Two headers from Aidan Connolly, the smallest man on the park, gave Raith a commanding lead against bottom-of-the-table Morton before Iain Wilson pulled Morton back into it early in the second half. Wilson was withdrawn on 62 minutes and Morton lost any impetus to get back into the game after that- a decision that surprised many watching given the influence he had on the game, but with Wilson still trying to get up to full fitness and with a Friday night game against Dunfermline coming up, Imrie was perhaps trying to manage the midfielder’s minutes. Morton collected their only point from Raith in their next visit to Kirkcaldy. A Morton side missing goalkeeper Ryan Mullen and star striker George Oakley looked a shadow of the team who had been unbeaten in the previous fifteen as they ground out a 0-0 draw from a pretty turgid match. In isolation, this was a decent point, but with injuries catching up with Morton, and the wheels soon to fall off, it ultimately didn’t help either side. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis Our good friends from the Kingdom have enjoyed an excellent season after their takeover last summer and subsequent spending spree. The acquisitions of the likes of Josh Mullin, Jack Hamilton and Kevin Dabrowski doubtless came at a price, while they were helped by a good relationship with Dundee when they explored the loan market. As the early season pacesetters, the big-spending Fifers went on a sixteen-match unbeaten run of their own between defeats at Airdrie in September and January. The highlight of that run was of course a December victory at Tannadice against Dundee United, and that was followed up with a late win against the Terrors at Stark’s Park in February, while they’ve enjoyed five wins in their six derbies against Dunfermline across various competitions this season. With those victories against their nearest rivals competitively and geographically, Raith have taken to rubbing their opponents’ noses in it across their social media channels, which hasn’t gone down well in some quarters, and has had the consequence of blowing up in their face later in the season, especially as United have slid into the Premiership at their expense. With the title gone, they do of course have the chance of promotion through the play-offs, but their haphazard form in recent weeks will need to be addressed if they are to get the better of Partick or bogey-team Airdrie, never mind potential top flight opponents Ross County or St. Johnstone. I suppose I should say something nice about them- their backs-to-the-wall victory at Inverness last weekend took the pressure off Morton somewhat going into last weekend’s game. Just don’t expect me to be expressing much gratitude to Lewis Vaughan for his winning goal, though! What’s Happening Elsewhere? There’s a party in Airdrie on Friday night as Dundee United roll into town with the title effectively secured. Six points and thirty-six goals better off than big-spending Raith Rovers, it’s in the bag, but a point against an Airdrie team that will be bruised from last weekend’s Firhill shellacking will finish the job in front of the BBC Scotland cameras. Dunfermline and Ayr aren’t quite safe yet, but it’ll take a lot for them to end up in the play-offs. The Pars host Inverness and only a large goal difference swing can send them down. Inverness’s plight however, is a more serious concern. With their well-publicised financial problems growing arms and legs, avoiding the drop is essential for them. While getting a result in Fife will be a tall enough order, they’ll have an eye on ninth placed Queen’s Park’s trip to Arbroath. Thistle Manager Duncan Ferguson’s disparaging remarks prior to the Red Lichties’ defeat to Morton didn’t show him or his club in the best of lights, and like our opponents this weekend, he may be advised to keep his counsel for fear of it coming back to bite him when things don’t go his way. Elsewhere in Scotland, Livingston’s inevitable relegation to the Championship could be confirmed this weekend if they lose to Ross County, while on Sunday the title contenders take on the two teams chasing the final Europa Conference League place. All I’ll say is good luck Dundee, and even that is through gritted teeth. Down in League One, with Hamilton and Alloa already having secured their play-off places, Montrose can join them if they better Cove’s result. The Gable Endies visit Kelty, while Cove travel to a Queen of the South team who aren’t quite out of the woods at the bottom of the table yet. With Annan hosting Falkirk and Stirling, two points behind visiting relegated Edinburgh City, the Binos will look at the weekend as their big opportunity to get out of the play-off place. Stenhousemuir will collect their first ever league trophy at home to Bonnyrigg, who will be looking to keep clear of bottom place, sitting two points clear of Stranraer and three ahead of Clyde. If Bonnyrigg and Stranraer, who visit Forfar, both win, Clyde will be playing for snookers on the final day to avoid going into the end of season play-off with Lowland League champions East Kilbride. After last weekend’s dramatic end to the Highland League season, eventual champions Buckie were on Thursday denied a place in the pyramid play-offs for failing to meet licensing criteria, leaving the Oystercatchers to wait for a fortnight while their opponents play out to avoid the head-to-head. An unsavoury end to the season that shows neither Buckie, the SFA, nor the SPFL in a good light in my own humble opinion. Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 25th April 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Home advantage makes Morton the slightest of favourites at 29/20, with the big spending Fifers priced at 13/8. The draw comes in at 9/4. Grant Gillespie is priced at 11/1 to score the first goal, and a draw at half time and Morton win at full time is 19/4. Match Officials Referee- Colin Steven takes charge of his second Morton game of the season, having taken the 0-0 draw in Inverness just before the new year. AR 1- Paul McAvinue AR 2- Colin McAlpine

(Photo-Russell Gordon) Greenock Morton FC AGM- 18th April 2024 By Russell Gordon This year’s AGM of Greenock Morton FC took place in the Douglas Rae Lounge at Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology last night, 18th April 2024, held by Directors Graham Barr, Michael Harkins, and Sam Robinson, with Club Secretary Alistair Joyce. There were four apologies from the board, and a further one from the assembled shareholders, but one notable absentee was Chairman John Laird. The meeting started with one point of order, raised by former Director Gordon Ritchie, who voiced his concerns about the legality of the meeting, given that it was being held over ten months since the date of the audited accounts. Graham Barr quipped in retaliation to Mr. Ritchie’s concerns that this was an oversight, putting it down to the lack of legal expertise on the club board since Mr. Ritchie’s recent departure. Mr. Ritchie responded by pointing out that this is the responsibility of the current board of directors, not former ones, and that he wasn’t comfortable with the legality of the meeting. Mr. Barr accepted this wasn’t ideal, but that the meeting would carry on regardless. Graham Barr opened with the Director’s Report, addressing the club’s second surplus in a couple of years, which was owed in no small part to cup draws against Celtic at Celtic Park and Rangers at Ibrox in consecutive seasons, while also thanking Dalrada for their annual six-figure contribution to the club. Graham Barr (Photo- Greenock Telegraph) On the park, it was noted that Morton narrowly missed out on another six-figure sum in prize money, such was the tight finish at the top of the Championship last season, with only a couple of points separating Morton in fifth from second placed Ayr United. It was accepted that the team’s form has fluctuated this season, with a terrific mid-season run sandwiched between two poorer runs at the beginning and end of the campaign- this was put down to the club’s small squad proving problematic for the manager when injuries and individual loss of form hit. On a more positive note, the club have bought a flat in the local area which will be used for players arriving from further afield and will rely on MCT for the preparation of the flat. Talks are ongoing with members of the current squad about contract renewals as the manager prepares for next season. Off the park, the club’s backroom operations were discussed, with Sam Robinson regaling a discussion with Alloa Chairman and SFA President Mike Mulraney, who previously described Morton as the mirror image of his club, in that Morton are a full-time football team with a part-time operation in the background, while The Wasps were a full-time operation supporting a part-time football team. It was revealed on releasing the club’s strategy for the future in February that addressing this is a priority, and that Morton will be focussing on commercial revenue and the launch of the Business Club, with the club having the intention of being open and transparent in how they operate. It was accepted that while there has been great progress in recent years, there is still a long way to go. Moving on, Michael Harkins went into more details on the club’s finances with the Financial Report. For the financial year ended 31st May 2023, the club posted a profit in the region of £70,000, with Morton making around £200,000 from their visit to Celtic Park in January of that year. Income for the year was around £1.5 million, with outgoings of just over £1.4 million. Morton made slightly more from their visit to Ibrox than they did from the Celtic match, and expect to make a profit close to £200,000 in the current financial year, which ends on 31st May 2024. The club have received roughly £750,000 from MCT contributions, and turning over such modest profits under community ownership is a positive compared to annual losses of c. £300,000 under the previous regime. We moved onto one proposed amendment to the Articles of Association- given that MCT had worked closely with Motherwell’s Well Society, and