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  1. (Photo- GBR Photos) Raymond’s Revolution, Resignation and Relegation By Russell Gordon Transfer deadline day, be it at the end of August or January, is in the modern era of football a date marked in the diary of fans of every football club, and often a day that we all go through the emotional ringer, as we hope to hold onto star players that bigger clubs are sniffing around, shift on guys who haven’t lived up to expectations, or bring in the final pieces of the jigsaw to allow for the season’s ambitions to be fulfilled. But for Morton, the 31st of August 2018, five years ago today, was a deadline day like no other. Morton had gone through quite a summer of transition- Jim Duffy was relieved of his duties with a year remaining of his contract in spite of a relatively successful four years in the Cappielow hot seat, taking Morton up from League One at the first attempt and enjoying two relatively successful years in the Championship before a somewhat mediocre season which led many on the terraces, and perhaps the inner sanctum of Cappielow to believe that he had gone a bit stale and it was time for a change. Added to that was the sad passing of Morton’s benefactor, and former Chairman, Douglas Rae in June. With his son Crawford having taken over the role shortly before his father’s death, the decision was made to push the boat out for promotion to the Premiership. Season tickets were significantly reduced from around £300 to £200 and the club enjoyed extremely healthy sales, and the man entrusted with guiding Morton to the land of milk and honey was former Dundee United boss Ray McKinnon, a bit of a nemesis of Duffy’s in his Raith Rovers days, taking twelve points from twelve against a very good Morton side in 2015-16, before moving onto a less successful spell at the poisoned chalice that is the home dugout at Tannadice. The Rebuild And Start To The Season With some of the more high-profile stalwarts of the Duffy era, such as Ricki Lamie, Jai Quitongo, Thomas O’Ware, Gary Harkins and the mercurial Ross Forbes heading onto pastures new, McKinnon set about assembling a squad for the challenge ahead. Former ‘Ton heroes Chris Millar and Jim McAlister returned to their old stomping ground, although questions were raised about the decision to allow Andy Murdoch’s contract to expire for him to head onto newly promoted Ayr United. Keeper Ryan Scully came in to dislodge Derek Gaston, along with defenders Reghan Tumilty, Gregor Buchanan, Rory McKeown and Kerr Waddell, as well as Charlie Telfer from Dundee United and Motherwell loanee Ross McLean, and the marquee signing of Denny Johnstone from Birmingham City. The League Cup campaign wasn’t great, but could be put down to McKinnon’s new squad taking time to gel. Having led through a Michael Tidser free kick at Somerset Park, a Lawrence Shankland hat-trick sent the ‘Ton faithful home with a bloody nose. They were effectively out the tournament following a 1-2 defeat at Firhill a few days later before resounding victories over the group’s makeweights, Stenhousemuir and Albion Rovers. The league campaign started with a disappointing 2-2 draw with Queen of the South at Cappielow, with Morton giving up a two-goal lead through Tidser and McLean in the last 20 minutes to settle for a point. However, a Chris Millar double against Alloa gave Morton their first three points on the road. After a shadow side exited the Challenge Cup at Dumbarton, title favourites Ross County were next to visit Cappielow and it was Morton’s turn to come from behind. It took Tidser only a couple of minutes to cancel out Don Cowie’s opener on the hour, and a Bob McHugh goal sent Morton to the top of the league. Brilliant, what could possibly go wrong? A 2-1 win over title favourites, and eventual champions Ross County was the highlight of McKinnon's tenure, a mere six days before jumping ship. (Photo- GBR Photos) Deadline Day Departures The following Friday was a busy day for the club- after a morning training session, the squad descended on Cappielow for their annual photo session, with the supposedly affable gaffer adding in a very nice touch of asking the background staff that often go unnoticed to join in an extended group photo in a show of solidarity that appeared to show that this was a tight-knit group, all pulling in the same direction. Not a bit of it. After what by their deluded expectations was a poor season in 2017-18, Paul Hartley’s haphazard recruitment saw Falkirk suffering a very slow start to the new season, and the former Morton loanee was handed his P45. The Bairns had been rumoured to be after Ayr boss Ian McCall, but those rumours quickly dissipated and at some point on that glorious late summer’s day, the wheels were put in motion for a move to Grangemouth for McKinnon and his assistant, Darren Taylor, after only three months and three league games at Morton. Crawford Rae noted in his Club Statement that having left the Parklea training ground in high spirits after the morning session, and discussed the approach and tactics for the following day’s trip to Firhill, he was called by Falkirk’s representatives with a view to appointing his manager, an approach that was swiftly rebuffed. Soon enough, the story was out, and despite McKinnon and his pal’s smiling faces in front of the cameras, it was straight out of Cappielow and off to meet their prospective new employers. Within six hours of that first phone call, Falkirk announced their new manager, none other than former Morton boss, Raymond McKinnon. The reaction from the Morton support, and from inside Cappielow was one of fury, whilst the Falkirk support took great pleasure in their club’s ability, at what at the time they saw as being at their lowest ebb, to come in and help themselves to the manager of a comparatively high-flying rival. It was ironic to see that on the day, Falkirk also added Rangers striker Zak Rudden to their squad. One wonders if the striker would have been on McKinnon’s radar to bring to Morton had he not decided to jump ship without notice? McKinnon looked to have assembled what had the makings of a squad that could have challenged at the top end of the table before his abrupt departure. (Photo- GBR Photos) What Happened Next? With a makeshift coaching staff led by John Sutton and Derek Anderson on the touchline, Morton would lose 0-1 at Firhill before appointing former Finnish international Jonatan Johansson as McKinnon’s replacement and a descent down the table ensued. In truth, Johansson’s defensive style never endeared him to the Morton support, and with his wife helping to make a club that never lacked comedy value even more of a soap opera with her social media interactions, Cappielow wasn’t a happy place for the majority of the season. One happy day though, was the return of McKinnon with his Falkirk team, seven weeks after his departure. With the Greenock Telegraph stoking the resentment in the Morton support by handing out red cards with McKinnon’s image alongside the message “Judas”, Falkirk planned an alternative route to Cappielow (whatever on Earth that may have been!) for “security reasons” but the only bloody noses they got were on the park, as Bob McHugh’s goal sent them back home pointless. Greg Kiltie's magnificent goal gave Morton the lead over McKinnon's Falkirk on a bad tempered night in Greenock, but the Bairn's battled back to deny Morton full points. (Photo- GBR Photos) Both teams continued to struggle as the season progressed, although Falkirk did have spells that you felt they were beginning to click only to prove false dawns. A couple of draws between the teams, 0-0 in December in Grangemouth and 1-1 in a bad-tempered affair marred by crowd trouble at Cappielow, saw both clubs in a relegation battle alongside Queen of the South, Partick and Alloa. With Alloa being that season’s “Arbroath” for Morton, it looked as though the points the ‘Ton were leaking to the Wasps could prove to be their downfall, but on a critical night that Morton collected a solid point at Somerset Park, Falkirk looked to have claimed a vital three points with a late winner at Palmerston. However, with it taking an age to clear the celebrating Falkirk fans from the pitch, Queens’ went straight up the park and won a penalty, Stephen Dobbie converting to deny Falkirk at the death. But the relegation battle really came to a head when Morton visited Falkirk on the third last game of the season in what looked pre-match to be a winner-takes-all encounter. A defeat would have sent Morton to the bottom of the table, but we needn’t have had any fears, as second half goals from Kilmarnock loanee Greg Kiltie and Charlie Telfer rooted Falkirk to the bottom of the table with only a trip to Tannadice and the visit of champions Ross County remaining. Kiltie and Charlie Telfer were the architects of Falkirk's downfall on a memorable afternoon in Grangemouth as Morton delivered some sweet retribution on their former boss to effectively send their hosts into League One. (Photo-GBR Photos) McKinnon had taken Ross McLean to Falkirk in January, and had been rumoured to be after Morton’s star man Michael Tidser, but the midfielder’s excellent performance contributed more than most to Morton’s fine victory. In the following two weeks, Morton secured their survival and incredibly, a top half finish before Johansson resigned on a bizarre final day which saw the Morton support toasting Falkirk’s relegation alongside the Dundee United fans, who had Dundee’s demotion to the Championship on the same day to enjoy. Not slow to immerse themselves in Falkirk and McKinnon’s misery, the Tele’s Twitter response to their penultimate day reverse at Tannadice was succinct and more effective than anything I could ever say in a couple of thousand words about the whole affair. “Lol” indeed. For McKinnon, it was relegation despite victory over County on the final day, before he helped himself to the out-of-contract Buchanan, Tidser and Telfer from Morton. But Falkirk were found guilty of tapping McKinnon and forced to pay an SPFL fine and compensation to Morton, coming to an estimated total of £100,000. For what? A place in League One. Michael Tidser's magnificent performance helped Morton to a vital victory in that crucial match in Grangemouth, but the decision to move onto Falkirk proved to be a foolish one from a footballing perspective. (Photo- GBR Photos) Where Are They Now? Of all the parties involved, Morton are undoubtedly in the best place. A club mired in controversy for years have settled under fan ownership and have finally got a manager in the club who has it upwardly mobile, despite the odd setback like last weekend. Falkirk on the other hand, are still festering in League One for a fifth successive season, having seen Raith Rovers, Partick Thistle, Cove Rangers, Queen’s Park, Dunfermline Athletic and Airdrie all winning promotion at their expense. They’ve seen boardroom shenanigans at almost every turn, often in the full view of the Scottish football public, and massive losses year on year as they throw money at promotion. Perhaps this year will be their year, but at what cost? Make your own mind up whether that is a statement or a question. Most of his players, and the subsequent ones to leave Morton for Falkirk, haven’t enjoyed any real success, with Michael Tidser’s short lived spell being the most high profile. Buchanan and McLean have dropped down the divisions, and only Telfer is playing Championship football, ironically having won promotion at Falkirk’s expense last season. For McKinnon, the axe fell in November 2019, the first of a number of Falkirk bosses who have failed to return them to the Championship. He did however, move onto Queen’s Park, where their relative riches allowed him a more pleasant passage to League One than his previous journey, but he was removed from his post before the season started. Currently the manager of Forfar Athletic, it’s clear a leopard doesn’t change his spots, as he appeared to resign from his Station Park role over the summer to take up the position of Duncan Ferguson’s number two at Forest Green Rovers, before Big Dunc was given his jotters, forcing McKinnon to go back with his tail between his legs having failed to plant himself in a role in Nailsworth. He was believed to have blamed goings on in the background at Cappielow, with then CEO Warren Hawke not receiving complimentary reviews from the bold Raymond, and some club sponsors also being cited as reasons for his departure. But, despite his promises at the time that one day the truth would come out, he’s never publicly spoken about his time in charge of Morton, and I for one doubt he ever will - he was approached by the Morton Forum for a podcast interview when in charge at Queen’s Park, but immediately declined. Whilst that day was one of many catastrophic ones in the last few years of following Morton, it’s fair to say it all worked out well in the end and we dodged the biggest of bullets with Raymond. There was a point in that season that Falkirk’s in house media described him as “honest as the day is long”. I for one, wouldn’t buy a car from him.
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  2. (Photo-gmfc.net) 1922 And All That- Morton’s Finest Hour And A Half By Russell Gordon One hundred years to the day. A lot has happened since- we’ve had another World War, the creation of the BBC and the NHS, the reconvening of a Scottish Parliament, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the formation of the EU and Britain’s decision to join and its decision to leave, not to mention the death of our opponents from that famous day amongst many other changes. In football, the World Cup was yet to see the light of day, and European competition hadn’t even been thought of. What isn’t terribly well known is that seven years previously in 1915, Morton had in fact won the War Shield- an equivalent knock-out tournament that was arranged as the Scottish Cup went into an abyss throughout the First World War. Stanley Seymour notched the winner against Rangers in a 2-1 victory as Morton took home the Shield. I can’t find any reports from the final itself but assume Rangers’ goal was a penalty. But it wasn’t until the 1919-20 season that the Scottish Cup was again competed for, after being shelved for five years. Successes for Kilmarnock (having trailed Morton 2-0 in the Semi Final and beaten Albion Rovers in the Final) in 1920 and for Partick Thistle in ’21 must’ve drawn envious glances from Greenock, but Morton’s day was to come in 1922. The club was enduring a stop-start season, with their home form in the league greatly contrasting their form on the road. Morton had suffered only two defeats at Cappielow- a 1-2 loss to eventual cup final victims Rangers in November and a 0-3 capitulation to Clyde in January. There were some notable league wins; 2-1 against Aberdeen, and 5-1 and 4-0 pastings of the previous two seasons’ cup winners; Kilmarnock and Partick, respectively. They failed however, to win away from home until defeating Albion Rovers 2-1 at Cliftonhill on the 3rd of January- the day after that 0-3 home defeat by Clyde! Whilst the away form was disappointing, the greatest indicator of this inconsistent form perhaps came a week after Morton’s demolition of Killie in December as, a week later they travelled to Falkirk (remember them?) and were hammered 0-7. Merry Christmas. On a more positive note, Morton got the upper hand across the two Renfrewshire derbies, winning 2-1 at Cappielow and collecting a point from a 1-1 draw at Love Street. They were to end the season 12th in a 22-team league and finished the campaign drawing with Celtic at Cappielow as the Glasgow side took the title on the final day, but their fans were to be attacked with rivets from the shipyards as the infamous Cappielow riot ensued. Morton's hero of the road to Hampden ,George French would tragically miss out on the club's biggest day. But it was on 28th January the cup campaign kicked off, with a routine 4-0 victory over non-league Vale of Leithen. Goals from Bobby McKay and a George French hat-trick saw the ‘Ton ease through against the Innerleithen side. It wasn’t quite so straight forward a fortnight later though, as a Clydebank side who would eventually be relegated from Division One would prove far more stubborn opposition, cancelling out a first half McKay opener to earn a Valentine’s Day replay on their own turf. There was to be no cup romance for the underdogs though, as Morton made no mistake second time around. It was the McKay and French double act again that were to make the difference- this time a first half double from the former, before the latter added a third in the second half. A last minute Bankies consolation took a bit of gloss off a fine result, but Morton had negotiated what could’ve been a very tricky replay with minimum fuss. Next up was the visit of Clyde to Cappielow in Round Three, which saw a resounding victory against the Bully Wee, gaining revenge for that league reverse the previous month. No prizes for guessing where the goals came from- McKay netting the first before French’s double sent Morton in 3-0 up at the break. With the clock running down, Alex McNab added a fourth before Morton keeper Davie Edwards was denied a shut-out by another last-minute consolation. There was to be a major upset on the day though as eventual champions Celtic were knocked out by Hamilton Accies, 3-1 at Douglas Park. A door had been opened for Rangers to end their 19-year hoodoo without collecting the cup. Or so they thought. Trainer William Kennedy and Manager Robert Cochrane plot the downfall of Rangers. Onward it was to Fir Park for a Quarter Final tie that would send a chill down the spines of Morton fans in modern era. Whilst our two cup defeats of the last couple of seasons there have been not only respectable, but very unfortunate, we’ve seen a 0-2 a 0-3, a couple of 0-4s and a 0-6 in both the Scottish and League Cups in my time watching Morton, just off the top of my head. But in 1922, Morton were to come out on top- the only time they have ever won at Fir Park in the Scottish Cup. In a thrilling tie, Alf Brown was to give the visitors a first half lead, and it took until the 75th minute for the Steelmen to restore parity. Any hopes they had of heading to Cappielow for a replay were dashed four minutes from time though as George French was again to prove the hero for Morton, banging home the winner for the good guys. Semi Finals, here we come! The Semi Finals saw champions Rangers play cup holders Partick Thistle and Aberdeen face Morton. With both Hampden and Celtic Park being used for league games on the day of the Rangers v Partick tie, it was agreed that Ibrox would host the tie between the two Glasgow clubs. It’s been suggested that money may have changed hands in order to soften the Jags’ stance on neutrality, but those were never proven, and I can’t imagine that two clubs with such proud moral fibres would ever indulge in the passing of brown envelopes, so we’ll move swiftly on. 58,000 saw the holders fall to the Light Blues; Rangers winning 2-0 thanks to a goal from Geordie Henderson and a Sandy Archibald penalty (of course). George French doubles Morton's lead in the Semi-Final win over Aberdeen at Dens Park. (Photo- The Courier) But it was a trip to Dens Park for Morton to face the Dons in front of 25,000 on the 1st of April. There were to be no April Fools on the Morton side though, as the Greenock’s finest produced a scintillating performance to shock the favourites and proceed to the first Scottish Cup Final in their history. Once again, George French was to prove the hero with a first half double, which was added to by Alex McNab in the 52nd minute. Again, Morton were to concede late on, but the damage was done, and we were in the cup final! There was only the small matter of Rangers in the way of Morton and glory. How Cup Final Day looked a century ago from Mount Florida. So, Hampden it was- in front of 75,000 people one hundred years ago today. Morton were undoubtedly the underdogs, and were dealt a massive blow with the absence of star striker George French on the big day through injury. That the man who had scored nine goals en route to Hampden would miss out on Morton’s big day, and against their toughest opponents of their cup campaign, was a terrible disappointment for both the player and boss Robert Cochrane. The final itself wasn’t a classic, with difficult weather conditions not helping to make a spectacle of a game that was reported to have been littered with fouls, so much so that Rangers were reduced to ten men, with captain Andy Cunningham forced to retire with a broken jaw in those days before substitutions were permitted. Oh well, never mind. Morton's hero on the big day, Jimmy Gourlay was the first player ever to score from a free kick in a Scottish Cup Final. By that point however, Morton were already a goal to the good. Rangers’ keeper Willie Robb had been penalised for overcarrying the ball from his box and Jimmy Gourlay scored from the resultant free kick to give Morton a twelfth minute lead. The ‘Ton were forced to defend for long spells to hold onto their lead as Rangers’ winger Alan Morton tormented the underdogs’ defence all afternoon and a succession of corners came to nothing before the referee’s final whistle signified the single greatest moment not only in Morton’s then 48-year history, but in the history of sport, and possibly in the history of anything, truth be told. It was the job of Provost W.B. McMillan to accept the trophy on Morton’s, and the town’s behalf, his last duty as Provost a month before his death, having acted as Morton’s President for some 27 years. Champagne was borrowed from Queen’s Park as Morton had, perhaps cautiously decided not to pack any for their big day, but the celebrations weren’t quite in full swing as the team caught a train to Hartlepool for a friendly which had been previously arranged for Monday the 17th. On their return to Greenock, 10,000 gathered at Cappielow to toast their heroes and the cup took its rightful place in the Cappielow boardroom (or pavilion, as it probably was at the time). A cartoon depicting Morton's day of glory in the Hampden rain. There were three remaining league fixtures after the final, including of course that draw that saw Celtic take the title on the final day before being sent on their way after a day of violence on East Hamilton Street as Cappielow attracted it’s biggest ever crowd, officially 23,500; but whilst that day belonged to Celtic, nothing was ever going to detract from Morton’s monumental achievement in bringing the cup to Greenock for what to date, was the only time ever. When will we see their like again? Scottish Cup Final, 15th April 1922 Greenock Morton (Gourlay, 12) 1-0 Rangers Morton: Edwards, McIntyre, R Brown, Gourlay, Wright, McGregor, McNab, McKay, Buchanan, A Brown, McMinn. Rangers: Robb, Manderson, McCandless, Meiklejohn, Dixon, Muirhead, Archibald, Cunningham, Henderson, Cairns, Morton. Referee: T Dougray (Bellshill) Attendance: 75,000. Thanks to Leon Mooney for his copies of archive match reports, the images provided and for fact checking the article. Other information taken from The Official History of the Scottish Cup: The Story of Every Season 1873-2016, by David Potter and Phil H Jones. All uncredited images are courtesy of Leon Mooney.
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  3. (Photo- www.tellhimhespele.com) The Flying Finns by Russell Gordon Tuesday's deadline day drama certainly had us all glued to our phones, in what was perhaps the most exciting day of positive movement in and out of Cappielow since the inception of the windows, around a generation ago. Even when Douglas Rae opened the purse strings in the January of 2015 to bolster our promotion charge with the signings of Peter MacDonald, Ross Forbes and the re-signing of Declan McManus, our enthusiasm was tempered by the farcical nature of Michael Tidser's arrival in spite of his ineligibility to actually play until the following season. But with the arrival of Finland Under 21 international Jaako Oksanen on loan from Brentford, it was only natural that those of us of a certain vintage looked back fondly to Nordic influxes of days gone by. I wouldn't be doing them justice to attempt to write about the Great Danes of the 1960s, such as Kai Johansen, Carl Bertlesen, Borge Thorup, Jorn Sorenson, Preben Arentoft and the man in black, Erik Sorenson; but my memory does stretch back to the arrival of Finland internationals Janne Lindberg and Marko Rajamaki in the autumn of 1994. We were first exposed to Janne a month before his arrival at Cappielow when he played for Finland in their opening Euro '96 qualifier against Scotland, inadvertently assisting John Collins' goal as his clearing header fell nicely on the Scotland midfielder's left foot, for him volley the national team into a 2-0 lead in Helsinki, a result Scotland would hold onto as they started what would become a successful qualifying campaign. One of world football's most iconic figures of the 1990s... tussles with French midfielder Didier Deschamps. (Photo-Getty Images) The autumn of 1994 wasn't a happy time at Cappielow. The club had been relegated to the Second Division for the first time in their history, amidst a season-long injury crisis the previous year, and league reconstruction that saw Morton being amongst five clubs relegated from the First Division. A stuttering start to the campaign in '94 did little to suggest that Morton would be pushing for a speedy return to the First Division though, only for them to turn up at Shielfield Park in Berwick with two trialists from Finnish club MyPa47 in the ranks. The result on the day wasn't to be a positive one, as Morton fell to their third league defeat in a row, 1-2 to the hosts having previously fallen 0-1 to Clyde at Cappielow, and suffered a 0-3 hosing at Palmerston Park. But it didn't take Allan McGraw and the board long to decide to take the plunge on Janne and Marko, and a fee of £250,000 found its way to Kouvola, unthinkable for Morton in these times. The signings of the Finns were by no means a quick fix, as results remained inconsistent towards the festive period. Whilst over a quarter of a century has passed, and my memory could be playing tricks on me, the Scottish Cup tie against Kilmarnock in my mind proved to be the turning point of the season, against what was a very good Premier Division team at the time. My standout memories from the 0-0 draw at Rugby Park in late January were Stephen McCahill's header narrowly clearing Dragoje Lekovic's crossbar to deny us a shock win, and the imperious performance on Janne on the day. Alas, Morton were to suffer a narrow extra time replay defeat by the Ayrshire men at a bouncing Cappielow, but kicked on from there, with three wins in February, including an absolutely crucial 1-0 win over Stenhousemuir, only a week after their incredible Scottish Cup slaying of Aberdeen; courtesy of a goal and fantastic performance from Marko. But Morton being Morton, it was never going to be that easy, and a sticky patch in March kept things interesting in what was to be a four-way battle for promotion between ourselves, Dumbarton, Stirling and Stenny. Things were to come good the following month though with crucial wins against East Fife and Clyde, before a memorable 4-3 win on their return trip over the border set up what was effectively a title decider against Dumbarton. Of course, it was all to end joyously, as Marko's incredible goal put the icing on the most delicious of cakes, and we retook our place in the second tier at the first time of asking, bagging a nice little silver pot in the process. Derek McInnes was to win the Player of the Year award, but it would be foolish not to acknowledge the contribution of our two imports. Whether Morton would've been in the promotion race without them is seriously doubtful. A couple of awestruck admirers watch on as Janne launches a Morton attack at Ibrox in 1995. (Photo- Chris McNulty) What wasn't in doubt though, was that Morton with their two Finnish stars were a force to be reckoned with, as they took the following season by storm, with Janne, Derek McInnes and Alan Mahood pulling the strings in midfield and Marko providing a flair on the wing that is still spoken about in glowing terms even now. Whilst there were a number of great performances and results that season, particularly early on, it was on Morton's visit to St. Mirren in late September that Marko perhaps produced his finest performance in a Morton shirt, as he absolutely tormented the Saints defence in a 4-1 win, cementing his place not only in the hearts of the Morton support, but as a hate-figure amongst the Buddies faithful. What a man. Of course, that incredibly exciting team was to come up just short, owing in no small part to the departure of Derek McInnes to Rangers and the season-ending injuries to Janne and Alan Mahood. Marko was to continue to do his bit to drag us through, with vital goals in the run in against Hamilton, both home and away and an admittedly howling miss in the vital 1-0 win at home to fellow promotion hopefuls St. Johnstone. He was of course to equalise in the final day showdown against Dundee United, but Morton were left to rue their misfortune and look forward to the following season. Marko leads the charge in a 3-0 win against Clydebank at Cappielow, on the opening day of the 1996-97 season. (Photo- Chris McNulty) The 1996-97 campaign was to prove both players' final season at the club, and was an anti-climax for us all, as a much-fancied Morton failed to live up to expectations, finishing the season in eighth place, comfortably clear of relegation, but miles away from a promotion play off place, never mind runaway champions St. Johnstone. There were to be highlights, however- Marko's early season winner against Falkirk was delightful, as winners against Falkirk tend to be, and there was the incredible League Cup tie against Aberdeen which ended in a 3-7 defeat, with Morton coming from 0-2 down with 15 minutes of normal time remaining to lead 3-2 going into the last minute, only to suffer another hard-luck story. In truth, with promotion becoming a more remote prospect as the season progressed, McGraw put all his eggs into the Scottish Cup basket, with a fine replay win against Dundee setting up a quarter final with Kilmarnock at a near capacity Cappielow. There was to be no hard-luck story to this cup defeat though, as Morton were resoundingly trounced 2-5 by Killie, in spite of a brief second half fightback. As the season petered out, and the players' contacts ran down, their departures became inevitable and a really thrilling, but oh so brief chapter in Morton's history was to reach its conclusion, to be succeeded by the Scott era, which I'm sure is an article or two for another day. Janne was to go onto pastures new in Germany with FC Saarbrucken before finishing his career back at MyPa47 and embarking on a career in coaching in his homeland, whist Marko was to enjoy brief stints at Hamilton and Livingston, even playing against Morton for the Accies, also finishing his career in his native Finland, with TPS Turku and enjoying a successful coaching career. Both have returned in the intervening years to visit, Marko turning out in a testimonial in 2006 as well as attending a game against Hamilton in 2012 and receiving a rapturous reception. To my knowledge, Janne hasn't made a match on his return, but his daughter Nanne has been a vocal supporter of the club through her social media accounts, so it would be rude not to give her devotion to the cause a mention! Since their departure, we've seen Jani Uotinen flying the flag and collecting a Third Division winners' medal in 2002-03 for his troubles and Jonatan Johansson's fast flowing, easy on the eye (or something like that) brand of football help us secure safety in the rollercoaster 2018-19 season. Let's be honest though, Morton fans love a signing from that part of the world, and will surely take to Jaako. No pressure, but there are some pretty big shoes needing filled, young man! Thanks to Jonathan Mitchell for his contribution into the research for this piece and to Chris McNulty for his help with archive photographs.
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  4. (Photo- Scottish Football Hall of Fame) Allan McGraw- An Obituary By Russell Gordon The word “legend” is an often used one in the world of football, and I’ve always felt it was one that has become cheap. In the context of Morton, who are our own legends? For my own generation, there aren’t many. Derek McInnes was a star, the Finns gave us a couple of years of joy, Derek Lilley was a fine goal scorer who netted a club record transfer fee. Younger guys will look towards Chris Millar, Jim McAlister and Peter Weatherson- perhaps even Michael Tidser and Foaud Bachirou. Much as I acknowledge their contributions, “legend” is pushing it in most cases. Those slightly older of course enjoyed the mesmeric skills of Andy Ritchie, ably assisted by such working-class heroes as Davie Hayes, Jim Holmes, Roy Baines and Roddie Hutchison. We all know about the exploits of Jimmy Cowan, Morton’s most capped player, and Jimmy Gourlay, scorer of the winning goal in the 1922 Scottish Cup Final. But if you were to ask most the one man they would associate with our club, the vast majority would name Allan McGraw as that man. It was only just over a fortnight ago that Mr. McGraw was paraded in front of the Cappielow crowd before our victory over Queen’s Park as the Main Stand was named after the great man. Born on the 29th of July 1939 in Govan, he played with Partick Avondale in his youth before graduating to Renfrew Juniors in 1957, whilst doing his National Service. Whilst playing as a centre back for Renfrew, it was in the military that his footballing prowess came to the fore, where he attracted clubs far higher up the footballing food chain than Morton, who had just finished bottom of the old Second Division- dead last. However, after another Morton great- Hal Stewart, had swept into town in 1961, he attracted the young McGraw with the offer of flying him back to Scotland from Germany at weekends, allowing him to see his parents in Govan when returning home. Morton’s fortunes were to improve that season, with McGraw bagging 14 goals in 16 appearances as they finished third in the table, behind champions Clyde and promoted Queen of the South. Given that the club had finished bottom of the pile the previous season, the turnaround in their fortunes in the space of a year was remarkable, although at the season’s end they were to finish a distant 9 points (in those days of 2 points for a win) behind the Doonhamers. The following season was again to see Morton again finish third in the table- but this time around they were to finish a mere point behind second placed East Stirlingshire, and seven behind champions St. Johnstone, with McGraw bagging a remarkable 36 goals in 43 appearances. It was to be third time lucky though for McGraw and Morton in the 1963-64 season- arguably the greatest in the club’s history. An incredible 58 goals in 48 appearances was the personal milestone that he claimed along with his Second Division Champion’s medal as Morton stormed to the title, breaking record after record along the way. Dropping only five points all season, scoring 135, conceding only 37, losing once in the league, winning 23 league games in a row, sealing the title in February and reaching the League Cup Final against Rangers was quite a record for “Hal’s Heroes”. It was in the semi-final of the League Cup that McGraw was the real hero though. After a 1-1 draw with Hibernian, the two went to a replay at Ibrox which was settled by a penalty by none other than Morton’s talisman to send them to their first, and to date only, League Cup Final. The final itself was to prove a bitter disappointment, with Morton falling 0-5 to the Glasgow side, after a goalless first half in front of 105,907 at the national stadium. Always a welcome figure on his visits to Cappielow in later life, it was a fitting tribute to see the Main Stand named after Allan McGraw. (Photo- Gary Bradley) But with promotion sealed with a 6-1 home win over Forfar at Cappielow on 29th February (just over 59 years to the day before his sad passing), McGraw and Morton could look forward to again dining at Scottish football’s top table. It would of course be remiss of me not to acknowledge the contribution of his teammates; with stars such as Morris Stevenson, Jimmy Wilson, and Joe Caven, a familiar face to many of us on our travels to see Morton in the Highlands due to his locality, and a pleasure to meet when we do, doing more than their fair share. On Morton’s return to the First Division, injuries began to plague McGraw, but he still managed to net 21 goals in 33 appearances in that maiden top flight campaign. Sadly though, relegation was to follow the following season, with McGraw only scoring 11 times in 36 appearances before moving on to Hibs in the summer of 1966. Medical science though, was not as advanced in the sixties as it is now, advice for footballers suffering injuries wasn’t what it should have been, and whilst he struggled to train, he relied on cortisone injections to allow him to play. He accepted his own role in not questioning the practice- stating that he never visited the same doctor twice, used the injections to get on the park when the correct advice would’ve been to rest, and whilst the maximum safe number of injections in a year was 3, in one year he took 25! This of course led to his quality of life deteriorating badly, and the image of him on crutches in later life was a common one as he paid the price for his determination to continue playing. With injuries really affecting him, he was to make 60 appearances for Hibs over three years- in fact coming off injured in the 2-1 1968 League Cup semi-final victory over Dundee, before returning to the action in those days before substitutes. Unsurprisingly, he missed the final through injury. There was a short spell as a guest at Toronto City in 1967 before he wrapped up his senior playing career at Linfield in 1969-70. A brief spell at Johnstone Burgh, before taking on a coaching role at Pollok preceded his return to Cappielow as Erik Sorensen, a former teammate from his time at Morton, invited him back to the club as reserve team coach. With another golden era on the horizon, it was McGraw’s reserve side which provided such talent as Joe McLaughlin, John McNeil, Neil Orr and Jim Tolmie to supplement the aforementioned Ritchie, Hayes, Baines and Holmes. However, as Benny Rooney’s fine side of the late seventies and early eighties was broken up, Morton were to fall into the new First Division, briefly returning in 1984 under Tommy McLean, before an immediate relegation the following year under his brother Willie. After Willie McLean’s sacking, McGraw took the reins as Morton’s manager. After a mid-table finish in his first campaign, Morton were to win the title in 1987, and return to the Premier Division, the last time we played in the top flight. Relegation the following season was swift and brutal, conceding 100 goals over a 44 game league campaign, the final one being dispatched by Hibernian goalkeeper Andy Goram with a long clearance from his own box. The title was secured in 1987, resulting in Morton's return to the Premier Division for the last time to date. (Photo- Pinterest) However, there was a shining light in that season of misery, as Graeme Souness’s millionaires were humbled at Cappielow late in the season as Morton recorded a surprise 3-2 victory over Britain’s most expensive side of the time. Morton were to establish themselves in the First Division without seriously threatening promotion or fearing relegation for a number of years before league reconstruction saw five teams relegated in 1994. A horrendous injury list from the start of the season saw Morton relegated with a whimper, although in truth, they didn’t stand a chance. The 1994-95 season saw McGraw add his third title, and his second as manager. Again, Morton struggled early, but with the returning young stars of Alan Mahood and Derek McInnes from injury supplemented by the inspired signings of Finnish internationals Janne Lindberg and Marko Rajamaki, Morton made an immediate, and triumphant return to the First Division. The following season was one of incredible highs, more injury woes, and ultimate heartbreak against Dundee United on the season’s final day. His last season as boss was to prove an anti-climax as Morton failed to live up to expectations after coming so close the previous year. The arrival of the reviled Hugh Scott saw McGraw resign as manager, invited back as Club President before walking in protest as he saw through Scott’s nonsense, and fighting for Morton’s very survival as Scott’s mismanagement saw the club spiral into administration and a focal point was needed to rally the support in order to save the club from the worst possible fate. Commonly labelled as “Mr Morton”, there are few who would argue against the case for him to be considered our greatest ever, and few who would expect to see any greater in our own lifetimes. An overdue induction to Scottish Football's Hall of Fame arrived in 2017, honoured by one of the finest graduates of McGraw's conveyor belt of talent, Derek McInnes. (Photo- Scottish Sun) As well as the recent naming of the Allan McGraw Main Stand at Cappielow, some other fitting accolades he received were his induction to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and an SPFA Special Merit Award in 1998, along with divisional Manager of the Year Awards in his title winning years of 1987 and 1995. Like us all, everyone at The Morton Forum wishes to pass on our condolences to his sons Allan and Mark, and his extended family. We will never see his like again. Bibliography Allan McGraw Testimonial Programme Greenock Morton 1874-1999, Vincent P Gillan Images of Sport- Greenock Morton 1874-1999, compiled by Jim Jeffrey Morton Greats, Graeme Ross.
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  5. (Photo- Source Unknown) Five of the Best- Scottish Cup Upsets by Russell Gordon The Scottish Cup. Quite simply the greatest competition in sport, never mind football. And with Morton's involvement in this season's competition starting (and most probably ending) this weekend, we can still at least dream of Kyle Jacobs leading the lads up the stairs at Hampden on the 21st of May to repeat the feat of their predecessors from a century previous. Whilst the greatest upset in Morton's history took place on 15th of April 1922 on Glasgow's southside, that's a topic for the anniversary, so we'll first wander back a mere 74 years to the 1947/48 season; Celtic 0-1 Morton, 27th March 1948. Semi Final. Most Morton fans will be aware that our only "other" appearance in the Scottish Cup Final was against Rangers in 1948, when we eventually succumbed to a replay defeat in fading light at Hampden in front of a record aggregate crowd for a final. But how did we get there? Morton's run to the semi final was relatively straight forward, with routine routs of minnows Ayr United, Falkirk, Queen's Park and Airdrieonians before being drawn to face Celtic at Ibrox in the last four. Admittedly, this was a Celtic team who finished 12th in a 16-team league that season, only a point and two places above Morton, who just avoided the drop. The class of '47/48 who disposed of Celtic on the way to the club's second Scottish Cup Final. (Photo- Greenock Morton 1874-1999, Vincent P Gillen) But Morton headed into the tie minus two key players, with Johnny Divers and the legendary Tommy Orr missing out. According to Vincent Gillen's Greenock Morton 1874-1999, the critics were said to believe Morton had "no chance". They were replaced by young Eddie Murphy and Tom McGarrity, and it was Murphy who proved to be the hero. After a stalemate in ninety minutes against overwhelming favourites, he was to net a dramatic winner from 14 yards past the despairing Celtic keeper Willie Miller in the first period of extra time to empty the Glasgow side from the tournament. A story with some striking parallels to a League Cup tie some 65 years later, come to think of it. Quite how many corners Celtic made a complete hash of in that semi final is something I can't confirm, unfortunately. Morton 1-0 Aberdeen, 14th February 1981. Fourth Round. As with the tie against Celtic in 1948, there wasn't as much between the two clubs as there is in the modern era. Unlike that semi final, this was a clash of two extremely good football teams. Aberdeen were the champions of Scotland at the time, and although Morton were to finish just above the drop zone, we'd bite the hand off anyone offering us eighth in Scotland's top flight now. Dons' Manager Alex Ferguson's hoodoo against the 'Ton was well publicised at the time, and Morton had in fact gone to Pittodrie a week previous and recorded a 1-0 win. But Cappielow perhaps saw its greatest day on Valentine's Day 1981 as Andy Ritchie's incredible 20th minute goal, which saw him plant the despairing Ian Considine on his backside before delicately placing the ball beyond Scotland keeper Jim Leighton as his international teammates Willie Miller and Alex McLeish could only look on in awe at the sheer brilliance of the control and finish. McLeish was involved at the other end as he nodded down for Andy Harrow to fire a low volley which was brilliantly turned round the post by Roy Baines. And Baines was also to deny former Morton striker Mark McGhee on a couple of occasions, with McGhee's complaints earning him a place in the book as he claimed Baines had fouled him. As someone who was too young to enjoy this particular match, I can only hope that the Cowshed were as sympathetic to McGhee's protests as our own generation would likely be. The final whistle was met with rapturous applause from the home support as Morton progressed to a quarter final with Clydebank, winning 6-0 at Kilbowie after a 0-0 draw at Cappielow, before falling to Rangers in a controversial Celtic Park semi final for which the mercurial Ritchie was dropped from the starting eleven, but still managed to convert a penalty in the 1-2 defeat. Aberdeen on the other hand, would win the next three Scottish Cups and put paid to Real Madrid in the Cup Winners Cup Final of 1983, which goes a way to show the magnitude of Morton's achievements in regularly troubling Scotland's best side of that era. Probably Cappielow's finest ever goal, on perhaps Cappielow's finest day, from Morton's finest ever player. There were however to be other great Cappielow strikes as Morton disposed of supposedly more illustrious opposition in years to come. (Video- Leon Mooney) Morton 2-1 Dundee, 23rd January 1999. Third Round. Morton had dispatched of the Dees only two seasons previous en route to a quarter final showdown with Kilmarnock, but this time around were a division below their big spending opponents, who had been promoted to the newly formed land of milk and honey of the SPL as champions in 1998. But with the introduction of a winter break in Scotland's top flight, the Dens men were caught cold by a Morton side who came out the traps with two first half goals to seal the tie. The game had, however been in doubt, as a power failure at Cappielow led to a 35-minute delay to kick off. But the wait was to prove worthwhile, as Owen Archdeacon's rasping 30-yard strike had future Scotland keeper Rab Douglas grasping at thin air on the half hour, before Ross Matheson's close-range finish doubled Morton's advantage. Eddie Annand reduced the arrears, but it was to no avail as the Ton progressed to a fourth round tie with Clyde. A 6-1 rout of the Bully Wee ensued before Morton fell to Celtic in a live TV quarter final at Cappielow, Henrik Larsson and co. managing to do what the Bhoys of '48, and indeed '13, couldn't. (Video- Leon Mooney) Ross County 1-2 Morton, 25th January 2003. Third Round. With Ross County in the First Division back in 2003, this result may not be one that would immediately raise too many eyebrows, but this was a massive boost for a Morton side struggling for consistency as they tried to negotiate their way out of Scotland's bottom tier after Hugh Scott's disgraceful neglect and the subsequent administration had seen Morton relegated in consecutive seasons. Having already disposed of eventual Highland League winners Deveronvale 4-3 at Cappielow in a second round tie that wasn't without it's scares, around 600 Morton fans travelled up the A9 and found themselves singing in the rain as the 'Ton felled County by two "Super" Alex Williams strikes to a David Winters counter. Williams also found time to miss a second half penalty, but it wasn't to dampen the spirits of the sodden Morton faithful who had plenty to celebrate as they descended to their buses and to the Mallard to toast what really felt like the club's first real positive step on the road to recovery. We would of course win the league that season, but the cup campaign was to go no further than a disappointing 0-2 home defeat by Stranraer. However, in spite of how sadly it all ended for Williams, we've never seen an out and out goal scorer like him since. Often folk think what might have been, but what memories he did give us. (Video- Leon Mooney) Morton 3-1 Kilmarnock, 7th January 2007. Third Round. What is it about Cappielow, cup shocks and absolutely incredible goals? Move over Andy Ritchie, get out the way Owen Archdeacon, and step forward Chris Templeman. Jim Jeffries' Killie side rocked up at Cappielow for a tie that brought back memories of a number of cup disappointments against the Ayrshire side in the 90s, with Morton exiting the '94, '95 and '97 tournaments at home to Kilmarnock. But with two divisions separating the sides, this was to be Morton's turn. Morton had led the Second Division from the first day to the last, and taken care of East of Scotland League Annan Athletic in the previous round to set up a mouth-watering tie in front of a raucous crowd which created a crackling Cappielow atmosphere. After a first half stalemate, it was Kilmarnock who took the lead- Colin Nish netting a beautiful volley from Garry Hay's cross on the left two minutes after the break. From there on, it was all Morton though, with Templeman at the centre of everything. He was to find himself unfortunate not to score on a couple of occasions before finding himself on the end of a sweeping move that his own good defensive work had started. His deflected effort found a way past Graeme Smith in the Killie goal to level the affair just after the hour. The game was turned on its head 7 minutes later as Templeman took Chris Millar's cross on his right foot before acrobatically volleying Morton into the lead with his left. Cue utter bedlam. The often clumsy and awkward journeyman, who Morton had paid an eye-watering fee for two years previous, turned in the performance of his life and should've had a penalty after being scythed down by Gordon Greer. Fortunately referee McCurry waved play on and within seconds, Jim McAlister laid the ball on a plate for Paul McGowan to extend Morton's lead and send us through to a fourth round tie at Fir Park. Morton would lose that tie 0-2 to the Steelmen in front of a massive travelling support, but it's amazing how many people in their twenties you hear describing the Kilmarnock game as their first Morton match. There can't have been too many times the club have got folk hooked in the last generation or so, but that was certainly one of those days. And for a guy who would become a school janitor in later life, I'd like to think that Chris Templeman has a story or two to tell some wide-eyed school kids about the day he turned into Pele. (Video- KillieFC TV) There won't be too many expecting a glorious cup run this term, but let's not kid ourselves, the thrills the Scottish Cup provide are exactly why we love football. Be it a day out at an unfamiliar non-league club like Turriff or Beith, a brilliant shock like Kilmarnock and Aberdeen at Cappielow, or even the shame of defeats at places like Peterhead and Spartans, the possibilities the tournament provides are endless, even for a club of our size. Hopefully one day...