a lot of the wording was copy and pasted from Motherwell’s articles, a reference to “The Well Society” slipped through the net and appeared on Morton’s Articles. The proposal to correct and change this to “Morton Club Together” was passed unanimously. Next on the agenda was the re-election of Graham Barr to the board of directors, which was passed without any contest. There was no further business raised so the meeting was formally closed before a less formal discussion on matters relating to the club. I’ll not name check anyone asking questions as it wouldn’t be right to do so should they not be happy. First up was a question about contract renewals, which was met with a predictable answer that discussions are ongoing with some of the squad, but many are understandably biding their time to see if other offers come along and it would be inappropriate to comment on private negotiations. Another question was raised about the accounts relating to a period of almost a year ago, which isn’t so relevant to the club’s current position. Michael Harkins answered this by confirming it is a legacy issue with the club’s accountants, and going forward he’s hoping for accounts to be audited in August. Michael Harkins (Photo- Greenock Morton) Regarding the flat the club had purchased, while the imminent arrival of Jordan Davies from Connah’s Quay was alluded to, the question was put about more “exotic” signings, which were brushed off as unlikely but not out of the question. We then moved onto my own favourite subject of stewarding, as I queried the treatment of a friend of mine who supports Dundee United last month by the head steward, and Morton’s approach to the complaint. Happily, with the General Manager in attendance, this was addressed this morning after the meeting. Another shareholder cited his own problems with the head steward, and the treatment of his grandson by her. The GM preferred to concentrate on the stewarding team rather than one individual, perhaps understandably, but with the individual driving the team, it was pointed out that privately looking at her actions could prove a solution to the problems. Reserved seating in the stand was also brought up, and perhaps most alarmingly, problems with disabled provisions for the Hearts cup tie last month, with part of the section required for the away club’s staff. Moving on, the question was raised about the club’s youth academy. With the academy costing in the region of £100,000 a year, a third review in four years is taking place after the SFA deemed it to be one of the poorest in the country. Michael Harkins was adamant that changes will certainly be made on the basis of the findings of the latest review. With Morton’s fortunate cup draws in recent times, it was asked what contingency plans are in place for an early exit from cup competitions that doesn’t involve a trip to one of Glasgow’s big two. Sam Robinson stated that the club budget to be knocked out of the cups at the earliest possible stage and finish eighth in the Championship, and emphasised that this is why Morton are making improving commercial revenue a priority, as well as building MCT membership, and using the value of community ownership to push the Morton brand. He also confirmed a new sleeve sponsor will be announced in the near future. The club’s player of the year event was also brought up, and in particular the pricing. While the board said that sales are going well and they expect the event to sell out, they did say it would be reviewed going forward. I could be wrong, but I took that as an acceptance that they scored a bit of an own goal with their pricing policy and will learn their lesson next year. My next query was on a similar subject to my first, this time about the away fan experience at Cappielow, and more pertinently to Morton fans, how that impacts us on our travels, given that away grounds haven’t been terribly welcoming this season and Morton are regarded in most circles as having the worst facilities in the division. This was put down to cost more than anything, but it was accepted that away fans do get a raw deal. There were no promises for improvements going forward, and the TV studio makes things difficult for TV games, but the availability of the west side of the Cowshed was noted. To wrap things up, there were questions relating to the proposed community hub, and whether the club could seek UEFA funding- an unlikely source in my personal opinion, and about whether the club look at similar sized clubs, especially given Dale Pryde-MacDonald’s links to Ross County. Graham Barr said that the club are now spreading their wings a bit wider, having previously relied on a small pool of sponsors. He also said that the club want to improve their regular crowds rather than depending on positive results bringing out bigger crowds, and are working on that. I’d normally like to finish with a conclusion, but will leave it to the reader to make their own decisions off the back of this account, as I had no real positive or negative feelings on the evening’s discussions. Over to you.