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  6. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Never In Doubt. A Review of Morton's 2020-21 season, Part Three. By Russell Gordon. Montrose away it was then, after it had looked like Morton were going to be forced into renewing hostilities with old pals, Falkirk. On paper an easier tie, but given Falkirk's spectacular (not to mention hilarious) collapse, that possibly wasn't the case. Morton made their second trip in just over a week up to Angus and could have been forgiven for having a bit of trepidation about what lay ahead. With Cove Rangers playing Airdrieonians in the other tie about 40 miles up the road, Morton were seen by the bookies as the favourites to come through the play-offs. You'd have been doing a well to find a Morton fan who shared their optimism, but how often do you see a poor bookmaker? Things couldn't have got off to a better start- within five minutes of the kick off, Aidan Nesbitt won the ball in the middle of midfield and prodded it forward to Kalvin Orsi, who squared for Gary Oliver to finish at keeper Allan Fleming's near post to give us a lead and settle the nerves. All this panic was much ado about nothing, then. Not a bit of it. Morton, as had happened so often this season, retreated into their shell and allowed their hosts to impose themselves on the game to such an extent that the half time whistle was a relief when the referee blew. But the relief was to prove short lived, as 12 minutes into the second half, the hosts' pressure finally paid off- and from a defensive point of view it was a howler. Markus Fjortoft's slip allowed Gable Endies' striker Russell McLean in and the Norwegian was also slow off the mark to close down the big forward after his initial effort was blocked by Brian McLean. The second attempt was curled into the far post past a diving Aidan McAdams to level the scores. And 20 minutes later, Montrose completed the turnaround, as Graham Webster got onto the end of a fine move to give them a lead at the halfway point in the tie. Whilst the performance was atrocious, Morton could take comfort in the narrow deficit going into the second leg at Cappielow three days later. To say that Gus McPherson shuffled the pack for the second leg would be the understatement of the season, with Chris Millar and the two Cammys- Blues and Salkeld, coming in from the cold for Morton's biggest match of the campaign. The changes were to prove pivotal, with Millar's magnificent performance in an unfamiliar right back position proving a real highlight on a nervy night at Cappielow. But for a while it didn't look like Morton would be in too much bother as they came flying out the traps immediately- again it was a fifth minute strike from Oliver that started us off, levelling the tie and handing Morton the momentum. Salkeld made it two from close range in the twentieth minute and by this point, the Ton could've been forgiven for thinking they were on easy street- but again, Mclean levelled the tie 10 minutes before the break, his strike eventually taking the tie to extra time. But as the game wore on, and into extra time, Morton's superior fitness began to tell as the part timers visibly tired. The introduction of Luca Colville, Nesbitt and Craig McGuffie gave us a greater attacking impetus as we began to pin Montrose further and further back, with penalties appearing to be their best option. Morton were spared a sixth shoot-out of the season in the nick of time though, and it was due to a piece of luck genius from substitute McGuffie. The ex-Ayr winger nutmegged Montrose forward Craig Johnston on the left-hand side and advanced towards goal, but with everyone inside the box expecting a cross, he clipped the ball over 'keeper Fleming's head and into the net at his far post. Oh, to have been in the Cowshed for that moment. Morton were through to the final after a hell of a scare, but there was to be plenty of drama in the other semi-final, too. Craig McGuffie's wonder strike sent Morton into the Play-Off Final in the most dramatic of fashions. (Photo- Gary Bradley) After a 1-1 stalemate in Aberdeen, Cove looked to have advanced to the final when Rory McAllister put the visitors 2-1 up at New Broomfield in the second minute of stoppage time. But Jack McKay took them to extra time a couple of minutes later (more of 94th minute goals in deepest, darkest Monklands to come) to change the course of the tie. Callum Gallagher settled it in the second period of extra time to take the Diamonds into a winner-takes-all double header with Morton. There's always a bit of needle attached to a game with Airdrie of course, but to add to the excitement, after 14 months locked out, both clubs were allowed 500 fans into their home legs. The scramble began- with around 460 season ticket holders, briefs were to be at a premium for the second leg, with no away fans allowed. Even with so few tickets left on sale though, Morton still managed to throw a couple of administrative errors into the mix, because, well, they're Morton, so where's the fun in doing things properly? The original batch were sold to season ticket holders in spite of not having been printed, and when it came to the public sale of the few leftovers, the advertised time of sale was put back before reverting again to the original time slot after folk who had swapped shifts rightly kicked up a stink. On a positive note though, the club did manage to get permission for another 100 to be seated in the Wee Dublin End. There was to be the return of some well-kent faces as 600 fans were allowed to attend the second leg of the Play-Off Final. (Photo- Gary Bradley) But the ticket sales were the least of Morton's worries. After not missing a minute of the season, Aidan McAdams finally succumbed to a hamstring injury, ruling him out of both legs of the final. With no fit senior keeper on the books, McPherson turned to Motherwell's Scott Fox, who came in on an emergency loan. To add to those woes, Kyle Jacobs' season came to an end in the first half when he fell awkwardly and had to be replaced by Reece Lyon. Even with these blows though, Airdrie weren't causing any real concerns to Morton, with the best chance of the half falling to Cammy Salkeld, who headed wide from close range. The Diamonds had one chance of note in the second half, McKay volleying wide from a corner. But as the game wore on, Morton began to turn the screw, and again the introduction of Nesbitt saw an added impetus to their play. Lyon was unlucky to strike the inside of Max Currie's post a few minutes from time, but it was deep into injury time that the breakthrough finally arrived. From a needlessly conceded corner, Blues played the ball short to Brain McLean. The captain clipped the ball into the box where Robbie Muirhead took advantage of a lapse in concentration in the home side's camp to give Morton a priceless winner. All of a sudden, after a season from hell, we were ninety minutes away from survival. Lyon might even have made it two before the final whistle were it not for a fine stop from the Airdrie custodian. Robbie Muirhead's late winner at Airdire secured a vital lead going into the second leg of the fianl at Cappielow. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Scottish football's biggest crowd of the season rolled up at Cappielow for the second leg, and whilst that might not quite be as big a boast as it would appear under normal circumstances, the excitement and anticipation was palpable. And what a treat Morton served up. Without having to chase the game, they played with a freedom that had been missing all season, and the tie was effectively over in the twelfth minute. Muirhead added to his first leg goal with a volley that will go down in the memory of a generation of fans the way Ritchie's goal against Aberdeen in 1981 and Templeman's against Kilmarnock in 2007 have. The crowd were in raptures and Morton sought to turn the screw, narrowly failing to increase their lead on a number of occasions before Oliver converted from close range after McGinn's effort had struck Currie's crossbar. There was to be no hiding place for Airdrie as their hopes of a return to the second tier after an eight-year sabbatical were to prove just too much of an ask. Nesbitt should've made it three from close range in the second half before Muirhead did put the cherry on the cake. As the final whistle went, the 600 inside the ground and the boisterous crowd on the car park celebrated like we'd actually won something. For a first trip back to the football in over a year, it couldn't have gone better- Morton were safe, and after a season of catastrophe, shooting themselves in the foot and being treated by our peers as a joke club, we'd come out it at the other end. Gary Oliver leads the celebrations after making it 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate to assure Morton of Championship football for another season. (Photo- Gary Bradley) But how do we conclude reviewing season 2020-21? Who were the heroes and the villains? Where do we go from here? For such a terrible season to end so spectacularly, we should of course be careful not to think that all is rosy in the world. This was a poorly assembled squad which did just enough to preserve their Championship status, and is already being dismantled by the man who assembled it, as he looks to get the gang back together down the coast. Gus McPherson staying on for another two years hasn't exactly got the juices flowing for everyone, but looking at the list of his most recent predecessors, I wouldn't be too upset about his appointment. There can surely be no complaints about the re-signing of Kyle Jacobs, who all the rumour-mongers had going to slum it in League One with Nesbitt at Falkirk; and McLean, who, in spite of his advancing years, had a good season for Morton last term. Credit has to go to the players for pulling Morton through what was an extremely difficult season though- a squad that was hamstrung every step of the way by a disinterested chairman, self-absorbed manager who made an absolute mess of his recruitment and a Chief Executive who couldn't organise a menage. Many of them were extremely limited, shouldn't have and won't ever play at such a high level again. Some of course, deserve more credit than others- when losing your captain for the play-offs is seen as a boost it tells you all you need to know about said captain. Not appointing a manager for three months and allowing McAlister to leave mid-contract were scandalous decisions, and indicative of just how little regard the chairman had for the club as we started to circle the drain. A more cynical man than myself might suggest that they were acts that looked to sabotage the club's Championship status. I'd prefer to consider them as mere a stupidity, based on a complacency in the boardroom as the arrivals of Messrs McPherson, Millen and McGinn sought to redress that initital folly, and eventually saved our bacon. A special mention has to go to Anton McElhone, who in spite of not being a qualified manager, and having no interest in being one, took the reins through that very difficult period and actually had the best record across regular league games of the three who took charge. Lang may yer lum reek, Anton! What is absolutely certain is that money is sure to be tight this year as well, so the same mistakes as last term cannot be made this time around. MCT have had a couple of directors in the inner sanctum of Cappielow for a while now- here's hoping they've taken onboard how not to run a football club.
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  7. (Photo- The Scotsman) MorTEN- Whatever Happened To the Likely Lads? by Russell Gordon Saturday sees Morton return to New Douglas Park, Hamilton on league duty for the first time in over seven years, with only a surprise, Ross Forbes-inspired Betfred Cup victory en route to a Hampden semi-final in 2016 since that previous visit. Never a happy hunting ground since it opened in 2001, with only a late Alex Williams winner in the 2003-04 collapse season, a victory on Valentine's Day 2012 that was somewhat overshadowed by other events in Scottish football that day, and a couple of draws to show for our troubles in South Lanarkshire. Added to that, our return visit in 2003-04 resulted in a 6-1 hammering as Hamilton hacked away at our lead before pipping us to the post for promotion on the final day. Another unhappy memory was the injustice of Chris Templeman's last minute equaliser in 2007 being overturned as the players lined up to restart the game when hapless linesman Ross Haswell convinced referee Craig Thompson to overturn the award of the goal under pressure from the Accies players, a decision that still rankles to this day with some (me, at least). Scene Setter But, for all those horror stories, nothing would compare to the abject misery, shame and embarrassment that befell Morton on the 3rd of May 2014, a day that would leave an indelible scar on the by then 140 year history of Morton. With Accies pushing for the title against their already relegated visitors, surprisingly enough, the travelling fans looked forward to the match with a degree of optimism. A victory against Hamilton's main challengers Dundee, and a draw with play-offs bound Falkirk, both at Cappielow on the previous two Saturdays, suggested that whilst the season from hell could not just be laughed off, there was reason to believe that Kenny Shiels was capable of turning Morton around in League One the following season. Whilst Accies needed to win by eight clear goals, they also required a favour from their conquerors of the penultimate weekend, Dumbarton. Having been on the wrong end of a 4-1 trouncing at The Rock, they'd given up pole position to the Dens Park side- who, the previous week thought they'd blown their chance in losing at Cappielow. All these circumstances combined to create the perfect storm, as a team that was already looking forward to their holidays and going through the motions faced up to a team that simply couldn't afford to take the foot off the gas. 2-0 down after 8 minutes, we were fighting a losing battle from the off, as Tony Andreu bagged a first half hat trick, with the only moment of respite being a stunning Dougie Imrie strike which reduced the arrears as Morton headed in facing a 5-1 deficit at the break. What was said in the away dressing room in that period is up for debate, but there have been a number of stories since that day of some very harsh words being spoken and perhaps a few fists flying. A brief point in the afternoon that the ball wasn't nestling in Nicolas Caraux's net. (Photo- Russell Gordon) The second half of course wasn't to get any better as the goals kept coming. Before taking up where they left off, Hamilton conceded a penalty as former 'Ton custodian Kevin Cuthbert felled Hamilton-bound Imrie in the box. Incredibly, the only Morton player to come out of the game with any sort of credit wasn't entrusted with the responsibility of taking the spot kick, and Rowan Vine's pathetic effort was comfortably stopped by Cuthbert. Sixth and seventh goals duly arrived before Imrie again got himself on the scoresheet, but the last 15 minutes were to really put Morton's name in the history books for all the wrong reasons, as Mikael Antoine-Curier added his final couple of strikes to help himself to a second half hat trick and a total of four for the day either side of an own goal from Stuart Findlay. It was to be a bittersweet afternoon for Hamilton however, as Dundee did enough to get over the line, but it was only to delay their joy, as they disposed of Falkirk before their dramatic victory that took them up at the expense of Hibs, only suffering relegation this summer. Of course though, such an unprecedented result in a match between two clubs of such similar stature was to result in conspiracy theories, allegations of corruption and finger pointing, particularly from Tayside. As we all know too well, this isn't the first time such allegations have been thrown at Morton, and Dundonians were quick to point to Morton's very good performance in beating the Dees only a fortnight previous. I'm more inclined to believe it was a concoction of circumstances that all came together, and would argue that had Dundee United needed to do similar when they took six off Morton in 2019, they would've done so without thinking twice. They didn't need to, whilst Hamilton did, hence you don't often see results such as this in games that don't involve Fort William. What was particularly galling to see was Morton players suited and booted, and enjoying themselves less than half a mile away from the scene of the crime at Hamilton Racecourse the following day on their various social media accounts. Footballers of course deserve their social lives, but having watched such an inept performance that we're still reminded about to this day, and will be continue to be reminded about for years to come, wasn't pleasant. So, what happened to the players from that day? Kenny Shiels (Manager) Shiels actually attended a meeting with supporters the evening before that defeat, outlining his plans for an immediate return to the Championship. Those plans were in tatters 24 hours later, as he brushed off the result, saying he was on the way to a funeral the next day, and some things were more important. He was of course correct, but there are times that saying nothing is better than opening your mouth. That wasn't advice that Shiels would often heed. He would go on to manage League of Ireland side Derry City before taking charge of the Northern Ireland Womens' team, who he led to the European Championship Finals, which are delayed until next summer. Nicolas Caraux A hero of Morton's victory at Celtic Park earlier that season, Caraux extended his deal by another year off the back of that momentous result. What a waste of money. He was to play only one more league match, a 3-1 defeat against Brechin at Glebe Park and a handful of cup appearances the following season. The Frenchman did manage to get himself into the celebration photos as Morton took the title in 2015, so fair play to him for the brass neck. Bizarrely, he wound up in the USA at Atlanta United's B Team, who play in the USL Championship. Now aged 30, he was last seen at his local team, FC Versailles 78, in the fourth tier of the French pyramid. Darren Cole Probably the worst player in a truly dreadful side- Cole was picked up after being freed by Rangers on disciplinary grounds, and had a bit of pedigree about himself. Capped at various age levels by Scotland, and with a Champions League appearance under his belt for the Ibrox side's previous incarnation, he was to prove an absolute disaster of a signing, of the sort that wakes you up in the middle of the night with a cold sweat from your nightmares. He was to go onto Livingston, who he captained to relegation in 2016, before joining Shiels at Derry City in 2017, scoring in their League Cup Final win in 2018. Never let anyone tell you the League of Ireland is remotely comparable to our Championship if that guy can continue to get a game over there after four years. Mark Russell Then only an 18-year-old rookie, it was difficult not to feel sorry for Russell to be thrown to the lions in such a rancid team. He was to go on to enjoy a successful season the following year, winning Young Player of the Year with most of the supporters' clubs as Morton came back up, then enjoyed a couple more fruitful years before regressing somewhat and deciding to move to Falkirk, a move which didn't work out too well, like many moves from Inverclyde to Grangemouth around that time. He would then cross the Irish Sea to sign for Finn Harps where he resurrected his career, playing further forward in midfield before returning to Cappielow this summer. Thomas O'Ware The man so many Morton fans love to hate nowadays, O'Ware was to stick around a few years, bagging a League One medal and establishing himself as a goalscoring centre back, thanks in no small part to Ross Forbes' wand of a left foot. There was a point that O'Ware stood beside Sergio Ramos as one of Europe's top scoring defenders, in 2016-17 season. Like Russell, things were to go stale and he got ideas above his station- moving onto supposedly bigger and better things at Partick Thistle- except, he was to suffer injury problems at Firhill as they narrowly avoided relegation at the expense of Falkirk. The following season was to provide Morton fans with yet more schadenfreude, as O'Ware's winning goal and rauchous celebrations at Cappielow were to prove irrelevant, with Partick not winning a league game for the rest of the season and going down with their usual class, decorum and dignity. They won last season's abridged League One, but he was released to pursue his career at League Two new boys Kelty Hearts, where I'm sure we all wish him well. Stuart Findlay Like Cole, a defender signed from one of Glasgow's big two, although only on loan. Unlike Cole, a guy who most look back on fondly. He was unfortunate to bag the ninth for Hamilton that day, but it was clear to see there was a good lad in there. Findlay impressed in a way that older Morton fans raved about Jim Duffy in our relegation year of 1985, and left with our best wishes. Loan spells at Dumbarton and Kilmarnock were to follow before he signed for Newcastle. He was to make only one FA Cup appearance for the Magpies before making a permanent move to Rugby Park, where he excelled under Steve Clarke, eventually being capped by Scotland and scoring on his international debut, a 6-0 Hampden win over San Marino. Now playing in the MLS with Philadelphia Union. Scott Taggart Taggart's Cappielow career fell off a cliff somewhat- after a fantastic first season at right back, he operated more as a sitting midfielder under Shiels, much to the fans' frustration. He would go onto Dumbarton and subsequently Alloa, where he's enjoyed a relatively successful career in the Championship and League One. One wonders what might've been for Scott had it not been for that horrendous season he and Morton endured. David Robertson Less said the better. Substituted just after half time after a completely inept performance, it was the last the Morton fans were to see of this chancer. He was to go onto Livingston, Ayr and Cowdenbeath, although his career was to come to an abrupt end after being cleared by a criminal court alongside former Dundee United teammate David Goodwillie but then being forced by the Court of Session in Edinburgh to pay £100,000 of damages to a woman that Judge Lord Armstrong ruled the pair had raped in 2011. Not heard of in a football context since, and unlikely to be. Barrie McKay Another Rangers loan signing who didn't set the heather alight- he was never as bad as many seem to remember him, but you could be forgiven for thinking that we got the crap twin brother of the guy the Daily Record talked up for multi-million pound transfers as Rangers reached the conclusion of "the journey". McKay would head to Raith Rovers on loan the following season, before playing an integral part in Rangers' promotion a year later, scoring a screamer in a Scottish Cup semi-final win over Celtic before they hilariously fell to Hibs in the final. A brief cameo for Scotland in a 3-0 friendly defeat to France in Metz would follow that summer, and he would eventually re-join former boss Mark Warburton at Nottingham Forest for £500,000 in 2017- a mere tenth of the Scottish media's valuation of him a couple of years before his move, if my memory serves me correctly. A year later he moved onto Swansea and subsequently Fleetwood on loan last season. Faoud Bachirou A fans' favourite in his time at Cappielow, this was to prove Bachirou's last appearance in a Morton jersey. He was one of the only two players to receive a rating higher than 1/10 in Jonathan Mitchell's match report in the Greenock Telegraph (he was rated 4/10 and Imrie rated 6/10), but was to leave under a cloud, amidst rumours that he went on strike in order to engineer a move whilst he still had a year remaining on his Cappielow contract. He was to eventually move onto Swedish side Östersunds, lifting the Swedish Cup and enjoying an excellent run in the Europa League, although he missed some of that run having moved on to Malmö during that season, bagging Morton a six figure sell on fee in the process. He would also feature for Malmö in Europe before moving onto Nottingham Forest in 2020. After a frustrating time at the City Ground, he has been told he's free to go, with Cypriot club Omonia Nicosia apparently chasing his signature. I think it would be fair to say he divides opinions amongst Morton fans, with many hero worshipping him, and others left with a sour taste in the mouth over his alleged conduct in negotiating his move. Rowan Vine Another loan signing, and that he couldn't get a game for Hibs that year tells you all you need to know. They were the only team that came close to us for comedy value in 2013-14. A man of many clubs, his league career was over after that day, with brief spells at clubs like Gosport Borough, Hartley Wintney and Southall becoming commonplace. He was last seen at Hemel Hempstead Town as a player coach. It's terrifying to think what Morton actually paid Vine (and fellow highly paid charlatans such as the long since departed by that point Nacho Novo, and Garry O'Connor, an unused sub on the day), such was the desperation to survive with the prospect of Rangers, Hearts and eventually Hibs bringing big crowds to the Championship the following season. Vine conceded a penalty a minute before the break that day as well as missing one a minute after. Very few tears were shed when he walked out the door never to return. Thankfully, he didn't let the door hit his arse. Dougie Imrie A pantomime villain to so many Scottish football fans, and the man who stood to gain the most from Morton's hammering that day, but no accusations could be thrown at Imrie for his performance. To be honest, the game was a microcosm of Imrie's season, with him charged with the thankless task of dragging his teammates through, but ultimately to no avail. Although he went onto sign for the Accies a few weeks later and became a legend there, his teammates could've taken a leaf from his book. He will of course go down in history for his role in a much happier occasion that season, but it was a sad consequence of Morton's relegation that he was to leave. He received a great reception the only time he would go on to play against Morton in that 2016 cup tie, in spite of giving Accies the lead from the spot in our 2-1 win. He's since retired and is now coaching at Livingston. Archie Campbell Campbell replaced Robertson in the second half, having little impact as Hamilton continued to plunder the Morton goal. Like Taggart, he had enjoyed a fruitful 2012-13 season before going off the rails to an extent. He would return to the Championship at Dumbarton before establishing himself in the juniors in his native Fife with the likes of Kelty Hearts (prior to their move to the seniors) and Dundonald Bluebell. The departures of Peter Weatherson and Peter MacDonald in the summer of 2013 as Morton sought to cut costs did little to help Campbell's development. The moment the most brutal of seasons reached the most brutal of climaxes. (Photo- Russell Gordon) What Happened Next? So, what of the fallout from that day? Morton had only lost ten goals twice previously, to Port Glasgow Athletic in 1894 and St. Bernard's in 1933, both games ending 10-1. It had never happened in the modern era. Only one Scottish League club have suffered a similar result in the league since- Hearts beat Cowdenbeath 10-0 in a league match the following season, but when you consider those two clubs' relative resources, it's far easier for the Fife club and their fans to mitigate for that result. MorTEN is a running joke that'll never go away, and nor will the allegations of corruption from Dundee fans, but it could be argued that it did move the board into action. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that Kenny Shiels wouldn't have taken Morton back up at all, never mind so quickly, and go on to re-establish them again as a Championship club the way Jim Duffy did. It would be remiss of us to suggest that a result like that will never happen again but I suspect the prospect of that is remote in our lifetimes, although Hopkin's charges of a year or two back might've threatened that assertion. I recall walking to the train station in Hamilton at full time that day, meeting a few mates, getting a train into Glasgow and sitting in complete silence, such was the shock at what had happened. Nobody could quite put their feelings to words. As the dust settled, it's a day I'd say I'm not glad happened, but one that I'm glad I witnessed. No Morton team or game before or since can ever be considered as "the worst ever". For all there are some we'll look back on more fondly than others, I certainly hope we never see their likes again. Thanks very much to Jonathan Mitchell for providing access to his match report, reaction and player ratings for research purposes, and for answering my questions as I tried to jog my memory on the events of that day and season.
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  8. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Chris Millar- A Tribute by Russell Gordon With another new season approaching, and the League Cup group stages taking on the role of the season's curtain raiser in recent years, Morton will welcome some unfamiliar guests next week in Lowland League "runners-up" East Kilbride. However, as we're well aware, their newly signed club captain certainly doesn't fit into such a category amongst the Cappielow faithful. This conveniently gives me a tenuous link to write a long overdue tribute to Chris Millar, which has been delayed due to certain unforeseen circumstances (Well, me spending most of my time watching Scotland competing in the Euros and everything that went along with that). Links Park, Montrose. A Third Division match on a cold Tuesday night in February 2003 in front of 343 hardy souls, which ended in an uneventful 0-0 draw. One of those games that I remember attending, but remember next to nothing of, such was the complete absence of any noteworthy events. I do however recall that Morton debuted a young Port Glasgow based midfielder who had been signed from Celtic. But not being local myself, I had no idea who the boy was and my pal telling me about Chris Millar as he took a corner in front of me and that sparse crowd watching Morton toil to a point that ultimately helped us over the line was about my only recollection of the evening. Within two and a half months, the now 20-year-old had made thirteen appearances, was ever present for the remainder of that season and picked up a Third Division Championship winner's medal as Morton embarked on that sensational run to the title. Not a bad way to get your career off and running. And the following season was to get off to an incredible start as that team of gallus young guys took the league by storm. Chris, along with John and Marco Maisano, Peter Weatherson and Alex Williams were having the time of their lives as John McCormack's Morton side took the approach of "if you score three, we'll score four". There's no point in delving too much into what happened as that season progressed, most of a certain vintage will have seen it with their own eyes and those younger will have had the story relayed to them as one of the less celebrated episodes in Morton's history. A young Chris Millar during his first spell at Cappielow. (Photo- www.tellhimhespele.com) For Chris himself, a return of three goals in 27 league games was perhaps disappointing, although two crucial goals against Stenhousemuir and Dumbarton in March helped keep Morton hang on into the race for promotion far longer than they deserved to. But he wasn't immune to the criticism that his teammates had to endure as the events of that season unfolded. As a local lad who was often seen in and around the town enjoying the team's early season success, he became a target for disgruntled fans along with his aforementioned mates. Around the time of turning the tender age of 21, it would've been no surprise to see some players' careers ruined by a season such as that. One could argue that's exactly what happened to Williams and the Maisano brothers, who went on a downward spiral from there on. That he and Peter Weatherson went on to have such stellar careers was a testament to both. The following season was a funny campaign. Under normal circumstances, Morton should've been clear favourites for the title, but the hangover from the trials and tribulations of the previous campaign just wouldn't clear. In the last season of two clubs automatically being promoted, Morton just about hung onto the coat-tails of eventual champions Brechin and runners-up Stranraer, before coming up just short in the end. Chris himself enjoyed a prolific season- starting 34 league games and scoring 11 goals. The only games he missed being the dead rubber win against Berwick on the final day and a harmful 0-0 draw at home to Dumbarton before our penultimate day visit to Stranraer that the final nail was put in Morton's coffin for another year. But there were two brilliant highlights of that season that I specifically recall- an incredible volley at Berwick over the festive period and a late, late header at Gayfield to sneak a 1-0 win, and the subsequent joyous pitch invasion. Of course, that late winner was to prove in vain, and Morton would have to face another season trying to get out of the third tier. Chris's fantastic strike against Berwick at Shielfield Park on Boxing Day 2004. (Video- Morton FC) However, there were a couple of caveats to deal with that third season- most notably the supposedly monied Gretna bludgeoning their way through the divisions with scant regard for their creditors, but also the rule change that meant that second place didn't now guarantee promotion, with the introduction of the play-offs. Of course, Gretna continued on their merry way, and won the league comfortably, qualified for the UEFA Cup and were only a penalty shoot-out defeat by Hearts away from lifting the Scottish Cup. Missing only one league game, and scoring five goals, the highlight was a double in a thoroughly satisfying 2-1 win against the champions-elect towards the end of the season as Morton cemented their place as the best-of-the-rest that season. There were however disappointments too- hitting the post in a penalty shoot-out defeat by St. Mirren in the Challenge Cup semi-final was gut-wrenching enough, but when we got to the play-offs, it was Chris's foul that was to prove pivotal as Morton fell at Balmoor to a Dougie Cameron penalty which saw third-placed Peterhead progress to the final where they lost to fourth placed Partick Thistle. Both clubs had finished the regular season 13 points behind Morton, who were left to lick their wounds as "Let's all laugh at Morton" reverberated around Balmoor following Partick's completely unmerited success. If it wasn't for bad luck back then, we'd have had no luck at all. But there were to be no mistakes the following season, as Morton came out the traps immediately and led the league from the first day to the last, claiming a Scottish Cup scalp of SPL Kilmarnock along the way. Chris returned five league goals from 30 games, including crucial goals against Forfar and Peterhead, and one of the nine in the late season rout of the Angus club as we returned to the second tier after a six-year hiatus. His first season of First Division football wasn't to be particularly enjoyable, owing mainly to the folly of Morton's hapless manager, Jim McInally at the time. Having signed a pre-contract agreement with promotion chasing St. Johnstone, and with Morton circling the drain at the bottom end of the table, McInally decided to throw the baby out with the bathwater and declared that Chris would never play for Morton again. It's funny how getting hammered 1-6 at Livingston without one of your best players can change a manager's stance on such things. Happily though, in spite of his imminent departure, he did outstay McInally, and played his part as new manager Davie Irons led Morton to safety by the skin of their teeth in that final day nail biter at Firhill. It was onto pastures new and McDiarmid Park then, and the full set of lower league title medals was completed within twelve months, Saints wrapping up the title with a 3-1 win over Morton on the penultimate day of the season. The next few years were to prove fruitful for the Perth Saints and for Chris, with European football becoming a regular occurrence, and notable scalps of Norwegian powerhouses Rosenborg and Swiss side FC Lucerne standing out. However, the crowning glory of Chris's career was to come a mere fortnight after the worst single match in Morton's history. As we were coming to terms with relegation and that 10-2 mauling at Hamilton, he was an integral part of the St. Johnstone team that took care of a Dundee United team that included the likes of Andy Robertson and Stuart Armstrong to lift the Scottish Cup- the first major trophy in their entire history. The Millar clan enjoy St. Johnstone's Scottish Cup success in 2014. (Photo- @MidgeyMillar, Twitter) But after ten years in the small farming community of Perth and a testimonial against Aberdeen, a return to the bright lights was too good an opportunity to resist, and Chris returned to Morton in 2018, signed as part of Raymond McKinnon's revolution. Two goals in a 2-0 win at Alloa were a good starter for ten, but as the season took a turn for the worse, he found himself helping John Sutton with coaching as McKinnon's successor was sourced, and joining Jim McAlister in picking the team for the final day win against Dundee United as Morton signed off a turbulent season as in a manner befitting of the campaign- having a bit of drama and a good laugh at Falkirk's expense. In truth, the curtailed 2019-20 season, and last season's difficult campaign were not to prove the most glorious of swansongs for Chris, as first team opportunities were to prove limited. That didn't however stop him from stepping up when he was needed most. After starting his Morton career in that away draw at Montrose over eighteen years previously, it was against the same opponents that he finished it. I doubt I've ever missed a game that Chris Millar played for Morton (before COVID hit, at least), but can't remember ever seeing him play at right back. Trailing 1-2 from the first leg, he put in a magnificent performance in his unfamiliar role as Morton scraped through to the final and ultimately survival for another year. A fine performance at right back in the play-off semi final second leg against Montrose was a fitting send off for Chris. (Photo- Gary Bradley) There's something that's quite disappointing about Morton that a player has to depart for another provincial club for ten years to enjoy success that they couldn't realistically expect with ourselves, but there was also a sense of satisfaction to be taken on how Chris closed the book on his Morton career. After 278 games, 39 goals, 5 yellow cards and two league titles, to see him come in from the cold in our hour of need and make such a telling contribution to our survival was great to see. It's now onwards to East Kilbride- my own local team, where he'll be looking to add a Lowland League title medal and pyramid play-off success to his glittering CV. Given their stance on the colt teams' introduction to the pyramid system, I struggle to wish "Kilby" well in anything they do, but with players of Chris's calibre in their squad, I expect that we'll be congratulating him on yet another piece of silverware sometime soon. Cheers Chris, it's been a privilege!
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  9. (Photo- Greenock Morton FC) The Greatest Showman- A Tribute to Andy Ritchie By Russell Gordon Being a Morton fan younger than 45 has been a hard shift- 36 years without top-flight football, Hugh Scott and administration, dropping to the Third Division, the 2004 collapse, 10-2 at Hamilton, getting knocked out the Scottish Cup by non-league Spartans and losing a League Cup Group Stage game on penalties to League One minnows Falkirk have been among the lowlights in that time. But what has emphasised Morton’s struggles in that time most has been the tales regaled to us by a generation that were only slightly older than my own about Morton’s adventures in the late seventies and early eighties. For so many barren years to follow such a fantastic period in the club’s history is galling in the extreme. And while Benny Rooney’s swashbuckling side, which enjoyed five years in the Premier Division, topping the table in late 1979, contained a litany of stars, one of those stars shone brighter than all the rest. No prizes to anyone who’s ever spent a Saturday afternoon on the steps of the Cowshed for guessing that that man was none other than the mercurial Andy Ritchie, arguably Morton’s greatest ever player, and without doubt, their most gifted. The young Andy hailed from Glasgow before moving to Bellshill at an early age, and finding himself following his fathers’ favourites, Motherwell in his youth, before joining up on the ground staff at Celtic in 1971 at the age of 15. As was often the case with Celtic’s young talents at the time, he was farmed out to the juniors, enjoying a fruitful spell at Kirkintilloch Rob Roy before signing professional terms at Celtic Park after a couple of years. But his time at Celtic had more downs than it did ups as, by his own admission, he didn’t live up to expectations in his time on Glasgow’s east end. With Jock Stein not around for a long time after a car crash, Celtic Park perhaps wasn’t what it normally was, and Andy didn’t keep his eye on the prize throughout his time there. With first team appearances limited, his relationship with Stein becoming strained on the legendary manager’s return and his frustrations reaching boiling point, Benny Rooney used his powers of persuasion to lure the 20-year-old to Cappielow, despite the offer of a four-year deal from Celtic being on the table. To make things better for Morton, Celtic were interested in goalkeeper Roy Baines, and the clubs came to an agreement that Baines would make his way to Parkhead in a deal that saw Andy and £10,000 head west. While those of us of a slightly younger vintage like to allude to the swap deal between Morton and Dunfermline in 2015 that saw Jim Duffy bring in Ross Forbes in exchange for the hapless Andy Barrowman as one of the greatest swap deals in history, even that doesn’t come close when we consider that Baines returned to Morton on a free in 1979. Andy debuted in a goalless draw against Clydebank at Cappielow in October 1976, and after scoring in a 1-5 derby defeat at Love Street, scored his first two home goals against Montrose ten days later, including a terrific free kick that was to prove a hallmark of his spell in Greenock. Unfortunately though, while Morton enjoyed a strong season in the First Division, the title went to Paisley, as a St. Mirren side led by a young(ish) Alex Ferguson took the division by storm, claiming the title in style, with a 6-3 win at Cappielow in the ne’er day derby proving a real highlight for the Buddies. Morton however, gained a modicum of revenge in the final derby of the season, beating the Saints 3-0 towards the end of the campaign thanks in no small part to a strike from Morton’s star man. But while many Morton fans’ eyes may have been looking towards their local rivals with envy, they didn’t have to wait too long to enjoy success of their own. With Hearts and Dundee slumming it in the First Division, the two big city clubs were installed as favourites for the two promotion berths, but Morton had other ideas, with the ‘Ton’s 5-3 victory over the Edinburgh side (a scoreline we’d all happily see a repeat of next month) proving a real highlight. Although Andy didn’t score on the day, his performance in putting the Jambos to the sword was, by all accounts, imperious. The title was eventually secured on a memorable evening in Greenock when Airdrie were dispatched 3-1 and Morton took their place in Scotland’s Premier Division for the first time. Morton raised the First Division Champions’ flag with the visit on Celtic in August 1978, a match which ended in a 1-2 defeat, but should be remembered for what I believe was Andy Ritchie’s greatest goal for Morton. I’ll caveat by saying that it was before I was born, and that I’ve not seen all of his goals as many weren’t caught on camera, but while there were more celebrated goals, this is a hill I’m prepared to die on. Just some of Andy's collection of goals for Morton, including his wonderful goal against celtic on the opening day of the 1978-79 season. (Video- Leon Mooney) Morton would finish seventh in that first season, comfortably clear of relegated Hearts and Motherwell, and boasting Scotland’s top goal scorer and the Scottish Football Writers’ Player of the Year in Andy Ritchie, with 29 goals from 45 appearances. Andy collects yet another accolade from Morton boss Benny Rooney. (Photo- SNS) Under normal circumstances, a Scotland call up should have been on the horizon. But alas, international honours were to elude Morton’s talisman. Whether the stigma of being a part-time player, the fact that he represented an unfashionable club, or his supposed tempestuous relationship with the Scotland manager, his former boss at Celtic, Jock Stein, were valid reasons for his omission from the international squad at a time when Scotland were not short of quality in forward positions, what isn’t in doubt is that he should at least have been given his opportunity. How frustrated he must’ve felt seeing some of the players who represented Scotland some twenty years or so later under Berti Vogts in particular, who didn’t have an ounce of his talent. It can’t be much of a consolation to be regarded as Scotland’s greatest ever uncapped player. Morton’s peak came the following season however, as, with Roy Baines back at the club, they reached the top of the Premier League in November 1979, before two controversial defeats over the Christmas period saw them unjustly beaten by two Glasgow clubs who, if you believe their supporters, aren’t often the on the right side of refereeing decisions. The words “Sandy Jardine” are still words best not spoken in front of a certain generation of ‘Ton fans. And, I suspect, Andy’s teammate, Bobby Thomson. While Morton fell down the table on the back of those two defeats, it was small consolation that Aberdeen, led by former St. Mirren boss Alex Ferguson, denied the two beneficiaries of Morton’s festive misfortune, the flag. But Aberdeen, arguably one of the best teams in Europe at the time, had an Achilles heel. To quote the great man: “We won three Scottish Premier Division titles. We won three Scottish Cups in a row. We won the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the European Super Cup. We played three up, four up and two out wide but we couldn’t beat f*****g Morton.” While the Dons did enjoy some success over Morton, ten wins for the good guys over that golden era took quite some doing. And none were more glorious than in a spectacular double header in February 1981. Having already beaten the champions 1-0 at Cappielow a couple of months earlier, Morton travelled to Pittodrie on February 7th and returned with another 1-0 win thanks to a terrific Drew Busby header to shock their hosts. But it was the following week, on Valentine’s Day that Andy scored his most fondly remembered goal for Morton, as Cappielow enjoyed perhaps its greatest ever day. With the Dons visiting for a fourth round Scottish Cup tie, it was he who stole the show twenty minutes in, as he collected a driven John Marr pass on his chest, turned Iain Considine and left him on his backside before being faced up with the imposing sight of Willie Miller, Alex McLeish and Jim Leighton, who he managed to curl the ball beyond, and into the bottom corner with the outside of his right foot. Morton would record a third successive 1-0 victory over Ferguson’s side, emptying them from the cup in the process. Andy's magnificent goal against Aberdeen in the 1981 Scottish Cup fourth round is fondly remembered by Morton fans of his era. (Video- Leon Mooney) Morton would reach the semi-finals that year, where they would fall to a 1-2 defeat to Rangers in controversial circumstances. Andy had been left out of the starting XI, much to the regret of Benny Rooney, but his late penalty, following Jim Holmes ordering off for an innocuous tackle that had reduced Morton to ten men reduced the arrears to 1-2. To top off a bad day, Bobby Thomson was again ordered off, admittedly for a scything tackle for which a red card was referee Brian McGinlay’s only option. Thomson reportedly apologised to his teammates at full time, telling them he “had to do it”. After that season, Morton’s team began to break-up, but Andy was to stick around until their relegation in 1982-83. He was very much a victim of football’s policy on players’ contracts in his era, with the clubs holding all the power and able to command a fee for players even if they were out of contract, which restricted his opportunities. Celtic had tried to buy him back early in his time at Morton, while Hearts and Sheffield Wednesday also had offers rebuffed, and when he eventually moved on it was to Motherwell. His time at Fir Park was brief though, as were subsequent spells at Clydebank, East Stirling and Albion Rovers, the latter as a player coach. Another goal is notched, this time against Kilmarnock at Cappielow. (Photo- SNS) Sadly though, his playing career was over by the age of 28. Other jobs in the game followed, at Hamilton, St. Mirren and Celtic, with what must’ve been an attractive gig scouring the continent for talent as the Bhoys emerged from the doldrums in the mid-nineties. Life wasn’t plain sailing though, as Andy had his vices. Bookmakers weren’t his friends, and at his lowest point he would find himself asking old pals for a couch for the night as he tried to get himself back on his feet. But latterly, his working life took him back to Cappielow in an ambassadorial role, although he was often a familiar figure on Sinclair Street before taking up employment from the club again. The COVID pandemic unleashed Andy to the world as an unexpectedly magnificent co-commentator. Who can forget the line about a drunk man chasing a balloon??? Since then, he’s been a regular host in hospitality, always quick to entertain and introduce his fellow ex-Morton heroes to the hospitality guests, enhancing the experience for all. I’ve only ever been fortunate enough to meet him on a couple of occasions, and despite never having seen him play, I’ve always felt that I gave off the impression of being like a schoolboy in awe of his hero, such is his legend around these parts. Everyone at The Morton Forum wishes Andy Ritchie a long and enjoyable retirement and would like to thank him for everything he contributed to our club and to Scottish football, on and off the park. I hope and trust that he won’t be a stranger in the years to come. Bibliography Greenock Morton 1874-1999, Vincent P Gillen, 1998 Morton Greats, Graeme Ross, 2004 The Price of Vice, Andy Ritchie, 2012 The battle of Celtic Park: Rangers, Morton, Andy Ritchie and a hideous crime count, Graeme Ross, The Scotsman, 11th April 2021 Sir Alex Ferguson: We won league titles, three cups in a row and dumped Real to gain European trophy.. but we still couldn’t beat f*****g Morton, Anthony Haggerty, Daily Record, 12th December 2015 Thanks to Leon Mooney for his help in fact checking.
    8 points
  10. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Departures, Defeats, Draws and Dismissals. A Review of Morton's 2020-21 Season, Part Two. By Russell Gordon As 2020 came to an end and 2021 began, Morton could actually look forward to the new year with a degree of optimism, in spite of all the uncertainty in the background. Sitting in a comfortable position in the table, and with a fixture list that looked quite favourable, even the most pessimistic of observers would've looked upon the month of January as an opportunity to create a bit of a gap between ourselves and the league's bottom feeders. It was struggling Alloa who we were to first foot on the 2nd of the month. Markus Fjortoft's first senior goal of his career- a near post header from a corner, looked to have secured the three points, but Robert Thomson came back to haunt his old employers with a late equaliser. It was most definitely a case of two points dropped. With all football out with the Premiership and Championship closed down by the Scottish Government due to the second wave of the pandemic, the cup tie against Dunfermline fell foul of the restrictions. But the Pars were due to visit on league business that same week, and in front of the BBC Scotland cameras. It would be fair to say there couldn't have been many outside the fans of the two clubs who managed to sit through the entirety of that turgid 0-0 draw on a glue pot pitch in what must've been Auntie's worst possible advert for their Championship coverage. With four points dropped that would've been more than useful, a trip to Palmerston all of a sudden held a bit more to fear than the home fixture against the same, but now resurgent opponents a month previous had. And justifiably so. First half goals from Ayo Obileye and Aidan Fitzpatrick, who waltzed through the Morton defence unchallenged to score, gave Queens a healthy lead before Kalvin Orsi halved the deficit in the second half. A horror late miss from Aidan Nesbitt was to prove crucial as Morton dropped more points. In midweek, Inverness came calling for the re-arranged Boxing Day fixture, and an improved performance saw ten-man Morton take and early lead before clawing back from 1-2 down through Cammy Blues' late equaliser after Rabin Omar's second yellow saw the Ton play for over an hour with ten men. But the next day, the drama really began to unfold as the second high profile resignation of the season saw CEO Dave MacKinnon walk, to the dismay of absolutely nobody. In spite of a £500,000 government grant to all Championship clubs, Crawford Rae had indicated that he wanted to see the wage bill cut in the January transfer window, and with the departure of Hopkin, loanees McPake and McIver, and now the club's CEO, he certainly got his wish. But there was more to come. Club captain Jim McAlister indicated that his time was up and the final match of his career would be the following Saturday against Arbroath as he had attained long term employment that would be more beneficial to him at such a stage of his career. Jim McAlister brought the curtain down on his playing career in the 0-1 defeat to Arbroath at Cappielow in January. (Photo- Gary Bradley) With his final appearance on the 31st of the month, just as the transfer window was closing, and without one signing in the door, Morton hosted Arbroath in another crucial game against a team in and around us, but enjoying a more fruitful run of form. To make the 0-1 defeat even more galling, with our deplorable record in front of goal, the scorer of Arbroath's winner at Cappielow was Livingston loanee Jack Hamilton, who would've been exactly what we could've done with. All of a sudden, Morton were in a relegation battle, and in it deep. Without a manager and without their club captain, who it turned out had taken a job as a kitman at Rangers. It was telling that the Chairman was prepared to allow his captain and most experienced player to walk in order to save a few quid, with scant regard for whether his departure endangered Morton's Championship status. As the transfer window closed however, Morton belatedly sprang into action and picked up a couple of frees in Justin Johnson, an ex-Hamilton winger whose contribution to the club was to prove so insignificant that I'm not even sure if he was still on the payroll by the season's end. He was joined by goalkeeper Jamie Butler, who contributed slightly more than Johnson. When I say slightly more, he's been injured since day one but has been seen cutting about the bench and was apparently involved in a bit of coaching. But the club whetted our appetites by hinting that they'd be bringing in a Champions League striker. Alas, Robert Lewandowski was too busy trying to break Gerd Muller's longstanding Bundesliga record, but Spurs striker Kaziah Sterling had been punted by Southend after doing nothing on loan at Roots Hall in the first half of the season, and he had made a 2-minute cameo appearance for Tottenham against APOEL three years previous. He was to debut from the bench in another insipid home defeat, this time by promotion chasing Raith Rovers as the winter of discontent plumbed new depths. With a first visit in a generation to Tynecastle looming, there weren't many grounds for optimism at all. But lo and behold, Morton rocked up in the capital and gave the league leaders an almighty scare, and it took a Jamie Walker header to spare the home side's blushes and rescue a point after Craig McGuffie's fine strike had given Morton a shock lead. McGuffie was to produce another howitzer the following week as we again picked up a point against promotion hopefuls, this time Dundee. But it felt more like two dropped rather than a point gained as the Tayside club twice hit back to nick a point. So, things were looking up, and a struggling Ayr side came calling for what was at this stage the biggest game of the season. What happened? Yes, Morton were rancid and lost 0-2, making it now 10 games without a win. Craig McGuffie celebrates giving The Ton a shock lead at Tynecastle. (Photo- Gary Bradley) So, a midweek trip to the Highlands for a re-arranged game wasn't one that many of us would've expected to yield too many points, but Morton burst a few coupons and came back down the road with three precious points, Aidan Nesbitt the hero with a fine second half strike. But it was to be the last match of Anton McElhone's tenure as Crawford Rae all of a sudden decided that after three months it was time to appoint a manager. Ex-Queen's Park and Queen of the South boss Gus McPherson came in, assisted by ex-Morton "favourite" Andy Millen. With fellow strugglers Ayr replacing Mark Kerr with Hopkin, many suspecting that Rae's hand was perhaps forced by Hopkin's intentions to be reunited with his former assistant, but that turned out not to be the case. A narrow defeat at East End Park was followed up by an encouraging home win over Queens, Aidan Nesbitt bizarrely netting directly from an out-swinging corner and Gary Oliver finishing the job as McPherson debuted former Sheffield United midfielder Stephen McGinn, who had come in on loan from Hibs. With restrictions easing, the lower leagues were allowed to resume, and along with it the Scottish Cup, which actually gave Morton fans a wee bit of pleasure. When Dunfermline eventually visited on cup duty, the game was to prove similar to the earlier Cappielow draw, before the Pars took their regular place back on our mantelpiece as Aidan McAdams celebrated his birthday in style, proving the hero as Morton won their first penalty shoot-out of the season at the fourth attempt. Happy days. After disposing of one Fife club, it was two road trips to the kingdom to follow- firstly to Kirkcaldy for a narrow defeat as James Gullan's late goal saw Raith complete a league whitewash on the Ton, and secondly to Methil in the next round of the cup. A quite dreadful performance saw Morton trail as the final whistle approached, but they were to get off the hook as a late, late Sean McGinty penalty forced extra time before Robbie Muirhead's extra time strike took us into a last sixteen tie at Fir Park. We were coming into the run in now, and every point would be a prisoner. So a midweek home hammering by Inverness, not out the woods themselves yet by this stage, was to prove most unwelcome. Morton were hosed 1-4, and to be honest, the result flattered us. But as was so often the case, an improved performance and a surprise point at Dens brought little cheer, but some scope for optimism. It took until late on for Dundee to rescue a point after Nesbitt had given Morton a shock lead in what was to prove Sterling's last appearance before he was told to pack his bags. If only we could've turned some of those single points over the course of the season into three, there would've been little to worry about. Again, Morton would excel themselves on the road as they travelled to Motherwell in the cup, holding the Premiership side comfortably for two hours before heartbreakingly, Scotland right back Stephen O'Donnell struck to settle the tie. Or so he thought, as Morton had other ideas. Substitute Lewis McGratten won a corner as the Ton made one last throw of the dice and Fjortoft dramatically headed home to take us to yet another penalty competition. Sadly, our luck was to desert us as Sean McGinty's tame penalty was smothered by Liam Kelly in an otherwise flawless shoot-out, and the Steelmen prevailed. Markus Fjortoft's late equaliser at Fir Park took Premiership Motherwell to penalties as Morton were unfortunate to bow out the Scottish Cup. (Photo- Gary Bradley) With champions Hearts visiting in midweek though, the performance was a good confidence boost to take into a game that was a bit of a free hit. Anything we could get was a bonus, and a point apiece it was, but it probably should've been more against a side that were half way to Magaluf by this stage of the season. Well, maybe not this year, but you catch the drift. Orsi hit the post in the first minute and Craig Gordon was to prove the difference between one point and three. Not to worry though- we had Alloa, already relegated, to come at Cappielow at the weekend. It was again a first minute chance for Orsi that was to prove the pivotal moment, as this time he collapsed on the ball when through on goal. Things didn't get any better as Morton huffed and puffed before falling behind to an Innes Cameron goal early in the second half. Again, it was Fjortoft who restored parity but a winning goal didn't arrive and we were up against it as we headed into a final day winner-takes-all decider against Arbroath at Gayfield. Off the park at least, things were looking up as MCT asked their members to approve a takeover proposal that involved the retention of the ground as the club's asset and the debt being expunged, whilst Golden Casket retained the car park. The proposal was approved almost unanimously and it's looking like Morton can look forward to a fan-owned future. But in what division? With Morton level on points with Ayr but with an inferior goal difference and a point behind the Red Lichties, we had to better Ayr's result or win the game to finish above Arbroath. What followed was an insipid draw in which Morton didn't get a shot on target, and didn't really threaten. With around 50 fans travelling to support the team in spite of having no chance of seeing the game, they were let down not only by the poor performance, but by the sheer folly of new club captain Sean McGinty. As news of what was to prove Ayr's crucial equaliser came from the bench, McGinty had a rush of blood to the head and his inexplicably late tackle on Abroath's Scott Stewart earned him a red card which ruled him out of the play-off semi-finals in the process. Having had the opportunity to meet the manager outside Gayfield that evening, I can testify that McPherson shared the fury of myself and the fans around me as we faced up to visiting the Last Chance Saloon. Captain Calamity Sean McGinty's horror tackle led to his red card and subsequent suspension for the play-offs which ultimately proved to be a blessing in disguise for Morton. (Photo- Gary Bradley) But there was to be one final twist before we faced up to our date with destiny. Any observers that are ignorant to the trials and tribulations of our club who stumbles across my musings could be forgiven for thinking that we're by far the biggest shambles of a club in the land, but it's always nice to know there's someone worse off than yourself. Especially when that someone is Falkirk. The Bairns had suffered an incredible collapse from the position of coasting towards the title to missing out on even making the play-offs in the final few minutes of the regular season, as Montrose's late winner against already promoted Partick Thistle, coincided with a couple of late Airdrie goals against Falkirk, propelled the Angus club into a play-off semi-final with Morton and left the greeting-faced Grangemouth Galoots licking their wounds, crying about the injustice of it all and slumming it in the third tier for another season. For Morton, it was another trip up the east coast.