Arbroath v Morton – Match Preview by Russell Gordon With only a small concern over the possibility of Morton ending up in the relegation play-offs, and the play-offs at the right end of the table now arithmetically out of reach after a dismal seven weeks or so since Morton’s sixteen match unbeaten run came to an end, the irresistible force meets the immoveable object as our favourites make what could be their last trip to Gayfield for a while to visit already relegated Arbroath. While there aren’t many fixtures in this division that either team will relish, such is the turgid form of both, this is perhaps a game that Dougie Imrie and Jim McIntyre will look towards to provide some cheer at a time that points have been at a premium for both. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News There’s no secret that injuries have played their part in Morton’s late season decline, with talismanic striker George Oakley joining Lewis Strapp on the sidelines for the visit of Dundee United last Friday. There’s no indication of a return for either, but I suspect the withdrawal of Iain Wilson at half time last week was merely a case of Imrie managing the midfielder’s game time in order to aid his recovery. Imrie’s has also had his defensive woes of late, but he can consider himself lucky that Jack Baird hasn’t received a call from the Compliance Officer, after Morton’s vice-captain appeared quite conclusively to stamp on United striker Louis Moult in the first half of Friday’s defeat to the league leaders. There must have been fears that Baird would be facing at least a two match ban, but those appear unfounded. The manager could rotate again, with the likes of Michael Garrity and Jack Bearne pushing for Jai Quitongo’s place in the side, and the possibility of Robbie Muirhead dropping back should Oakley make a return to the starting XI. Current Connections Since the departure of Bobby Linn from Arbroath last summer, the only remaining player connecting the two clubs is between the Arbroath sticks. Derek Gaston was a popular figure in his seven years at Cappielow between 2012 and 2019, after arriving from Albion Rovers. making a significant contribution and bagging a League One winners’ medal in 2015 as Morton returned to Scotland’s second tier. After leaving Morton in 2019, Gaston moved onto newly promoted Arbroath, who allowed him to go part time to let him concentrate on furthering a career in coaching. Gaston’s contribution at Gayfield has been equally significant, playing a pivotal role in the Red Lichties’ incredible 2021-22 season in which they were pipped to the post for the Championship title by Kilmarnock. Though he hasn’t seen as much first team action this term, this may well be the last time the Arbroath custodian comes face-to-face with his former employers. Tale of the Tape It’s quite inconsiderate of Arbroath to go and get relegated, just as Morton finally manage to break their hoodoo against our friends from Angus. Their final win of their incredible run of thirteen games without defeat in the fixture came in August at Cappielow, as Arbroath registered a 3-0 victory over Morton as the visitors recorded their first league success of the campaign on a day the Morton’s early season optimism evaporated in alarming fashion. Kirk Broadfoot was penalised for handball in the box in the twentieth minute, allowing Michael McKenna to convert from the spot to give the visitors a surprise lead. That lead was doubled with fourteen minutes remaining when Iain Wilson, debuting on his return to the club from Queen of the South, turned the ball into his own net, before Joao Balde put the lid on a miserable afternoon for the ‘Ton by adding a fourth right on the final whistle. The hoodoo though, was finally broken in early December when Morton travelled to Gayfield and included the returning Lewis Strapp in the matchday squad. With their early-season injury woes beginning to clear, Lewis McGrattan got on the end of a beautiful through ball from Jack Bearne to give Morton a first half lead before Arbroath stalwart David Gold levelled the affair on the hour. However, with eleven minutes to go, Morton utilised a weapon that they had been deprived of all season, as Strapp’s long throw was nodded on by Robbie Muirhead and landed at the feet on George Oakley, who turned and rifled the ball into the net to give Morton a long overdue victory. Arbroath’s visit in January was a more straight-forward affair, though Morton did make heavy work of their 3-0 victory against ten-man Arbroath who lost the experienced Keghan Jacobs to two quickfire bookings in the 25th and 26th minutes. It took two penalties, from Robbie Muirhead on 63 minutes and Grant Gillespie in the 82nd, sandwiching a fine 75th minute George Oakley goal to give Morton the points against an Arbroath side for whom relegation was beginning to loom large by that stage of the season. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis There’s no hiding from it, Arbroath have endured a miserable campaign, with their relegation rubber stamped last weekend by a 0-5 Somerset Park drubbing. They’ve failed to pick up a single point since their remarkable, and not-at-all-funny 3-2 comeback victory over big-spending Raith Rovers. Seven consecutive defeats have followed, and over the course of the season there have been a number of heavy drubbings, with a 0-17 aggregate to champions-elect Dundee United the most damning statistic. The departure of long-serving manager Dick Campbell after their shock Scottish Cup exit to League Two Spartans ended up quite a messy affair, and the appointment of his successor, man-of-many-club Jim McIntyre, just hasn’t proven to be a success on any measurable scale. I spoke to our friend from the east coast, Ewan Smith (@ewansmithpr) about Arbroath’s dismal campaign and his hopes for the match and going forward in League One: “With relegation confirmed after a 0-5 defeat by Ayr last week, it’s all about pride for Arbroath. In truth, it’s been an incredibly difficult season for all at Gayfield. The horrendous injury situation, that at one point saw twelve players sidelined, had a hugely detrimental impact on the club and forced its hand into making emergency signings. But the simple fact is that the team hasn’t been good enough over the course of the season to survive. They deserve to finish bottom. There have been a lot of poor performances and too many uncharacteristic hammerings. The club’s success was built on a solid backline, but injuries and loss of form have driven a wedge through that. Where does the club go now? Financially, it’s on a solid footing. The club has made a lot of sound commercial decisions and has strong links to local businesses and the wider community. But on the park there needs to be, and will be, a big rebuild job. It’s not going to be easy, but the re-signing of key player Scott Stewart on a new two-year deal is a welcome boost and he’ll be a crucial player going forward. There is such a strong affinity between players such as Stewart, David Gold, Tam O’Brien, Michael McKenna and Derek Gaston., and if Arbroath can hold onto their core players and add quality then they can make a fist of it next term. Until then though, they need to make an impact in their final three Championship games. Morton used to be a game Arbroath fans relished, on the back of an unbeaten record that evaporated this season. But on the back of a public meeting between manager Jim McIntyre, long-serving David Gold and the fans, it will be interesting to see how the team and the home support react.” What’s Happening Elsewhere? After United’s resounding victory at Cappielow last Friday, the winning post is in sight for Jim Goodwin’s side, who sit six points clear at the top of the pile with only three games remaining. The Arabs will have their eyes glued to their TVs on Friday night, as big-spending Raith Rovers’ visit to an Inverness side who dragged themselves out of the relegation play-off place with a vital win at Hampden that saw them overtake their hosts Queen’s Park, last weekend. Should the lavish-spending lino cutters fail to win, a victory for United at home to Ayr will see the champagne corks popping at Tannadice, although in truth, such is their massive goal difference advantage, any result in Inverness coupled with a Dundee United victory will effectively guarantee the title. More pertinently for Morton- should Raith win on Friday, a Morton victory would mean that the Highlanders could only finish level on points with Morton at the season’s conclusion, and that would rely on them beating the ‘Ton at the Caledonian Stadium on the final day. The other match directly affecting Morton is Queen’s Park’s visit to Dunfermline. With the Spiders sitting five points behind Morton, the ‘Ton could be guaranteed to finish above the Glasgow side should results go as hoped. Heaven forbid, Morton lose and both Inverness and Queen’s Park win, but we’ll worry about that at 5pm on Saturday! In the final match, Partick host Airdrie in a dress rehearsal for the play-off quarter final. Yuck. Elsewhere in Scotland, the Scottish Cup semi-finals take centre stage, as Celtic face Aberdeen at Hampden on Saturday and Morton’s quarter-final conquerors, Hearts, travel to the National Stadium to face Rangers. With the League One, League Two and Lowland League titles all done and dusted, there’s a box office finish to the Highland League season, with Buckie Thistle sitting in the box seat, on 78 points with a goal difference of 63 goals, while nearest challengers Brechin City are also on 78 points, but with a goal difference of 61 goals. Buckie have scored nine more goals and host Keith in their final game, while Brechin travel to Brora Rangers. Fraserburgh can technically still win the title, but sit three points behind the two favourites with a goal difference of 54. They do host league whipping boys Strathspey Thistle, but the likelihood of both losing while they make up the considerable goal difference is remote. The eventual champions travel to K-Park to play Lowland champions East Kilbride next Saturday for the play-off semi-final first leg, before hosting the Oystercatchers in a fortnight’s time for a crack at whoever finishes bottom of League Two, with Clyde currently occupying the dreaded Club 42 spot. Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 18th April 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Morton are clear favourites going into the match, despite their woes of recent weeks. The visitors are priced at 8/15, with Arbroath at 4/1 and the draw at 3/1. Grant Gillespie to score anytime is 15/8 and Morton to be leading at half time and to win at full time is 6/4. Match Officials Referee- Callum Scott officiates his second Morton game of the season, having stood in the middle of their 4-1 League Cup Group Stage victory over Edinburgh City. AR 1- Daniel McFarlane AR 2- Elliot Husband Powton