    8 points
  11. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Out With The Old And In With The New… A Review of Morton’s 2021-22 Season, Part One. By Russell Gordon. After the rollercoaster ride that was season 2020-21, most Morton fans would’ve quite happily accepted a season of mid-table mediocrity with any realistic fears of relegation being extinguished as early as possible, even if there was no real danger of us threatening the play-offs at the other end of the table. Sounds boring on the surface perhaps, but whilst that was exactly what we got, it could hardly have been described as an uneventful campaign. With fans’ group MCT getting their feet under the desk before officially announcing the purchase of the club from an increasingly unpopular Crawford Rae in September, all eyes were on which direction the club would take and what lessons had been learned from the calamitous last few years of the Golden Casket era. It didn’t start well. Having scraped to survival, manager Gus MacPherson was handed a two-year deal as a reward for his “achievement”, which raised many an eyebrow amongst sections of the support who were somewhat underwhelmed by the former Queen’s Park and Queen of the South boss’s performance in failing to avoid the relegation play-offs in the first place. MacPherson’s first signing was to cause even more concern- former Morton trialist Alan Lithgow came in from Livingston on a two-year deal. Whilst Lithgow’s injury record can’t be ignored, the main bone of contention for many was a criminal conviction he attained in his younger days for an offence that a lot of fans found unpalatable. Former Raith striker Gozie Ugwu was charged with the unenviable task of trying to provide the goals for MacPherson's struggling side. (Photo-Gary Bradley) There were of course re-signings and departures again- Robbie Muirhead was handed a new deal, owing in no small part to his play-off heroics, whilst stalwarts such as Gary Oliver, Brian McLean, Cameron Blues, Michael Ledger and club captain Kyle Jacobs came back for more. Former Hibernian and Sheffield United midfielder Stephen McGinn was lured to title favourites Kilmarnock, whilst Ayr United boss David Hopkin decided to raid his former club for some of the stars who brought him so much success in his time at Cappielow. Few tears were shed over the loss of Cameron Salkeld and in particular Sean McGinty, but the losses of Markus Fjortoft and Aidan McAdams to the Honest Men weren’t greeted with the same relief or joy down Inverclyde way. Wingers Aidan Nesbitt and Craig McGuffie departed for League One minnows Falkirk, ultimately contributing to their heroic efforts to avoid the drop to League Two, which was nice for them. Joining Lithgow at Cappielow were Raith Rovers’ forward Gozie Ugwu, who brought a much-needed physical presence to the front line, and former Dundee and Hearts goalkeeper Jack Hamilton- a signing that was perhaps unfairly mocked by many observers. Only time would tell if those calls were fair or not. Former ‘Ton full back Mark Russell would also return, having enjoyed a successful spell at Finn Harps in Ireland. It would be fair to say that in those early weeks of the season, the squad seriously lacked depth and experience, and just to exacerbate that problem, Morton were hit by a COVID outbreak on the eve of the season’s kick off. After a couple of dull pre-season friendlies; a 0-0 draw behind closed doors at Dumbarton and a 2-0 win over Cumbernauld Colts at Broadwood (God, I miss Highland tours), the intention was to start the League Cup campaign with a trip to Stranraer, for a game for which travelling fans were officially banned from attending due to the restrictions. Those who chose not to travel didn’t miss anything- the match was called off on the morning as a result of Morton’s failure to raise a team due to the outbreak at Cappielow, and Morton were forced accept a 0-3 defeat. Incredibly though, Morton were able to field a team against East Kilbride only three days later, on a day of confusion as the club and the Telegraph told conflicting stories about whether the game would or would not go ahead, and whether anyone would be able to attend or not. In the end, the game was played behind closed doors in what was a bit of a public relations faux pas on the club’s part. With Gus MacPherson also in his sickbed, a shadow Morton team toiled to a 0-0 draw with their Lowland League counterparts, prevailing 5-4 on penalties to take the bonus point going into the game with top seeds Kilmarnock. With Morton effectively out of the tournament through very little fault of their own, the trip to Rugby Park, in front of a limited number of home fans brought room for optimism as Morton led for the vast majority of the match- young Lewis McGregor’s fine early strike was only cancelled out in injury time before the hosts went on to take the bonus point in a penalty shoot-out. The curtain came down on Morton’s brief campaign with a 2-1 victory over Clyde at Cappielow, as Robbie Muirhead took up where he left off in May with a double to crush any hopes the Bully Wee may have had of progression to the knock-out phase of the competition. With Morton’s interest in the League Cup meeting a premature end, focus moved onto the start of the league campaign, with much-fancied Dunfermline Athletic visiting relegation favourites Morton on the opening day. In front of a crowd that was again limited only to home fans, Morton could’ve considered themselves unfortunate not to collect all three points, having led through a first half Gary Oliver penalty against his favourite opponents. But in the end it took a Lewis McGrattan cross looping into the Pars’ net to salvage a draw as the Fifers claimed a rare, but memorable Cappielow point. Three points were to follow for Morton the following week at Hamilton, as Gozie Ugwu’s first half strike proved enough to separate the visitors from the newly relegated Accies, in spite of the ordering off of Cammy Blues late in the game. Four points from six, all was well in the world. But Morton being Morton, quickly dispelled any thoughts that we might have been in for a good season by losing 2-3 at home to early strugglers Queen of the South, and rounded off August with a 0-3 trousering at the hands of Partick Thistle in Glasgow. MacPherson had some major surgery to perform on the squad as the month reached its conclusion and the clock ran down on the summer transfer window. To be fair, corrective action was taken, with Mansfield striker Jimmy Knowles, Newcastle winger Tom Allen and centre back Oisin McEntee, and Brentford midfielder Jaako Oksanen (the latter two under-21 internationals for the Republic of Ireland and Finland respectively) came in the door, along with Livingston striker Gavin Reilly, all on season-long loans. Livingston loanee Gavin Reilly endured a difficult first few months of his Morton career. (Photo- Gary Bradley) The Challenge Cup, now known as the SPFL Trust Trophy, returned after a year in abeyance and Morton were handed a trip to Airdrie to face… Celtic B (?) Morton won 3-1, and that’s really all that needs said about such a farce of a fixture. We move on. September wasn’t to prove a vintage month- a respectable performance at Rugby Park saw the ‘Ton fall to a late Rory McKenzie winner for Kilmarnock before falling by the same scoreline to Raith Rovers at Cappielow the following week. Despite the beautiful sunshine that early autumn afternoon, the storm clouds were gathering over Cappielow. The month was rounded off at Somerset Park as Morton were reacquainted with a former boss in the week that we were freed from the shackles of Crawford Rae and finally became a community-owned club. That boss however, was to be Jim Duffy; successor to David Hopkin, who had already been emptied by the Ayrshire club as a result not only of their own slow start to the season, but also of fan mutiny against Hopkin. What we got was one of the worst football matches you’re ever likely to see, between two absolutely horrible teams to watch, which ended goalless. Gus MacPherson and his backroom staff suffer through the turgid 0-0 draw at Somerset Park like the rest of us. (Photo-Gary Bradley) It was becoming increasingly obvious that Morton were going to endure a difficult season- the football was turgid and the support was becoming increasingly impatient with the manager. But whilst the Raith and Ayr games were truly awful, it’s perhaps more concerning when you play well and don’t get your rewards. When high-flying Arbroath came calling, few would have fancied Morton to take anything from a game against the league’s surprise package. With Jack Hamilton being beaten by his brother Colin on the cusp of half-time, Morton could’ve easily retreated into their shell, but an excellent second half performance, with a goal from Gary Oliver seconds after the restart, and a fantastic Cammy Blues strike to give Morton the lead, looked to have given us the three points. Lady Luck had other ideas though, and Oisin McEntee was harshly punished for the use of an elbow late on and Michael McKenna duly converted the resultant penalty to deny Morton what could’ve been two valuable points. Our saving grace at this point was Dunfermline’s abysmal start under Peter Grant, but surely that couldn’t go on forever? At least there was a break from league duty though, as the SPFL Trust Trophy campaign continued at Links Park. Whilst the rest of the country were enthralled by Scotland’s incredible late World Cup win over Israel, a hardy band of Morton fans travelled up to Angus to see Morton scrape past Montrose on penalties to book a quarter-final tie against Queen of the South. We were to clock up a fair few miles in October, with trips to Inverness for an insipid 0-2 defeat in which Lewis Strapp, who had spent most of the campaign playing in an unfamiliar left centre back role, reportedly felt the wrath of a furious MacPherson; and another uninspiring 0-0 draw, this time at Palmerston, the only highlight of which being Robbie Muirhead’s effort which was unfortunate to hit the bar. An improved performance at home to on-form Partick garnered yet another 0-0 draw which could’ve been more but was probably seen as a point gained rather than two dropped, before Hamilton came calling. An appalling Morton performance incredibly only saw the hosts a goal down deep into injury time when a high and hopeful Jaako Oksanen free kick was headed into his own net by Accies defender Reegan Mimnaugh to prevent a Halloween horror show for the ‘Ton faithful. Gary Oliver nets a last minute penalty against his favourite opponents to give Morton a 3-1 win at East End Park (Photo- Gary Bradley) But bad news was just around the corner- Dunfermline had finally decided to wield the axe and relieve the hapless Peter Grant of his duties ahead of a relegation six-pointer against Morton at East End Park. It seemed we needn’t have worried at this point however, as Gozie Ugwu’s goal was sandwiched by two from Gary Oliver (who else?) and Morton eased to three vital points against the Pars. They were to appoint John Hughes as Grant’s successor after that Morton defeat though and immediately got a new manager bounce, with a win at Inverness and a home to Ayr, whilst Morton were losing 0-2 at home to promotion-chasing Kilmarnock and 1-2 at Raith Rovers. The defeat in Kirkcaldy was to prove especially chastening, having led early on through Michael Ledger and meekly surrendered their advantage. A bad day was rounded off by the sending off of Alan Lithgow as tensions boiled over in the away stand, with Lithgow being the target of some fans’ frustrations, and squabbles breaking out in the away end. Alan Lithgow's two yellow cards at Stark's Park were to prove one of the season's lowlights. (Photo- Gary Bradley) With Morton celebrating the 100th anniversary of their Scottish Cup win this season, a cup run would’ve been nice- so a draw away to promotion-chasing Inverness was a most unwelcome development. The manager was under pressure, the board were meeting criticisms with a wall of silence, the fans were at each others’ throats, the relationship between players and fans appeared irreparable. If the winter of 2020 was a winter of discontent, we were bracing ourselves for what the winter of 2021 was about to bring…
    7 points
  12. We are disappointed the Just One Cornetto podcast record with Morton Club Together has been cancelled. After we were approached by an MCT director, requesting a slot on the podcast, we agreed to the record on the sole condition that all questions submitted would be answered. MCT agreed to honour this condition a week ago when initial discussions took place. After spending a considerable amount of time speaking to supporters who submitted questions, collating and structuring the script for the record, we sent this to two MCT representatives to allow them time to conduct their preparation for the record. At around 4pm this afternoon, MCT raised concerns regarding one topic for discussion, the decision-making process the club undertook when allowing the manager to sign a player with previous criminal convictions. For the absolute avoidance of doubt, we had no questions that interrogated the character of the player, place stress upon the relationship between the player and the club, nor questions that enquired into personal details of the player’s circumstances. The questions were aimed at the club director(s) involved in deciding whether this signing was appropriate for the club to make, followed by questions asking why the club have failed to acknowledge concerns already flagged to the club by supporters. We took reasonable steps to reassure the MCT directors involved that we had no intention of discussing anything that would breach employment law, which was the basis of MCT’s concerns. It is my position that the club’s frameworks, decision making and refusal to acknowledge fans’ concerns can, and should, be discussed without risk of legal repercussions. It’s also worth noting that this subject matter was one of the two subjects we received the highest number of questions regarding. Supporters want answers and we wanted to provide MCT the opportunity to relay these answers to the fanbase they represent. Given the change in MCT’s position at such short notice, withdrawing their acceptance of the sole condition the record was based upon, we felt that it was an appropriate course of action to withdraw from the record. MCT did offer to go ahead with the record without answering any questions on the subject matter in question, but we felt this would fall short of the standards we expected from this record. We’re disappointed with tonight’s outcome, and would also like to underline that if MCT can meet the initial conditions they agreed to, they are still more than welcome on the podcast. Morton Club Together were offered the opportunity to produce a quote for this statement, to which they declined. Thanks, Dean.
    7 points
  13. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Fine Margins in the Fog A review of Morton’s 2022-23 Season, Part Three By Russell Gordon With no margin for error, Morton at least had a bit of clarity as to what was required going into the final three games of the season- nine points from nine was the be all and end all. However, they were dealt a midweek blow as Inverness turned round a late deficit at Hamilton, in a game brought forward to accommodate the Highland side’s Scottish Cup semi-final, which was scheduled for the weekend penultimate game of the season. Having taken the lead with only 18 minutes remaining through Hearts loanee Connor Smith, the Accies quickly succumbed to a Nathan Shaw equaliser three minutes later before Billy McKay’s winner two minutes from time did Morton no favours at all. But Morton could only look after themselves, and with the visit of Raith Rovers, the only club in the division by this stage who had nothing to play for, the ‘Ton came out all guns blazing. There was a surprise inclusion in Alex King, who had suffered Imrie’s wrath in the aftermath of the Dens Park draw in which the young midfielder had conceded a free kick late on, which led to the Dark Blues’ late, late equaliser. Alex King's early goal gave Morton the points against Raith Rovers in a tight affair at Cappielow. (Photo- Gary Bradley) But the selection was to prove a wise one, as only a couple of minutes in, King was on the end of Calvin Miller’s pinpoint cross to nod Morton into an early lead. Whilst those outside of Morton and their fanbase may well have looked upon the match as an end-of-season dead rubber, those of us with blue-and-white tinted glasses were holding onto every hope they could, and with little happening in front of their eyes, attention began to focus on events elsewhere. We’d already had the benefit of fellow promotion contenders Ayr and Queen’s Park cancelling each other out in a turgid 0-0 draw on BBC Scotland the night before, but with Dundee taking a point at Inverness there was another bonus for Morton’s play-off ambitions. At the bottom end of the table, Cove’s win at Arbroath kept the Red Lichties looking for points ahead of their penultimate-day trip to Firhill to face Partick. However, Partick were at Hamilton, and again the Accies failure to hold onto a lead was to have ramifications for the good guys. Having gone 2-1 up a minute from time, it looked as though the Maryhill side had dropped three vital points, but Steven Lawless’s 92nd minute goal got them out of jail and salvaged one. With Morton’s game drifting towards a routine home win, Raith’s frustrations came to the boil as two of their main men, Tom Lang and Lewis Vaughan saw red late on. Normally an opponent seeing red is a welcome sign of course, but with the Rovers not laying a glove on Morton anyway, and tasked with a visit to Somerset Park the following week, there were certainly mixed feelings amongst the home support about Raith’s late lack of composure in what wasn’t a dirty game at all. Whilst Morton weren’t going to win the title, they still had a say in who would, and it was expected that if they could again defeat Queen’s Park, the trophy would be heading to Tayside. Relegation threatened Cove Rangers visited Dens for the Friday night game and put in a dogged performance to gain a point from the title favourites, dragging Cove out of the automatic relegation places and leaving Dundee looking on anxiously to events at Cappielow the following day. Confidence amongst the Spiders’ support was high, with comments about “taking care of business” not uncommon in the lead up to a game against a team they had mustered a meagre point from across the previous three meetings. They did however, open the scoring for the third consecutive meeting. Having dominated the first half hour, been denied a penalty when Grant Gillespie was felled in the box and seen Callum Ferrie claw away Robbie Muirhead’s exquisite goal-bound chip, Darragh O’Connor was turned on the half way line, and whilst the attack looked to have fizzled out, Scott Williamson collected the ball out on the left and played it inside to Malachai Boateng, who picked out the bottom corner to give the visitors an undeserved lead. Queen’s Park couldn’t hold on until the break though as Morton went back on the front foot. Calvin Miller came close before Jai Quitongo made mincemeat of right back Marcel Oakley, forcing the hapless defender into hacking him down on the bye line. This time, referee John Beaton had no hesitation and pointed to the spot. After having had problems with penalties recently, it was a relief that Grant Gillespie was, on this occasion on the pitch. The captain made no mistake from the spot, sending the teams in level at the break. Morton started the second half where they left off, with Quitongo tormenting his former club’s defence before Queen’s came into the game forcing a couple of smart saves from Brian Schwake. However, with 25 minutes remaining, Morton took the lead, with George Oakley the architect-in-chief. Centre back Charlie Fox was caught underneath Calum Waters’ clearance; and was turned brilliantly by Oakley on the halfway line. The big striker fed Robbie Crawford, who clipped the ball beautifully over a flailing Ferrie into the net, sending the Cowshed into raptures. Oakley had to be replaced, pulling up in the act of playing the ball through to Crawford, but the action didn’t let up, with both teams exchanging chances and Jai Quitongo perhaps relieved that he wasn’t left to rue a late miss after an otherwise imperious personal performance. Robbie Crawford's terrific winning goal sent Cappielow wild, denting Queen's Park's title ambitions and taking Morton into the final day with high hopes of sneaking into the play-offs. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Elsewhere, Partick and Ayr both recorded routine and expected home wins against relegation-threatened Arbroath and depleted Raith. Morton would go into the final match knowing that, coupled with a win against a Cove side fighting for their lives, there were two possible scenarios which could’ve taken them into the play-offs. Given the lack of motivation, and how their season had petered out, a Raith win against Partick at Stark’s Park was perhaps unlikely, but with both Inverness and Ayr needing a win to secure a play-off place themselves, there were high hopes that they could cancel each other out, allowing Morton to capitalise. Jai Quitongo ran his former club ragged in Morton's 2-1 win over Queen's Park. (Photo- Gary Bradley) With a straight shoot-out for the title between Queen’s Park and Dundee at Ochilview, with the Taysiders holding the upper hand going into the game, at the bottom of the table, Cove knew a result of sorts would be imperative with Hamilton travelling to face fellow strugglers Arbroath at Gayfield. What we didn’t bank on on a night of high drama was Mother Nature’s intervention. With the Morton fans making up the majority of Cove’s biggest crowd of the season, thick fog prevented most in attendance of actually seeing much action. The ‘Ton got off to the perfect start, with Jack Baird heading home from what I believe was a Calvin Miller corner, although I can’t confirm. All was going well, but with conditions worsening, Cove boss Paul Harltey and his bench weren’t slow in getting in the ear of referee Craig Napier to call for an abandonment which would have seen them not only restore parity, but head into a re-arranged fixture knowing exactly what they would have to do to overtake Hamilton and/or Arbroath. Elsewhere, Ayr and Partick both took early first half leads, although Raith levelled, leaving things nicely poised heading into the break. However, Cove threw a spanner into the works by levelling spectacularly through Declan Glass on the cusp of half time. Jack Baird got Morton off to the perfect start with a headed goal in the final day showdown with Cove Rangers. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Things deteriorated further at the break, and Napier delayed a return to action for a further five minutes before finally relenting, perhaps under pressure from the SPFL to complete the game on the night. One man who didn’t complete the game though was Cammy Blues, who collected a second booking for a rash challenge four minutes into the half, much to the chagrin of Dougie Imrie and his bench. With Cove happily holding on to the draw that would have secured them a play-off place at the bottom end of the table, Raith Rovers took the lead, giving a glimmer of hope that Partick could be caught. Partick would quickly equalise before Robbie Muirhead again proved the hero of the hour. Well known as a scorer of spectacular goals, we’ll just have to assume his winner was one out of that repertoire, as all I can recall was seeing the net bugle in the mist. With the rest of the country enthralled by Dundee’s 5-3 win at Ochilview which secured the title, the Morton fans’ attention again turned to their phones for updates from elsewhere, and nine minutes from time, they finally got it. Nathan Shaw equalised for Inverness and we were in the play-offs! For seven minutes at least. Whilst Raith couldn’t get a goal to help Morton out, Ayr could find the net to spoil our fun- Mark McKenzie dispatching a winner that Mark Ridgers really should have thrown his cap on. To rub salt in the wound, Inverness would get a late goal ruled out for offside, and Morton had to play out the final few minutes knowing they were rooted in the Championship regardless of the result, whilst also trying to contain an increasingly desperate Cove, who were ultimately relegated when the final whistle blew. But the sickening sense of emptiness that greeted the Morton fans at the end didn’t stop them appreciating their heroes’ efforts, nor did it stop the squad and staff reciprocating the good wishes from the crowd before the long drive home. Robbie Muirhead's winner in Aberdeen proved to be in vain as results went against Morton on the season's final day. (Photo- Gary Bradley) With Cove going down off the back of their defeat to Morton, Hamilton would follow them in the play-offs. Having fallen 0-3 behind on aggregate in their semi-final tie against Alloa, they recovered to go through to a final against Airdrie amidst fan revolt at their board. Airdrie had comfortably reached the final, hammering League One regulars Falkirk 6-2 at Broomfield (stop laughing at the back, there) before recording a comfortable 1-0 win in Grangemouth. A 1-0 win over Accies in the first leg of the final saw both teams going into the second leg at New Douglas Park with all to play for. It looked as though Accies had salvaged their Championship place, leading 2-0 before Gabby McGill forced extra time, and ultimately penalties. After eleven perfect penalties, Airdrie keeper Josh Rae stopped Daniel O’Reilly’s tame kick to take Airdrie back to the Championship for the first time in a decade, sending Hamilton down to League One for the first time since our annus horribilis of 2003-04. One team who aren’t unfamiliar with the Championship are Dundee United, who dropped like a stone, losing all of their post-split games to return to the second tier after three years. In the play-offs, Partick went through Queen’s Park and Ayr United with ease, racking up sixteen goals across four games to set up a final against Ross County. Things couldn’t have gone any better for the gurning Glaswegians in the first leg, with Aidan Fitzpatrick giving them an early lead, before an early red card for County teenager Dylan Smith. Everyone’s favourite striker, Brain Graham gave the hosts a commanding lead going into the second leg. Partick would add to that before half time in Dingwall, again thanks to Fitzpatrick, and were as good as up. But in a not-at-all-funny turn of events, Graham was adjudged to have handled in the box, allowing Yan Dhanda to reduce the arrears. With Partick still re-organising, ex-Morton striker Alex Samuel squared for Simon Murray to bring them within a goal. That goal would arrive in the 91st minute through George Harmon, taking the match to extra time. You really had to feel sorry for Partick legend Stuart Bannigan, brought on immediately before Murray’s goal, who missed a gilt-edged chance in extra time before missing from the spot along with teammates Kevin Holt and Ross Docherty, as Partick completed a monumental collapse, losing on penalties to the Highlanders. As bottles crashed in Dingwall, glasses were raised in Greenock! There won't be any Morton fans who aren't hoping Liam Grimshaw accepts Morton's contract offer for next season. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Closer to home, there were no great surprises in the retained and released lists, with the loanees returning to their parent clubs, although Calum Waters, released by Kilmarnock has signed a more permanent a deal at Cappielow, along with former Scotland defender Kirk Broadfoot, whilst Liam Grimshaw and Calvin Miller have both been offered terms. Jai Quitongo’s also accepted a one-year deal, while Efe Ambrose, Josh Gemmell, Lawton Green, Reece Lyon, Carlo Pignatiello and Lewis Strapp all move on with our best wishes. We can expect to see some more movement in the transfer market soon one would expect, but with a strong core of the squad already signed, season ticket sales massively up on last season and a growing sense of optimism in the support, the new season can’t come quick enough. It seems strange to be looking forward to a season with such optimism, but that’s what the Dougie effect has given Morton, with praise also due to an administration that is running the club in a way we had been desperate for it to be ran for years. Maybe, just maybe the good times are coming back to Cappielow.
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  14. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Substitutes, Sponsors and Sending Offs… A Review of Morton’s 2022-23 Season, Part One By Russell Gordon So, another season has come and gone, with Morton now looking forward to their eighth successive season in the Championship- the longest of all the division’s members and a club record since league reconstruction in the 1970s. However, this time around was a much more positive experience for most connected to Morton than most of the previous ones in this run of consecutive seasons at least, in spite of the late heartbreak we all endured on that foggy night on the outskirts of Aberdeen. Morton’s season though, was to begin under a cloud of uncertainty- a summer of rumours as to the future of Hamilton Manager Stuart Taylor had a knock-on effect at Cappielow, with Imrie, a fans’ favourite in Hamilton, touted to replace the seemingly doomed Accies’ boss. Whilst now almost unthinkable, given the stories of budgetary constraints at Cappielow over the summer, there were real concerns in the Morton support about Imrie’s future. Although the extension of Lewis Strapp’s deal for another season was terrific news; having lost the likes of Gozie Ugwu, Jack Hamilton and Oisin McEntee from the previous campaign, Morton began their warm-up for the new campaign by visiting an old haunt from yesteryear to play Annan at Gretna, with the League Two side claiming a late 2-2 draw, before a far more encouraging 3-0 victory over David Martindale’s Livingston at Almondvale, thanks in no small part to two fine goals from Michael Garrity. It's fairly obvious that Imrie and Martindale have a good working relationship. Whilst Livingston snapped up the out-of-contract Hamilton and Morton’s Hearts loanee Jamie Brandon, American goalkeeper Brian Schwake and Irish winger Jaze Kabia came in the door from Livi. Queen’s Park’s promotion was also to prove a blessing in disguise, as the Spiders’ free spending policy saw the surplus to requirements Grant Gillespie and Jai Quitongo arrive at Cappielow. Gillespie was eventually awarded the captaincy, with his vice-captain Jack Baird coming in from Ayr to shore up the backline, alongside another Irishman- Motherwell’s Darragh O’Connor, who had spent six months on loan at Queen of the South, and Dumbarton right back Carlo Pigniatello. The Premier Sports Cup campaign started in inauspicious circumstances, with Morton only managing to name a lone substitute in their opening match against League One minnows, Falkirk. The end result was perhaps the most embarrassing in Morton’s recent history, as the underdogs managed to hold their more illustrious opponents to a 0-0 draw before claiming a penalty shoot-out win, much to the delight of their travelling mob. The win was to propel Falkirk to a season of success unparalleled in recent years, as they made the play-off semi final before narrowly losing out 2-7 to Airdrieonians. There’s probably an open-top bus parade going through their town as you read this. If that result was embarrassing, the 0-2 defeat by another League One side, Clyde was almost as humiliating, as Morton put in a turgid performance and were lucky to come away with only a two-goal defeat. Morton being Morton however, decided to upset the applecart when they visited Premiership Hibernian at Easter Road. Just when we thought we were going to be on the end of a doing in what was proving to be a depressing League Cup campaign, Hibs came along to make us all feel a bit better about life. A terrific rear-guard effort kept Morton in the game before Grant Gillespie converted a second half penalty that looked to have given the visitors all three points before Euan Henderson levelled late on to take us to another penalty shoot-out. This time, Morton were to prove victorious with Hibs missing three of their spot kicks. The drama didn’t end there though, as it turned out that Hibs Manager Lee Johnson, who had been critical of the authorities for the lack of a Fourth Official on duty at Easter Road, dropped his own clanger by playing the suspended Rocky Bushiri against the ‘Ton. Morton were subsequently awarded a 3-0 win and as a result were back into the competition, but hoping for favours in their final match against league new-boys Bonnyrigg Rose. It turned out that a 3-1 Cappielow victory wasn’t to prove enough to qualify, with Falkirk beating Clyde to take the sole place in the last sixteen from the group, but Morton could look forward to the season with a bit more optimism than earlier in the month. With Taylor eventually emptied by Accies as the season approached, Imrie was to take his Morton side to New Douglas Park for the season’s opener, and they were to fall behind after only five minutes, as Andy Ryan nodded home from a poorly defended corner. Just before the break, Jaze Kabia was upended by Accies defender Shaun Want, who received a deserved second booking. What wasn’t expected though, was the referee pointing to the spot, as the foul appeared to be a yard or so outside the box. Grant Gillespie though, didn’t stand around and debate the issue, as he levelled matters with aplomb. Unfortunately though, despite playing the full second half against ten men, Morton couldn’t find a breakthrough and had to settle for a point. A breakthrough would again prove hard to come by against League One champions Cove Rangers on their first ever visit to Cappielow, but when it did arrive, it was spectacular. With the teams playing out a tousy affair, it was Jai Quitongo who latched onto a poor defensive header from Cove’s Shay Logan thirteen minutes from time, before spinning and launching a rocket from the edge of the box to give Morton their first three points of the league season. Jai Quitongo's fantastic strike kept the points at Cappielow as Cove Rangers made their first visit to Greenock in August. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Next up was Raith Rovers in Kirkcaldy, and a disappointing 1-2 reverse, with only a late Cammy Blues consolation to show for Morton’s efforts, but the following week was to prove one of the most pivotal of the season, and in Morton’s short period under community ownership. Firstly, it was announced that striker Alexander Easdale was leaving the club to take up a role in his family’s business. It was difficult not to feel sorry for the young striker, who appeared to be really out of his depth playing at such a level, but it raised questions about the involvement of his family, the club’s major sponsors. Two days later though, the club were to announce a sponsorship deal with Dalrada Technology UK, which would see the renaming of the stadium as Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology UK. The deal was to prove a real coup for MCT, and particularly director Sam Robinson, who managed to convince Dalrada CEO Brian Bonar, an ex-pat Morton supporter, that the club were an attractive proposition to attach their brand to. The good news kept coming, as former Ayr United and Partick Thistle midfielder Robbie Crawford joined up for the season to add a bit more quality to the midfield. Things were beginning to take shape ahead of the visit of title favourites, Dundee. Morton were unfortunate not to come away with maximum points, with only the width of a post preventing Jack Baird from winning the match for the home side late on. A first win on the road was to follow as Inverness were dispatched thanks to a late Gillespie penalty, much to the delight of the travelling support, but September would not prove to be a fruitful month. League leaders Ayr United collected three points from Cappielow thanks to goals from the talismanic Dipo Akinyemi and Mark McKenzie, with only a Robbie Muirhead counter to show for Morton’s efforts. There was to be an unplanned week off as all fixtures were postponed due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, but in that time, another new arrival came into Cappielow- former Motherwell full back Liam Grimshaw. Grimshaw wasn’t to enjoy the most successful of debuts as Morton were to suffer a second successive home defeat, this time to an Arbroath side who were suffering a bit of a hangover after their heroics in the previous campaign. To add to Morton’s frustrations, Jai Quitongo picked up his second red card of the season (having previously seen red against Falkirk) when wrestling the ball from Red Lichties’ keeper Derek Gaston after Lewis McGrattan had netted a late consolation. The SPFL Trust Trophy campaign kicked off with Ayr’s second visit to Cappielow of the month, and a happier ending. With both teams playing much changed line-ups, Lewis McGregor gave Morton an early lead before Josh Mullin restored parity just before the break. A farcical second half saw Quitongo again see red, alongside Jack Baird and Ayr’s Paul Smith as referee Craig Napier completely lost control of a match that wasn’t even terribly bad tempered. Morton however, were to prevail on penalties, with Ayr skipper, and Cowshed “favourite” Sean McGinty being the only man who failed to convert and a place in the next round beckoned. A trip to Firhill was to follow, and with it came the low point of Morton’s season. With Quitongo and Baird suspended, it came as a surprise to see Morton take the lead against the in-form Jags, thanks to an absolute howitzer of a free kick from Robbie Muirhead. That was to be the last of the joy from the weekend though, as goals from Brian Graham and Kevin Holt gave Partick a half time lead against the makeshift defence, and Graham also found time to smash his flying elbow into the face of Lewis Strapp, remarkably escaping unpunished, not for the last time this season. Three further goals in the second half and a missed Holt penalty completed a chastening afternoon for Morton who were hamstrung by Grant Gillespie’s early booking leaving him walking on eggshells for almost the entirety of the match. It left Imrie and Morton licking their wounds with the midweek visit to another in form “Glasgow” club, Queen’s Park approaching in midweek, as we caught up with the postponed fixture from the monarch’s passing. They didn’t lick their wounds for long though, as Jaze Kabia topped off his best performance in a Morton jersey with first half goal, which Muirhead added to in the second. A late Spiders fightback saw Malachai Boateng pull one back, but Morton were to emerge with the points with a special mention for Darragh O’Connor putting his head in where it hurts to ensure all three points headed west. Jaze Kabia's opening goal set Morton on their way to a morale boosting three points as they dispatched big-spending Queen's Park at Ochilview. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Hamilton’s unbeaten record at Cappielow stretched back to 1999, but was blown to smithereens within 23 minutes. An early headed goal from Baird, an easy finish from Kabia after Gillespie’s raking pass cut through the Accies defence like a hot knife through melting butter and an incredible team goal that was finished off by Gillespie gave the hosts a commanding lead, with Muirhead adding another couple in the second half to put some gloss on a fine win. And it was to be three in three the following week, with Gillespie’s injury time penalty sending Raith back to the kingdom empty handed. Another goalless draw against Dundee, this time at Dens, was certainly a point gained rather than two dropped, especially with Grimshaw filling in at centre back for the injured O’Connor, taken off against Raith the previous week. Morton would need a more long-term solution, however. That was to come in the shape of Nigerian international Efe Ambrose, the former Celtic and Hibs centre back, who had endured a difficult time at a Dunfermline side who would ultimately be relegated last term, with Ambrose seeing red in their decisive play-off semi-final second leg. The affable defender came in for BBC Scotland’s first visit to Cappielow, and enjoyed a man-of-the-match performance against the hapless Highlanders as Morton ran out resounding 4-0 winners. Muirhead’s early goal owed more to Mark Ridgers’ butter fingers in the rain than anything else, but the keeper looked to have made amends by saving Gillespie’s penalty a few minutes later, only for Gills to convert the rebound. A David Carson own goal rounded off a terrific first half, before Cammy Blues put the icing on the cake late on with the goal of the game after a fine one-two with McGrattan. Four clean sheets and thirteen points from fifteen saw Imrie claim his first Glen’s Vodka Manager of the Month award, and onward to Somerset Park it was. A familiar sight at Cappielow throughout the season was that of Grant Gillespie celebrating, this time after knocking in the rebound from his penalty in the rout of Inverness. (Photo- Gary Bradley) There did however, appear to be one stumbling block to continuing the feel-good factor, though. Ambrose’s red card for Dunfermline in last season’s play-off semi-final would of course have led to a suspension, which hadn’t apparently been served, but it turned out that he had been registered prior to the Dens Park draw before being unveiled as a Morton player. This new era of competence behind the scenes was becoming disconcerting! The Morton defence wasn’t to prove impregnable much longer though, as Ayr’s Arsenal loanee Alex Kirk gave the hosts a third minute lead, but Jai Quitongo levelled soon after, nodding home from a corner as the sides saw out a 1-1 draw. One real positive to take from the game was how quiet Ambrose kept the normally irrepressible Akinyemi. Revenge was sweet as a Partick side enduring their worst run of the season were defeated at Cappielow. An Ambrose header gave Morton a first half lead, before being hauled back by Anton Dowds. However, a fine move involving Quitongo and Strapp was finished off brilliantly by Cammy Blues, who kept the points in Greenock, and sent Tarquin and Felix home to sulk into their Belhaven Bests. With the World Cup kicking off in Qatar, it was business as usual in the Scottish Championship as a late Robbie Crawford goal gave Morton all three points from their first visit to Balmoral Stadium after Cove looked to have salvaged a draw minutes from time, and it was now six wins from eight undefeated ahead of the Scottish Cup visit of Queen of the South. The first senior goal of Alex King's career was one to remember, as he finished off a mazy run in style to secure a 4-1 Scottish Cup success over Queen of the South. (Photo- Gary Bradley) A tricky tie against familiar opponents was made all the more difficult when Queens’ boss Willie Gibson’s son Lewis grabbed a first half equaliser after Robbie Muirhead opened the scoring, but the big striker was to pull another majestic free kick out of his locker to restore Morton’s lead, before a late Gillespie penalty and an Alex King wonder goal finally put the tie to bed. Terrific stuff, hopefully we could get a favourable draw and embark on a decent cup run. Who did we get? Celtic away. Smashing, cheers…
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  15. Back From The Brink- Morton’s Third Division Title Win By Russell Gordon In what’s fast approaching our 150th anniversary, Morton have won ten titles across various divisions- more than any other club outside Glasgow’s big two, Hibernian and newly crowned League Two Champions Stirling Albion, both of the latter now sitting alongside us on that figure. Only once have we won the fourth tier title, but having personally witnessed four of those ten successes, it would be fair to say that that title, twenty years ago sits above them all in terms of significance, and for the sheer outpouring of joy it produced on the terraces of Cappielow twenty years ago today. 2002-03 season was seen as the dawn of a new era, Morton having endured a number of false starts in the previous campaign. Having been wrestled from the clutches of the despised Hugh Scott and rescued from administration by Douglas Rae the previous summer, 2001-02 season saw Morton struggle terribly in the unfamiliar surroundings of the Second Division, falling right through to the Third after consecutive relegations as a squad of kids and over-the-hill journeymen toiled throughout before their fate was confirmed after a 3-2 victory at Stenhousemuir in the season’s third last game. There had been some green shoots that season; goalkeeper Craig Coyle’s player of the year performances were enough to suggest he would be an able custodian going forward, and Manager Dave McPherson’s contacts in Australia saw combative midfielder Marco Maisano come in to shore up the midfield. But prior to Derek Collins’ post season testimonial in May 2002, Mr. Rae unveiled a ridiculously ambitious signing for such a level- Stirling Albion talisman Alex Williams was signed for what appeared an exorbitant £50,000. The signing of "Super" Alex Williams was an inspired one, with the hitman bagging 23 league goals and the Bell's Third Division Player of the Year award. As the summer progressed, further additions came in to supplement the squad- Paul Gaughan came in from Hamilton, alongside Finnish under 21 international Jani Uoitinen and Marco’s brother, the mesmeric John Maisano, as Morton made clear their intentions to make a swift return to Scotland’s third tier. Pre-season form was mixed, with comfortable victories over Campbeltown Former Pupils and Fort William on the road before First Division Inverness were dispatched 1-0 at the Caledonian Stadium. Morton came down the road to face more local opposition, playing out disappointing 1-1 draw at Largs Thistle before a 0-1 derby defeat at Love Street. Morton in that era however, weren’t the only club to have suffered financial misery, and it finally caught up on old friends Airdrieonians, for whom the liquidators finally visited in the summer of 2002. The newly formed Airdrie United entered into a vote with 5 others in those days before a functioning pyramid system and were beaten by Gretna, who prior to that season had competed in the lower reaches of the English pyramid system. Gretna got the dream gala day for their first SFL appearance, as a travelling horde of 800 fans travelled down from Inverclyde to the borders for the opening game of the season. And 19 seconds in, their debut in the league got off to the perfect start as Matt Henney latched onto a defensive mix-up to fire former Morton hero Rowan Alexander’s side into the lead and send Morton temporarily to the bottom of the pile in the live table. It didn’t however take long for Warren Hawke to restore parity, and both clubs had to settle for a draw on the season’s opener. Morton followed up with consecutive home victories over Stirling Albion in the Challenge Cup and the league, with Alex Williams starting as he meant to go on against his former employers, notching a double in each game. The Challenge Cup campaign wasn’t to last very long, with a controversial visit to Palmerston to play the Second Division Champions as Morton exited the tournament 0-1, but not without seeing Williams, debutant Dean Matthew Keenan and Colin Reilly ordered off in a particularly bad-tempered affair which saw a serious injury to former ‘Ton ace Sean O’Connor, who took the brunt of Reilly’s robust challenge that resulted in his red. If Morton needed any reminding that the league campaign wouldn’t be plain sailing though, a 2-4 defeat to Peterhead at Balmoor was exactly that reminder. Whilst Queen’s Park were easily dispatched the following week, a trip to East Stirling, with new signing, the returning David Hopkin from Crystal Palace was to prove a massive disappointment. A club who were merely in the division as a result of Scottish football’s closed shop managed to salvage a 1-1 draw from a game that Morton should have been out of sight in. Hardly the preparation required for a League Cup derby against St. Mirren at Cappielow. I’ll try and be brief in relaying my recollections of that game. A Scott Bannerman pearler and a close-range strike from Hopkin put the good guys in a commanding 2-0 lead at the break, but they were pegged back to 2-2 after 90 minutes before red cards for Marco Maisano and Saints’ Brian McGinty opened the game out somewhat and Mark Yardley decided to morph into Archie Gemmill and waltzed through the Morton defence to send the Buddies’ fans into raptures. The withdrawal of Hopkin at half time with an injury that ultimately ended his playing career probably contributed to Morton’s collapse on the day, but it was a good indicator that we were a long way from where we wanted to be. Cliftonhill was to prove an awkward venue for Morton, where they suffered two crushing late defeats. Morton’s bogey team throughout the season was to be Albion Rovers, who were also to prove one of the four contenders for the title as the season progressed. The Wee Rovers sneaked a 1-0 victory at Cappielow as Morton’s difficult run of form continued. But they were to burst into life with consecutive wins at Montrose, at home to early pace-setters East Fife and in Elgin, as a late Williams strike sent the Morton fans down the A9 in fine spirits. But with such an expensively assembled squad, a 0-2 defeat by Stirling Albion and a home draw with Gretna piled the pressure on manager McPherson. The axe would finally fall after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Queen’s Park at Hampden. In truth, Morton were very fortunate to even get a point on the day, as John McCormack’s side dominated. With Morton sitting in fifth place, six points behind East Fife at the top, Rae had little choice but to act. With Hopkin placed in temporary charge, Morton were to again fall to Albion Rovers. Having led through Phil Cannie, goals in the 87th and 90th minutes saw the Monklands side snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The man tasked with taking Morton through the choppy waters of the Third Division was John McCormack, who was appointed ahead of three consecutive home games which yielded seven points, before a trip to New Bayview to face the league leaders. Morton’s best performance of the season saw East Fife dispatched in style, as goals from Bannerman, Uotinen and a Williams double saw Morton produce perhaps their first statement result of the campaign. The festive period was to prove quiet, as the weather took its grip on the fixture card, but Williams was to prove the hero with the only goal as Peterhead visited over the holiday period. Highland League high-flyers Deveronvale were to prove tricky opponents in the Scottish Cup, as Morton sneaked through to a Third Round tie with Ross County 4-3, having led 4-1 late in the game. David McGregor’s late header was to finally produce three points against Coatbridge’s finest at Cappielow before heading to Dingwall. The First Division side were to suffer the shock of the round as Morton’s 600 travelling fans were singing in the rain thanks in no small part to Alex Williams’ double which took the visitors though 2-1. After the disappointment of losing to St. Mirren earlier in the season, this was a clear indication that Morton were again heading in the right direction. Of course, Morton being Morton though, don’t make things easy for themselves and hit a rotten run of form that would see them exit the cup at home to Second Division Stranraer and drop points against fellow promotion contenders East Fife at Cappielow, and on the road against also rans Elgin and Montrose. Re-enforcements were to arrive though- Ayr United striker Eddie Annand arrived on loan, and young Celtic midfielder Chris Millar joined up with his local club. Form was however, still patchy. Another defeat at Balmoor was a body blow, and the wins were nervy- tight victories over whipping boys East Stirling and a couple of 1-0 wins over Queen’s Park and Montrose got the points but were unconvincing, whilst more points were leaked at home to Stirling Albion in a 2-2 draw Annand was to net in a single goal win against Gretna at Raydale Park, before we headed into the run-in with a trip to Cliftonhill. The thousand or so Morton fans in the crowd were to endure yet more late heartbreak in North Lanarkshire though, as our old adversary from earlier in the season, and from many a Renfrewshire derby, Mark Yardley, scored Rovers’ winner deep into injury time to put what looked like a fatal blow into Morton’s championship challenge. The loss of goal scorer David McGregor to injury for the rest of the season was to make for a horrible afternoon. Make no mistake, Morton were playing for snookers with five games remaining. The margin for error was next to nothing. However, as Elgin came calling the following week, the stars aligned. Robbie Henderson’s goal line clearance at 0-0 was to prove one of the pivotal moments of the season, before substitute Warren Hawke’s late header and a Scott Bannerman penalty delivered the three points. Peterhead, East Fife and Albion all drew away from home against less fancied opposition and all of a sudden, Morton were heading into a mammoth tussle at Bayview in the Easter Weekend. Warren Hawke's second half goal was the difference between the sides as Morton chalked up a crucial win at fellow title-challengers East Fife as the season approached it's conclusion. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the Fifers’ compact ground was filled beyond its modest capacity, with the travelling contingent taking up around three quarters of the official 1997 attendance. Hawke was again the hero as he scrambled home a second half winner from a corner to spark incredible scenes amongst the raucous away support. With East Fife going head-to-head with Peterhead the following week, something had to give, and Morton showed Gretna no mercy- Emilio Bottiglieri’s incredible strike was the pick of the bunch in a 5-0 victory. Peterhead’s 2-0 win at Bayview suggested the wheels were coming off the Fifers’ promotion wagon. But the other promotion contenders, Albion Rovers, were headed to Peterhead on the penultimate game of the season. If results went their way, the trophy was sitting in Balmoor waiting to be presented to the hosts. However, a 0-0 draw did neither team any favours, especially with East Fife returning to form with a routine 4-0 victory at Firs Park. Just up the road in Stirling, another huge travelling support followed Morton and were treated to a 3-0 victory that saw the ‘Ton hit the top of the pile for the first time all season- after 35 games! The irrepressible Williams was to notch yet another double before Uotinen stuck the cherry on the cake. We were now heading into a winner-takes-all decider against the Blue Toon at Cappielow, whilst East Fife hosted Queen’s Park at a sold-out Bayview and Albion hosted East Stirling, hoping for something to give elsewhere. With a healthy contingent coming from the north east, Cappielow was bursting at the seams. An official crowd of 8497 would have struck most in attendance as a conservative estimate, with the only spaces being in place as provisions for segregation and in the away end. Morton released a video to commemorate the title victory, helpfully copied onto YouTube by none other than John Maisano. The only result on the day that was never really in doubt was Albion Rovers’ victory over the bottom side, but nervy affairs played out at both Cappielow and Bayview. With only Morton and Peterhead having the title in their own hands it was unsurprisingly cagey, but after a goalless first half, the visitors were first to crack. Bottiglieri cut inside and lifted the ball towards Annand on the edge of the D, who knocked the ball onto Williams. Uncharacteristically, the prolific striker decided, with his back to goal, to square the ball to the oncoming Scott Bannerman, who stroked the ball past Paul Mathers with aplomb. Cue absolute bedlam. A John Maisano free kick hit the crossbar as Morton searched for a second to put the result beyond doubt, before Morton were forced to start defending deeper as the Blue Toon sought an equaliser. With the clock running down, the visitors’ tempers started to fray, and ex-St. Mirren striker Alex Bone was issued with a second yellow by referee John Rowbotham for dissent. After that, Peterhead huffed and puffed without really threatening, whilst it was John Maisano who had the most clear-cut chance before a last-minute dust-up between the two benches threatened to boil over onto the pitch. When Rowbotham blew his final whistle, Cappielow erupted as fans of all ages embraced and celebrated wildly. Derek Collins and Chairman Douglas Rae collected the trophy from SFL President Peter Donald and hoisted it aloft to the delight of the huge Cappielow crowd before starting the celebrations on the pitch and carrying them long into the Greenock night. As a footnote, a last minute Kenny Deuchar goal against Queen’s Park took East Fife up alongside us, but the story was all about Morton, and how a club that was staring down the barrel just two years previous had been resurrected. There have been two title wins since, both at a higher level, and both satisfying. But none will ever compare to the impact that title had on Morton after such dark days. Things may not always have gone swimmingly in the years that followed, and the Third Division is hardly Morton’s most illustrious achievement, but the memories of how Morton battled back from the brink will last a lifetime. Oh, what a perfect day. Bells Scottish Football League Third Division, 10th May 2003, Cappielow Park. Greenock Morton 1-0 Peterhead Morton: Coyle, Collins, Bottiglieri, Henderson, Gaughan, M. Maisano, Millar, Bannerman, Williams, J. Maisano, Annand. Substitutes: McDonald, Uotinen, Cannie, Hawke, McGurn. Peterhead: Mathers, MacDonald, McSkimming, Raeside, Perry, Bain, Tindal, Stewart, Cameron, Bone, Roddie. Substitutes: Johnston, Simpson, McLean, Burns, Farqhuar. Goals: Bannerman (54) Referee: John Rowbotham Attendance: 8497. Thanks to Leon Mooney (@mooneyleon) for the images, taken from his Twitter account with permission.
    4 points
  16. (Photo-Reuters) Oh, What A Night… Morton’s Greatest Ever Upset. By Russell Gordon With the tenth anniversary of Morton’s incredible League Cup victory over Celtic approaching in September, I had planned waiting until then to take a trip down memory lane, until fate threw us together again in this season’s Scottish Cup, just to mix things up and spare us a trip to Fir Park (for the time being, anyway). Scene Setter The autumn of 2013 wasn’t a good time to be a Morton fan. After challenging for promotion the previous season, and falling away as we hit the final straight, Allan Moore’s squad was decimated as out of contract players moved en masse to pastures new, and a seemingly more cost-effective squad was brought in to replace them, with ambitions for the season being far more modest this time around. With part timers Dumbarton, Alloa and Cowdenbeath in the division, the thinking appeared to be that there was enough of a buffer to allow a season of consolidation before Morton enjoyed the benefits of the almost inevitable arrival of Hearts and Rangers to the Championship for season 2014-15. However, after a lame exit from the Challenge Cup at Annan, and a league campaign that didn’t start too dreadfully, Morton were hitting the skids, and a relegation battle seemed inevitable. We had however reached the Third Round relatively convincingly. Although taken to extra time at New Bayview, Morton triumphed 6-2 after the extra thirty minutes, to earn a home tie with Montrose, which was comfortably negotiated with a convincing 4-0 scoreline. The previous Saturday’s league match though, an insipid 0-2 home defeat at the hands of Queen of the South which left us ninth in the table, offered little to whet the appetite for what lay ahead as Morton took the trip to Glasgow’s east end. Celtic on the other hand, were going through a period of uncertainty. Having made the Champions League by dispensing Kazakhstani champions Shakhter Karagandy by the skin of their teeth, they were drawn with AC Milan, Ajax, and Barcelona- the first and so far only time to date that four previous champions have been drawn together in the same group of Europe’s most prestigious competition. What may have gone under the radar for the Parkhead faithful that day was the Scottish League Cup draw which paired their favourites with lowly Greenock Morton. A tie that would hardly get the juices flowing at a time they were planning jaunts to three of Europe’s more attractive destinations. Having lost 0-2 in Milan the midweek prior to Morton’s visit, Celtic were to record a routine 2-1 home victory over St. Johnstone whilst we toiled at Cappielow against the Doonhamers. Predictably, Celtic boss Neil Lennon shuffled his pack for the visit of the ‘Ton to Celtic Park. The Teams For the hosts, goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska replaced the formidable Fraser Forster, with Nir Biton, Tom Rogic, Mikael Lustig and Dylan McGeough all coming into the team that had taken care of Saints the previous weekend. Whilst Celtic mixed it up though, it’s important to point out that this team were no mugs. Of the starting eleven, few would contest that Lustig and Rogic, along with Scott Brown, would go onto become Celtic legends, whilst Zaluska, Ambrose, Mulgrew, Biton, McGoeugh and Pukki all went onto have very credible careers. Only Derk Boerrigter would be happily forgotten down Parkhead way, whilst Virgil van Dijk would become arguably one of the best players of the modern era, winning every honour the club game has had to offer since joining Celtic. Morton, on the other hand, lined up with a squad which on paper didn’t stand a chance against their more illustrious opponents. Only Scott Taggart, Faoud Bachirou, and David O’Brien from the previous season started the match, supplemented by a collection of below-average journeymen and some guy who would go onto manage Morton a few years later. After promising starts to their Morton careers, which included a delightful 4-2 win at St. Mirren Park to win the Renfrewshire Cup for the first time since 2005, the stars of Habai, Peciar, Cham and Hands were beginning to dim, and dim quite rapidly. The latter’s quite dreadful penalty in the home defeat to Queens the previous Saturday summed up how Morton’s season was going, and confirmed that he certainly wouldn’t be taking the next penalty Morton were awarded, whenever that would be. Celtic striker Anthony Stokes looks to the heavens as another chance goes a-begging. (Photo-SNS) The Match With Celtic Park’s top tier completely closed, a paltry crowd of 16,998, over 2000 of whom were supporting the visitors, arrived to see what most expected to be a routine home victory, and probably with a good few to spare. What the majority of the crowd got was an insipid performance from their team, against an uncompromising Morton side who restricted them to as few chances as possible in the first 45 minutes. Biton and Rogic both headed wide, whilst Morton keeper Nicolas Caraux tipped a Charlie Mulgrew free kick over the bar. Morton were then to suffer a blow that would have, in this observer’s humble opinion, a catastrophic effect on our season as a whole. David O’Brien came off second best in a challenge with Dylan McGeough and was withdrawn from proceedings with a shoulder injury. Whilst he would briefly return months later, the game was over for him, and regrettably, he was never the same again. On the night, O’Brien was replaced by Tony Wallace, and Morton went onto complete part one of Mission: Impossible. We went in at the break with a stalemate. When the teams re-emerged, not much changed. Morton forced a couple of corners, but offered little threat, whilst Celtic had a few of their own but were again left frustrated. On the hour, our big chance came, as Gambian striker Kabba-Modou Cham went through on goal. He was stopped in his tracks by a combination of Efe Ambrose and Virgil van Dijk, to the tune of a couple of thousand voices from behind the goal screaming for a penalty, but to no avail. As time wore on, Celtic boss Lennon hooked Rogic, McGeough and the hapless Boerrigter for the more established stars (of the time at least) of Matthews, Stokes and Commons, whilst Archie Campbell replaced Cham, who had more than ran his race. A succession of Celtic corners came to nothing, and late in the game, it was the visitors who could’ve sneaked it when Dougie Imrie’s free kick a couple of minutes from time flew about a yard over Zaluska’s crossbar. So after an incredible defensive performance, Morton had managed to stop the best team in the land, and were half an hour away from chancing their luck with a penalty shoot-out for a place in the Quarter Finals. Nicolas Caraux and his defence draw yet another sigh of relief as Mikael Lustig takes his turn to fluff his lines. (Photo-SNS) Extra Time Whilst that was surely the best-case scenario from a Morton perspective out of the many that were going through all our minds, there was one which hadn’t really been considered. Five minutes into the first period of extra time, with Celtic again trying to knock the door down, Teemu Pukki twice tried to pass the colossal Jonathan Page, before team mate Anthony Stokes tried his luck, also with no joy. The ball broke to Reece Hands, who spread it wide to Tony Wallace on the left. Wallace then played a fantastic ball down the wing to Archie Campbell, who made headway towards the penalty box. As he reached the area, and was approached by Ambrose, the future Morton star slipped and made contact with the ball with his outsretched left hand, and this time referee Bobby Madden did point to the spot. Morton had a penalty. At Celtic Park. With Hands having missed the previous Saturday, Dougie Imrie was handed the responsibility of giving the ‘Ton a shock lead. With a couple of thousand pairs of nervous eyes looking from the other end of Celtic Park willing the net to bulge, Imrie stepped up, and with aplomb rifled the ball low down the middle past the despairing Zaluska and into the net, resulting in absolute bedlam amongst the away support and the grandstand finish of all grandstand finishes, with at least 25 minutes still to hang on. Reece Hands stung Zaluska’s gloves only a minute after Morton took their shock lead, but it was one-way traffic after that. Celtic had made all their changes by now. Van Dijk was thrown up top to win everything and anything at all costs. Chances came and went for Celtic, and Morton stood firm. It has to be said that a combination of good luck, tremendous (sometimes desperate) defending and horrific finishing helped our cause. Stokes shot wide before Commons and van Dijk were both foiled by Caraux as the corner count increased. Van Dijk was again terribly unfortunate to see his effort drift wide of Caraux’s left hand post, as Madden blew for the end of the first period of extra time. Only fifteen minutes to go. A series of long diagonals and throw ins to the makeshift target man were snuffed out by the Morton defence before we briefly threatened through Tony Wallace, who was quickly closed down by the onrushing Zaluska before normal service resumed. Caraux palmed a Lustig header wide as the pressure was ramped up, and it was the Swede who was to come so agonisingly close to equalising as another long diagonal to Van Dijk was directed to Kris Commons. The Scotland winger headed across goal to Lustig, who slid in at the back post, only to see his effort ripple the side netting. What a shame. Yet another long diagonal met the head of Van Dijk a minute later, but with Caraux in No Man’s Land, Page arrived to lash the Dutchman’s tame goal-bound effort away to safety before it reached the line. Moore made his final change as Mark McLaughlin replaced Campbell, and as we entered stoppage time, Charlie Mulgrew rattled Caraux’s left hand post before one final corner was headed wide. Bobby Madden blew for time, and the mother of all shocks was confirmed. For a game played in such a ghostly environment, the whistle was met by a cacophony of noise from both ends. The booing from the home support, sounding almost as sweet as the visitors’ roar. Celebration time for Peciar, Page, McLaughlin and Taggart in the aftermath of Morton's incredible backs-to-the-wall triumph. (Photo-SNS) The Aftermath Personally, I’ll never forget the sheer joy of marching down London Road chanting “We’re Greenock Morton, we’re better than you!” in the direction of the disappointed Celtic fans, and like many of us, have since never failed to bring that great night up in conversation whenever they get a wee bit too uppity about themselves. What was to follow is not as happy a tale. In spite of the result, it wasn’t a good week for either manager. On the morning of the game, Neil Lennon was banned for driving for six months for speeding on the A9, before facing up to perhaps the most humiliating individual result of his career, but tragically, Allan Moore lost his brother Steven, who suddenly died in Turkey, the day after the match. For the clubs, things didn’t pan out well either. Celtic of course, won the league, but in the absence of Rangers, pressure was on Lennon to deliver trebles, with the main source of competition out of the running in the league, and a wounded animal in the cups. They meekly exited their Champions League group with only a home win against Ajax to show from their six matches, and a home Scottish Cup defeat to Aberdeen leaving them with a historic “single” for their efforts in 2013-14. Morton however, were to suffer the worst season perhaps in our history- a 1-3 defeat to Dundee four days after the visit to Celtic Park saw us fall to the bottom of the league, and we never rose above that position all season. We were controversially knocked out the League Cup by St. Johnstone in the Quarter Finals, and Moore was relieved of his duties after a 1-5 home defeat by Livingston a mere two months after that heroic evening. He was of course replaced by the hapless Kenny Shiels, and a bad season got worse, culminating in an embarrassing relegation and the ultimate humiliation of a 2-10 hounding by promotion-chasing Hamilton. Whilst there was no joy to follow on from that fantastic night though, football’s all about memories, and ironically the fact that such a poor team succeeded where so many better ones have failed made that particular win so much sweeter. Scottish League Cup Third Round, 24th September 2013, Celtic Park. Celtic: Zaluska, Ambrose, van Dijk, Mulgrew, Lustig, Biton, Brown, Boerrigter (Commons 83),McGeough (Matthews 74), Rogic (Stokes 65), Pukki. Unused Substitutes: Fasan, Balde. Morton: Caraux, Taggart, Fitzpatrick, Peciar, Page, Imrie, O’Brien (Wallace 39), Hands, Habai, Bachirou, Cham (Campbell 78 (McLaughlin 120)). Unused Substitutes: Gaston, Russell. Goals: Imrie (97,pen) Referee: Bobby Madden. Attendance: 16,998.
    4 points
  17. Celtic v Morton – Match Preview by Russell Gordon With Morton’s impressive league campaign hitting a sticky patch in recent weeks, under normal circumstances, the resumption of our Scottish Cup campaign may well be seen as blessed relief from the trials and tribulations of a promotion race. Not so much this weekend though, as Morton jump from the frying pan right into the raging inferno of Celtic Park, and a trip to the champions, and by far the best team in the land. With over 2000 ‘Ton fans travelling to back their heroes, support won’t be in short supply, but we’ll need everything we can to come out of what is unquestionably the hardest possible tie we could’ve drawn at any stage of the tournament, unscathed. It should also be noted that Saturday will be a historic occasion for Morton- the first match we will play with VAR in force, as the governing body have decided to implement the system when it suits, rather than consistently across all or none of the sixteen ties, for some bizarre reason. For those who aren’t travelling to Glasgow’s East End, you can watch the match from behind the sofa on BBC One Scotland. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News As far as we are aware, the squad are posting a clean bill of health ahead of the mammoth task in front of them. Grant Gillespie’s suspension will carry onto next week’s league fixture against Arbroath. The news of the aborted signing of former Celtic and Dundee United hitman Nadir Cifci will be seen by the manager as a blow, but it would suggest that Imrie is in the market for a striker, in spite of this latest disappointment. Current Connections In the Celtic squad, only centre back Stephen Welsh has had the honour of representing Morton, having spent the first half of the abridged 2019-20 season playing out of position under David Hopkin at Cappielow, whilst former Morton Caretaker Manager and all round good guy, Anton McElhone, is now a member of Ange Postecoglou’s backroom staff. In the visitors’ squad, new signing Calvin Miller started his career at Celtic under Brendan Rodgers, making only four first team appearances and enjoying loan spells at Ayr United and Dundee. Efe Ambrose enjoyed a more fruitful spell in Glasgow, winning all three domestic honours, including four league titles. He was a part of the Celtic team which beat Barcelona in 2012, and lost to Morton in 2013. Morton Manager Dougie Imrie once scored an important goal at Celtic Park. Tale of the Tape Morton unsurprisingly don’t have a great record against Celtic in the Scottish Cup, having only beaten them once in the tournament- Eddie Murphy’s extra time strike at Ibrox was enough to ensure a Hampden date for a final with Rangers in 1948, which unfortunately didn’t end as well. Since the turn of the century, we’ve met three times in the Scottish Cup and once in the League Cup. Celtic visited Cappielow for a midweek Fourth Round tie in 2010 and won a narrow match by a single Niall McGinn goal on a bitterly cold night on the Tail O’ The Bank. Morton then travelled to Celtic Park for a League Cup Third Round tie in 2013 and put on an incredible defensive performance, sneaking out with a 1-0 extra time win to shock the cup favourites and the rest of the football world on a night that will go down in folklore as one of the greatest in our modern history, thanks to Dougie Imrie’s extra time penalty. We’ve since made two more visits to Celtic Park, both on Scottish Cup duty in front of paltry crowds, with Celtic posting 3-0 victories on each occasion. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis There’s no hiding from the task at hand, here. Celtic are absolutely formidable opposition. Since losing to St. Mirren on 18th September, they’ve picked up 43 points from 45- only dropping points against Rangers at Ibrox three weeks ago. Whilst Ange Postecoglou will doubtless be tempted to mix things up a bit and give some fringe players an opportunity against lower league opposition, the strength in depth his squad has is such that even if he does, it will provide little respite for Morton. With Georgios Giakoumakis seemingly heading out the exit door to Japan, we may at least be spared his threat, although Celtic don’t exactly find goals hard to come by, regardless of who takes to the pitch on any given day. I spoke to Celtic fan Natasha Meikle (@natashameikle) of A Celtic State Of Mind (@ACSOMPOD) podcast, who is understandably enjoying her team’s work over the course of the season so far, and is looking forward to the visit of Morton, as Celtic begin look to progress in yet another domestic tournament. “It’s been a successful season for the hoops, who sit nine points clear of their local rivals at the top of the SPFL Premiership table. Domestic cup duties are also running smoothly, with Celtic having successfully secured a place in the League Cup Final with last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock at Hampden. The Bhoys will be looking to continue their pursuit of silverware with a victory over Greenock Morton at Celtic Park on Saturday. They are no strangers to trebles in recent years, and that will certainly be the target this time around. On current form, it certainly isn’t out of the question. It will take a monumental effort for Morton to stop those treble ambitions, but let’s not forget ten years ago when the teams went head-to-head in the League Cup and a 97th minute penalty by a certain Dougie Imrie took Morton through after extra time. As for this season’s Celtic side, they have been fond of a late goal themselves, but Postecoglou’s team will be looking to get the job done early on Saturday. Morton’s back line will have their work cut out to deal with a clinical strike force, who on current form will be hard to stop. Who will lead the line for the Hoops will be of particular interest for the Celtic fans this weekend. There is of course the option of the league’s top scorer, Kyogo, who has bagged 16 league goals in 20 appearances so for this season. A telling sign will be whether there is space in the squad for Georgios Giakoumakis. The Greek striker has been heavily linked with a move during this transfer window, with Japanese outfit Urwa Red Diamonds the rumoured front runners to secure his signature. He didn’t feature in the midweek win over St. Mirren due to “injury”, however it remains to be seen if he will even be at the club by the time comes around. If he is, the game is likely to be one he should be expected to start. Of his 19 appearances this season, 15 have been from the bench, so this would be a prime opportunity to rest Kyogo and have Giakoumakis lead the line. Postecoglou likes to keep Scottish football on its toes, and squad rotation is a common occurrence, with numerous changes on a weekly basis. Celtic have a relatively compact fixture list in January, and this tie is likely to present an opportunity for Ange to utilise his large and talented squad he has available to him, with some fringe players being candidates for game time. With Cameron Carter-Vickers recovering from injury, we may see a second start for new signing Kobayashi, although the game may come too soon for a debut for his compatriot Tomoki Iwata. Other players waiting in the wings for more game time include Stephen Welsh, James McCarthy, Yosuke Ideguchi and Oliver Abildgaard. David Turnbull and Sead Haksabanovic have recently returned from injury/suspension, and could also be expected to feature in this tie. Alternatively, Ange might choose to give some first team experience to some of the younger players. Attacking midfielder Rocco Vata and centre half Bosun Lawal have been impressing in the B team, and are on the cusp of a first team call up. This tie could be an ideal opportunity for them to feature. So while the line-up itself is relatively unpredictable, squad rotation is almost a guarantee. Regardless of who starts for Postecoglou’s side, it will be a tough test for Morton. As is always the case when Celtic play domestically, the fans will expect nothing less than a win, and given the form the Bhoys are in, we could see plenty of goals in this one. However, that aforementioned League Cup tie serves as a reminder that anything can happen in cup football…” Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 19th January 2023 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. It may come as a surprise to some to see that Morton are the underdogs heading into the tie. The hosts are priced at a slightly conservative 1/33, whilst the draw is 10/1 and Morton to win comes in at 28/1. In spite of what I’ve said, we at the Morton Forum are eternal optimists, so Morton to repeat the feat of 2013 by winning in extra time is 40/1 and Efe Ambrose to score anytime is 20/1. You can buy me a pint when you win big. Match Officials Referee- Kevin Clancy AR 1- Ross MacLeod AR 2- Alastair Mather Fourth Official- Barry Cook VAR- Craig Napier AVAR- Frank Connor
    3 points
  18. (Photo- BBC Sport) Five of the Best… League Cup Classics By Russell Gordon With a large Morton support heading to Govan on Saturday to face arguably (very arguably) the competition’s most successful club, Morton’s record in Scotland’s second most important cup competition isn’t a great one. There have however, been some highlights along the way. The incredible win at Celtic Park ten years ago would of course take pride of place at the top of that pile, but having written an individual article about that famous night in the build up to our visit to Celtic Park last season, I’ve decided to look elsewhere for some misty-eyed recollections this time around. Morton 1-0 Hibernian (14/10/63) Semi-Final Replay, Ibrox Stadium Whilst Morton have never (yet) won the League Cup, the closest they came was in the historic 1963-64 campaign, when Hal’s Heroes swept aside everything the old Division Two had to offer, winning promotion in record breaking time, whilst also embarking on a memorable League Cup run. Morton negotiated the group stage in some style, disposing of Clyde, Dumbarton and Ayr United with minimum fuss before Motherwell were dispatched in a two-legged quarter final. Ibrox was to host the first game of the tie, and in front of an excellent 47,000 crowd, it was the underdogs who took an early lead through Bobby Adamson, before Hibs’ Neil Martin levelled in the twentieth minute. A bruising affair saw both the Hibs’ goal scorer and Morton’s Allan McGraw injured in those days before substitutes as the clubs had to settle for a replay a week later at the same venue. In front of a more modest 36,000 the following week, Morton looked to have taken the lead through Allan McGraw, but his goal was bizarrely disallowed, as it had come from a corner that had apparently been taken from outside the arc. I can’t find the identity of the referee, listed, and won’t speculate as to whether or not he was David Munro’s grandad. But Morton, facing a Hibs side that included their new £30,000 signing, Scotland international Pat Quinn, weren’t to be denied, as a late McGraw penalty (ah, it couldn’t have been Munro’s grandad) sent them through, sparking wild celebrations from the Morton support, who could look forward to a final against Rangers the following month. Less said about the final, the better. Morton's jubilant players celebrate on the Ibrox pitch as Allan McGraw's penalty winner took them to their first, and to date only ever League Cup Final. (Photo-gmfc.net) Morton 3-7 Aberdeen (3/9/96) Third Round, Cappielow Park. Perhaps a strange game to pick for those who weren’t in attendance given the final score, but this was a game in which Morton certainly weren’t resoundingly beaten, as a side who had narrowly missed out on promotion a few months previous, and the cup holders served up an absolute thriller in front of a raucous 6324 Cappielow crowd. The game had looked to be heading towards a routine away win, with goals early in each half from our good pal Billy Dodds giving the Dons a commanding lead as they looked to ease their way through to a repeat of the previous season’s final against Dundee. Morton however, burst into the life in the final eleven minutes, having been given a lifeline when hapless Aberdeen defender John Inglis upended Paddy Flannery in the box. Reliable as ever, Derek Lilley stroked his spot kick home with aplomb. With the visitors rattled, Morton immediately levelled the affair through John Anderson and sent the home into raptures. Things were to get even better for Morton, as with six minutes remaining, Lilley added his second to put us into a 3-2 lead. There wasn’t to be a happy ending though, as Aberdeen’s Joe Miller decided to go down dramatically in the box under an innocuous challenge from Peter Cormack in the final minute of the ninety and of course, referee Mike McCurry pointed to the spot, allowing Dodds to complete his hat trick from the spot and send the tie into extra time. The extra thirty minutes was to prove a painful experience for the home support, as Dean Windass took up where Dodds left off against a clearly deflated Morton side, banging in four in extra time to send Morton out the cup and keep their stranglehold on the trophy for a few weeks at least, before Dundee gained revenge for their final defeat by knocking the Dons out in the following round. Peter Cormack was desperately unfortunate to concede a last minute penalty in the 1996 Cappielow Cracker against Aberdeen. (Photo-SPFL) Hibernian 3-4 Morton (26/8/08) Third Round, Easter Road. Never mind the recent World Cup Final when Messi and Mbappe produced a masterclass, never mind Paolo Rossi and Italy stunning the best team never to win the World Cup in 1982, Morton’s visit to Easter Road in 2008 was, without question, the greatest game of football ever played, and the evening the sport peaked. Another extra time thriller, another two-goal lead squandered, another late penalty equaliser, BUT a happy ending. Hibs had won the competition a year before, but weren’t the force they once were with stars such as Riordan, O’Connor, Brown and Whittaker having moved onto pastures new. They were however, expected to take care of a Morton side who had only survived in the First Division the previous season by the skin of their teeth, and had a difficult start to their league campaign. But Davie Irons’ Morton started well, and just before the half hour, took a shock lead, Iain Russell netting from a tight angle past future ‘Ton keeper Andy McNeil, with Hibs defender Ian Murray struggling in vain to get back as the ball trickled into the Hibs net. What a shame. McNeil was to go off injured at half time to be replaced by debutant David Grof, who had an evening to forget. On 66 minutes, Morton doubled their lead- Stevie Masterton, a renowned set piece taker, curled one of the best free kicks you’re ever likely to see into the postage stamp with the Hungarian clutching at fresh air and the Morton support wildly celebrating as they sensed an unlikely upset. It’s never plain sailing being a Morton fan though, and sure enough, as we headed into the final ten minutes, Hibs burst into life. Joe Keenan reduced the arrears before Dean Shiels looked to have completed the great escape in the 85th minute. Extra time it was. Perhaps those of us old enough to remember that dramatic night against Aberdeen at Cappielow would have feared the worst, as it took until only 36 seconds into the first period of extra time for the Edinburgh side to take the lead for the first time in the tie. As “Two nil, and you f*cked it up” rained down on the Morton support from Easter Road’s old east stand, one could have been forgiven for thinking Morton had blown a massive opportunity. However, as the game progressed without Hibs adding to their lead, the hosts got more nervous, and began to retreat further and further back as Morton sought an equaliser. It was to come five minutes from time, as Shiels turned from hero to villain for the hosts, charging down a goal-bound Allan Jenkins effort with his arm, and prompting referee Iain Brines to point to the spot without hesitation. Iain Russell was entrusted with the task of doubling his tally for the evening, and with the collective hearts in the mouths of the Morton fans, made no mistake in burying his penalty past the Grof to level the tie. With penalties looming, Morton in truth, got a massive break. Erik Paartalu appeared to foul Hibs’ Chris Hogg outside the box, but incredibly, Brines awarded the free kick Morton’s way, much to the consternation of Hibs boss Mixu Paatelainen. Peter Weatherson fired the resultant free kick towards goal and Grof made an absolute meal of dealing with the ball which fell fortuitously to ex-Hibee Ryan Harding, who bundled the ball into the hosts net, and in doing so, bundled his former employer out of the competition for another year, and sent the large visiting support into delirium. What a fantastic night. Morton's winning goal at Easter Road resulted in wild scenes behind David Grof's goal as they snatched a sensational victory from the jaws of defeat in 2008. (Video- allystephen2000) Morton 3-2 Motherwell (22/9/15) Third Round, Cappielow Park. Let’s be honest, Morton fans don’t enjoy cup ties against Motherwell. Regular foes in cup competitions, whilst Motherwell’s margin of victory in recent years has been much narrower than in previous ones when we’ve been hit for three, four and six, and even then these scorelines have flattered us, it’s nice to at least have one exception to the rule. Both clubs had enjoyed dramatic ends to the previous season- Morton taking the League One title, whilst Motherwell survived in the Premiership by obliterating Rangers 6-1 in the play-off final. But whilst Morton were making a decent fist of adapting to their new environment, the Steelmen hadn’t really kicked on from that emphatic play-off success, and they travelled to Greenock with trepidation, and manager Ian Baraclough’s job on the line. Their fears were to be proven worthwhile, as Welsh striker Alex Samuel latched onto at Peter MacDonald through ball to fire high into the net to give the hosts a deserved lead. Peaso was denied in the second half as his rasping drive hit the outside of Connor Ripley’s near post. There’s no show without punch though, and it took until three minutes into stoppage time for the Premiership side to break Morton’s hearts- this time it was Australian international Scott MacDonald who spared Motherwell’s blushes, for a short time at least. Morton took the game to their opponents in extra time, and in the hundredth minute, Samuel got onto the end of a fine Denny Johnstone cross to notch his second of the game from six yards. This provoked an angry reaction from the visiting support, who, clearly incensed with their team’s performance took to the field to remonstrate with their players and management team. Fortunately, a police presence travelling back from an earlier kick off at Ibrox was on hand to provide support to the stretched police and security staff on duty at the game and play was eventually allowed to resume. The stop in play did nothing to help the visitors though, as the quite imperious Ross Forbes fed Bobby Barr, whose cross from the left was met by Michael Tidser, who gave Morton a 3-1 lead. A late Louis Moult goal made for a nervy finish, but this time around Morton held on for a magnificent, if incredibly rare, victory, sending Motherwell out the cup and Baraclough to the Job Centre. Morton goal scorers Michael Tidser and Alex Samuel celebrate dumping Premiership Motherwell in 2015. (Photo- BBC Sport) Morton 2-1 Dundee United (20/9/16) Quarter Final, Cappielow Park. This tie was probably the exception of the five I’ve discussed, as Morton shared a division with their opponents on the night. But whilst Dundee United had been freshly relegated from the Premiership, they boasted a formidable record in the cups- this was their fifteen consecutive domestic quarter final, and they were expected to challenge Hibernian for promotion to Scotland’s top flight. Jim Duffy’s Morton though, were finding their feet in the Championship after a slow start to the season, and having brought in ex-United outcast Gavin Gunning, there was a bit of needle between the Irish centre back and the fans of his former club. There was also the carrot of a trip to Hampden for Morton should they get past Raymond McKinnon’s Terrors. It took until the 24th minute for Morton to open the scoring, and route one was very much the fashion in which it was engineered. A commanding Gunning clearance was headed on by Ross Forbes into the path of Jai Quitongo, who buried a pile driving effort into the roof of Cammy Bell’s net. And it was only five minutes later that the ‘Ton doubled their lead, through a very familiar route. Ross Forbes’ wand of a left foot was no secret in Scottish football at this stage, but the United defence could do nothing as his exquisite near-post corner was headed in home by Thomas O’Ware. Whilst the Morton players and fans celebrated, Gunning enjoyed his own wee party with the visiting support, much to the chagrin of the United fans. Ten minutes into the second half, United’s Nick van der Velden reduced the deficit after a lapse in concentration in Morton’s normally watertight defence. Alas though, there was to be no last-minute equaliser this time around, as Morton held on for a semi final meeting with Aberdeen at the National Stadium, but the final minute pain was to befall Forbes, whose late booking ruled him out of the Hampden showdown, and cost Morton their finest attacking outlet for the tie. Of course, that semi final was to end in a disappointing, but far from humiliating 0-2 defeat by the Dons, but didn’t take away from a fine cup run. A youthful-loooking Jai Quitongo celebrates his opening goal with Mikey Doyle as Morton book a Semi Final appearance at the expense of Dundee United in 2016. (Photo- BBC Sport) One wonders when the next tie we can look back so fondly on will be. There would be few complaints from us all if it was Saturday coming. Bibliography Scottish League Cup Memories 1963/64 - Greenock Morton FC (gmfc.net) MotS: Morton vs Aberdeen 1996/97 - Aberdeen Mad (aberdeen-mad.co.uk) Greenock Morton: Hibernian 3 - 4 Morton (greenockmortonfc.blogspot.com) Scottish League Cup Semi Final Match Programme 22/10/16, Aberdeen V Morton Morton History, Players, Managers, Results & Information (fitbastats.com)
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  19. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Punts, Punishments And Pitch Invasions A Review of Morton’s 2021-22 Season, Part Three. By Russell Gordon It’s fair to say the point collected at Rugby Park was an unexpected bonus, but as we welcomed the new year, the same couldn’t be said about the visit of fellow strugglers Dunfermline Athletic for a match that was very much of the six-pointer variety. Defeat in Imrie’s debut in the Cappielow dugout would’ve seen Morton drop to the foot of the table below John Hughes’ toiling, but more fancied Fifers. What we got was what this observer would describe as the best Cappielow performance at this level since a 4-0 hounding of St. Johnstone in October 1995. After a tepid first half hour or so, in which the Pars had marginally the better of proceedings, Gary Oliver struck his customary goal against the Fifers brilliantly from the edge of the box before a Cammy Blues howitzer and a Gavin Reilly header on the stroke of half time sent Morton in at the break with a commanding lead. If Dunfermline didn’t know what had hit them, neither did the 500 fans scattered around the main stand, who used the break to purr over a scintillating end to the half. Morton would add to their lead in the second, with the hapless Pars debutant Coll Donaldson heading Lewis Strapp’s throw into his own net 18 minutes from time before the coup de grace 7 minutes later, as substitute Robbie Muirhead delicately helped Brian McLean’s sublime pass into Owain Fon-Williams’ net to give Morton a fantastic 5-0 win and leave the park to a standing ovation from the delighted Cappielow crowd. The following week was to be the last of limited crowds (to date), as Morton, with the addition of Hearts right back Jamie Brandon on a six-month loan, travelled to another toiling side, Ayr United. Gavin Reilly’s double was to provide the perfect tonic for those of us who were stuck at home, forced to listen to a commentary team that would make Alex Rae blush with their partisan approach. Six points out of six and onto Fir Park for a Scottish Cup tie that suddenly didn’t hold as much fear as it had done a few weeks previously. Gavin Reilly's double sent Morton on their way to three precious points as they followed up their Dunfermline rout with a comfortable win at Somerset Park. (Photo-Gary Bradley) Whilst Fir Park used to be a place Morton fans hated visiting for the threat of an absolute doing, it was to be a second successive season of Scottish Cup heartbreak, rather than humiliation at the home of the Steelemen. Having lost on penalties last term, Morton took them to extra-time before taking a shock lead in the first period. However, a Kevin Van Veen penalty and a 121st minute screamer from Liam Donnelly, with penalties looming were to dash Morton’s hopes of a repeat of the 1922 win en route to lifting the trophy. So it was back to league duty, and a Friday night date with Raith Rovers, and what was probably to prove the BBC’s most entertaining fixture that they broadcast all season. Gozie Ugwu’s opener was cancelled out before half time as a Jamie Gullan penalty and Reghan Tumilty’s goal sent the visitors in with a thoroughly undeserved half time lead. In the second half, Morton peppered Jamie MacDonald’s goal before finally getting an equaliser through super-sub, Robbie Muirhead. Whilst most observers would accept we were well worth our point, and had the game lasted much longer, we’d probably have collected all three, Rovers’ boss John McGlynn was less complimentary, bemoaning Morton’s tactic of firing long throws into their box. I’m sure his policy of total football will go down a treat as he slums it with League One minnows Falkirk next term. Two more wins were to follow, a satisfying 1-0 victory courtesy of Lewis Strapp’s first-half goal at Inverness and a 2-1 win over a Queen of the South that were looking more and more likely to face the drop to League One- Reilly and Blues doing the damage this time. That win at Inverness was to see the debut of midfielder Iain Wilson, brought in from Dunfermline, and after a slow start, he was to prove an excellent addition. But things were going too well, something had to give. It’s Morton after all. Sure enough, Dougie Imrie was cited by the SFA in relation to historic gambling during his playing days and was hit with a ten-match touchline ban, four of which were suspended. Dougie Imrie's touchline ban put a spanner in the works, but his impact on his new side, and in galvanising a previously fractured Morton support, was incredible. (Photo- Gary Bradley) With Imrie’s presence on the touchline missing, it was perhaps unsurprising to see form dip slightly, with his first defeat coming in the form of a 0-1 reverse at his former side, Hamilton. However, a midweek visit to Glasgow was to provide the perfect remedy as Morton weathered a bit of a storm on the Firhill bog. With Morton having been denied a stonewall penalty in the first half, Partick looked to have taken the lead after Jack Hamilton had saved Brian Graham’s spot kick, seen the rebound hit the post and then being bundled in. As the Partick players celebrated though, the referee had other ideas and disallowed the goal for an obstruction in the melee. Partick don’t ever need anything to moan about, but their woes were compounded late on when Oisin McEntee scored the first goal of his career to send Morton up the road with three precious points and the added bonus of sticking a massive cog in the wheel of the Jags’ promotion wagon. What a shame. Oisin McEntee's first career goal put a massive dent in Partick's title challenge, whilst dragging Morton further clear of the drop just at a point some may have predicted them to wobble. (Photo- Gary Bradley) We’ll gloss over the uneventful 0-0 draw with Arbroath at Cappielow and particularly the 0-3 doing at Palmerston that brought March in and move swiftly onto the return fixture with Ian McCall’s faltering failures at Cappielow. Partick were to take the lead early on through Kyle Turner, causing a minor pitch invasion from Tarquin and Felix in the Wee Dublin End. It’s fair to say that irked the Cowshed and after a series of second half chances, Gavin Reilly’s equaliser was to cause pandemonium not only on the terraces, but also on the pitch, as the crowd spilled on to share their joy with the players and goad their Maryhill counterparts. Those scenes were to be repeated ten minutes later, as Robbie Muirhead again emerged from the bench to provide the winner, and with it, a third invasion of the afternoon and the greatest photograph of all time (thanks Gary). A series of draws in the following weeks effectively cemented Morton’s place in the Championship for another year. Iain Wilson’s first half strike looked to have secured a smash-and-grab win over a much-improved Dunfermline side before a late lapse in concentration at a corner from Kyle Jacobs allowed Lewis McCann to nip in and claim what could’ve proved to be a vital point for the home side. 1-1 Cappielow draws with the two Ayrshire sides were to follow, the latter against Kilmarnock proving far more credible, and Brian McLean could consider himself unfortunate to be punished for a handball that gave the visitors a penalty from which they equalised. The goal of the season was to come the following week from Robbie Muirhead as Morton travelled to a notoriously difficult Stark’s Park and claimed a rare 1-0 victory. Whilst relegation was still arithmetically possible, when you considered the other fixtures between the teams around us, it was done. We were safe. Robbie Muirhead's goal celebrations became a staple diet of the second half of the season, with his goal of the season marked in style at Stark's Park. (Photo- Gary Bradley) We celebrated the anniversary of the Scottish Cup win in the most Morton way possible, with a 0-1 home defeat by Hamilton before survival was rubber-stamped with, yes, you guessed it, a 0-1 home defeat. This time by Inverness. The final game saw a severely weakened team fall 0-3 at league runners-up Arbroath on a night that few in the away crowd were particularly bothered about the football unfolding in front of them before the players, and Dougie Imrie in particular, took the applause for the remarkable turnaround in fortunes under his tutelage. With Kilmarnock getting over the line in the end, to be replaced by Dundee and Cove and Queen’s Park replacing the relegated Queen of the South (leaving Morton as the club who has remained longer in this division than any other continuously) and Dunfermline, it’s probably fair to say that we’ll see two more competitive teams coming up, but a weaker one joining us from the Premiership. What Morton’s ambitions for next season are are clearly budget-dependent, but we’ll likely be favourites to take the drop again amongst the bookies. Whilst we’ve already seen the loss of the out-of-contract Reilly and Wilson to Queen of the South, it’s encouraging to see Dougie conducting some business of his own this early in the summer as we look to upset the odds again. Hopefully the upward trajectory can be continued and we’ll be discussing the commissioning of Dougie’s statue in the not-too-distant future!
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  20. (Photo- Gary Bradley) The Axe Falls And A New Broom Sweeps Into Town… A Review of Morton’s 2021-22 Season, Part Two. By Russell Gordon With the league campaign going from bad to worse, Morton’s fans had the welcome relief of a couple of cup ties to distract them from the more pressing of avoiding the drop from the Championship. The long journey up to Inverness didn’t get the juices flowing for many though, with a paltry 31 fans making the trip for a game that it would be fair to say filled most of the support with trepidation. Those fears however, were to prove unfounded as Morton produced what at this point of the season was an uncharacteristically fine performance in the Highland capital. Having fallen behind to a scrappy Billy McKay strike, Morton were far from overawed and got their reward nine minutes from time, when Gavin Reilly, only 6 minutes after coming off the bench, ended his goal drought in a Morton jersey by getting onto Jack Hamilton’s long ball to skip round Mark Ridgers to secure a replay. It was perhaps telling of the squad’s feelings though that Reilly chose to ignore the fans as he celebrated his landmark finish. The following Wednesday saw another lengthy trip- this time to Dumfries for the SPFL Trust Trophy quarter-final against fellow league strugglers Queen of the South. With the tournament being Morton’s most realistic opportunity to win a trophy, we could’ve perhaps expected a positive approach from Gus MacPherson heading into the match, so it was probably good for those in attendance that they didn’t get to see the manager’s pre-match interview with BBC ALBA, who were covering the match live. MacPherson’s interview focussed not on how heplanned to win the game and advance in the competition, but on the pre-determined set up of the tournament that saw Morton playing away from home in every round as the 32nd team to be drawn out in the first round. Quite what relevance it had at the quarter-final stage is beyond me anyway, but Gus’s ramblings gave off the air of a man in the dying embers of his reign. The night didn’t improve from there. An uncharacteristic Jack Hamilton mistake was to give the Doonhamers a first half lead, but it looked as if we’d salvaged a draw and an extra 30 minutes when Alan Lithgow’s late header produced an unlikely equaliser after a truly dreadful Morton performance. Lithgow was to “celebrate” by cupping his ears to the travelling support, further emphasizing the rift between the squad and the support. He had of course, been the subject of a torrent of abuse a few weeks earlier, but it may have been advisable to keep his powder dry as seconds later he was partly culpable as Queens went straight up the park to bag a winner. No sooner were Morton back in the tournament as they were out again. Gus MacPherson’s coat was on an extremely shoogly peg now, as the fans, and finally the board, went into the Ayr United game at Cappielow demanding nothing less than a victory. What was to follow was actually one of the more entertaining games of the Gus MacPherson era, but an afternoon marred with shame, as Morton hitman Gozie Ugwu was appallingly treated by two cretins in the Cowshed, who decided to abuse him for nothing other than the colour of his skin. What was reassuring was how quickly they were rounded on by those around them, and ejected from the ground. After a thorough investigation, they were issued with lifetime bans from Cappielow, to the surprise and dismay of nobody. But to matters on the park, it was two fine Ugwu headers that were to provide the goals for Morton on the day, but an excellent Steven Bradley strike and Tomi Adeloye’s goal had looked to give the Honest Men the points before Ugwu’s second goal. Gozie Ugwu's double gained a point at home to Ayr as the Gus MacPherson era came to an end. (Photo-Gary Bradley) Enough was enough, and as we left into the Greenock night, it was barely 5pm by the time messages were coming through that MacPherson had been relieved of his duties and had swiftly left the stadium. One suspects that an ultimatum had been given to the boss that nothing less than three points would have done against a struggling Ayr side, and the search for a new boss began. Robbie Muirhead made it clear he was less than impressed with the Cowshed's backing after opening the scoring against Inverness in the cup replay. (Photo-Gary Bradley) Derek Anderson was put in caretaker-charge for a Cappielow double-header against Inverness in the cup replay and the league with Morton in turmoil behind the scenes. On the park though, it was to be another credible performance as the Caley Jags came down twice in five days, firstly for the cup match. Robbie Muirhead was to be the target of the support on this occasion, having not enjoyed his most productive of evenings until the point he curled Morton into the lead a couple of minutes before the break. Rather than express his joy at producing such a fine strike, he was to take the lead from his captain the previous week and express his disdain for the home support. Again, there was to be a quick-fire counter, with Danny Devine bagging Thistle’s equaliser a couple of minutes after the break. However, on this occasion, we did have a happy ending. With no extra time, it was straight to a penalty shoot-out, and Devine provied to be the Highlanders’ fall guy, as Jack Hamilton’s fine save took Morton through to a fourth-round meeting with familiar foes Motherwell 5-4 after nine flawless spot kicks. Jack Hamilton's fine stop from Danny Devine's spot kick saw Morton defy the odds to dispose of the much-fancied Inverness in the Scottish Cup. (Photo- Gary Bradley) But it was to be a different story when Inverness came back down the road a few days later. Visiting boss Billy Dodds had been extremely critical of the temporary changing facilities provided for his team in midweek and was accommodated far more than he should’ve been for his outburst as arrangements were made for his side to use the gym between the Cowshed and Sinclair Street terraces. They were to take out their frustrations after that cup defeat by annihilating Morton 6-1, our biggest defeat at Cappielow since Ayr United’s 6-0 victory over a Morton side in the throes of administration way back in January 2001. Maybe it wasn’t Gus’s fault after all? With an appointment apparently imminent, Anderson took charge of his final game as caretaker against high-flying Arbroath at Gayfield. A much-improved performance saw another hard luck story against the Red Lichties though, with Jack Hamilton’s brother Colin again netting the opener before being clawed back by a Gary Oliver counter as the Angus fog thickened and the match looked under serious threat of abandonment. Unfortunately though, it was to finish with Falkirk loanee Anton Dowds doing what no other Falkirk player has managed in an awful long time by netting a winning goal against Morton, taking Arbroath to the top of the table in the process. A Gary Oliver equaliser wasn't enough to gain a share of the spoils at a foggy Gayfield just before Christmas. (Photo- Gary Bradley) The festive period was to prove eventful off the park- with the new Omicron variant of COVID hitting the world hard, the Scottish Government decided to take action to quell the problem. Crowds across the country were restricted to a maximum of 500, regardless of capacity or the amount of open-air space at grounds. With games against Queen of the South and Dunfermline over that time, the c. 1000 season ticket holders were allocated a game each to attend, with Morton’s hands tied behind their back by the restrictions. But the news we did want to hear finally arrived- the appointment of Morton’s new boss- former player, and First Team Coach to David Martindale at Livingston; Dougie Imrie. It was to be an unexpected and risky appointment, having seen the board go with the tried-and-trusted Gus MacPherson previously. Without the opportunity to bring his own staff in, Imrie was thrown into the lions' den, and immediate results were demanded as soon as possible. Not only that, but he also had to fix what appeared to be an increasingly fragile relationship between the players and their supporters. The new boss gets to work by taking his beleaguered squad to title favourites Kilmarnock for his debut on the touchline. (Photo-Gary Bradley) Imrie’s debut in the dugout was delayed by a COVID outbreak in the Queen of the South squad though, as the pandemic probably did Morton’s bean counters a favour and gave Imrie a bit more time to work with his new charges before he did debut on the touchline at title favourites Kilmarnock just before the new year. Things weren’t to start well, with Rory McKenzie’s fine strike giving Killie a first half lead and Morton thankful for Jack Hamilton’s incredible performance between the sticks in front of only 500 of the Ayrshire club’s support. But with Mark Russell having a torrid time at left back, Imrie did what we’ve not seen in long enough by taking the necessary action in replacing him with Lewis Strapp. Strapp wasn’t to look back under the new gaffer, but in the short term, we were to get out of Rugby Park with a precious point as Alan Lithgow headed home an excellent corner from the substitute. In the end, some Morton fans were disappointed that we were happy to keep possession in the corner late on with Killie having been reduced to ten men. Alan Lithgow's second half header gained an unlikely point as the Dougie Imrie era got off to a promising start. (Photo-Gary Bradley) Make no mistake though, those first steps were a point gained, rather than two points dropped. Perhaps there was some light at the end of the tunnel…
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  21. The Morton Disabled Supporters’ Association- A Chat With Bryan Purdue… by Russell Gordon It’s fair to say that there have been a number of welcome developments at Morton in recent months, with the arrival of Dougie Imrie and the team’s subsequent improved form that has seen us climb the table to the brink of survival in the Championship with a bit to spare, and hopefully with no need for last season’s brinksmanship. However, one change that has perhaps gone under the radar slightly in comparison has been the formation of the new Morton Disabled Supporters’ Association (DSA). The brainchild of Morton’s Disability Access Officer Andy Adams and of Bryan Purdue, a well-kent face amongst the Morton support, who has taken on the running of the Association in order to ensure that it is independent from but working with the club. Morton Manager Dougie Imrie was keen to meet with Bryan to promote the Disabled Supports' Association. (Photo-Gareth Reid) Bryan was good enough to give me some of his time to discuss the DSA and their hopes going forward- not only for wheelchair users, but also for those with other disabilities. As with all aspects of life, COVID has had a disruptive impact on the club’s attempts to cater as well as possible for their disabled fans and guests, with social distancing requirements meaning that initially the only safe option was for Morton to provide a stream of matches into this season, by which point other fans were freely able to attend games. Given the unprecedented circumstances, it was difficult not to feel a bit of sympathy for Morton, but from an outside observer’s point of view, it strikes me as the result of years of neglect from previous regimes. The streams were a positive for us all whilst locked out of matches last season, but we’re uncertain as to the future of them. My own understanding was that they’d be discontinued after this term, but there’s been no conformation one way or the other as to whether that will be the case, as clubs haven’t been told what they’ll be allowed as restrictions ease. Personally, I’d hope that streaming can be provided on a means tested basis, to those out with the UK and for people who have difficulties attending due to age and/or mobility. Bryan however, was keen to praise the club for the efforts they make to make the experience as positive as possible, but like everything there is room for improvement, especially with Cappielow being such an antiquated stadium. Toilet facilities are limited, and Bryan is currently in discussion with the club in the hope of arriving at a solution to the problem. Hopefully it’ll be a case of watch this space with regards to any developments on that front. I was keen to hear of what access the disabled fans have to Morton’s catering, and again, Bryan praised the club’s caterers for taking orders from the disabled section rather than inconveniencing the fans by asking them to join a queue. This though, presents problems that other fans don’t have, such as picking when they want to eat or drink, and Bryan suggested that an app allowing the fans to order food at their own convenience would allow the club to provide a better service. The launch of the DSA conveniently coincided with UEFA’s CAFE (Centre for Access to Football in Europe) Week of Football, which was designed to improve awareness of the issues encountered by those with disabilities who enjoy the game, and to break down as many barriers as possible for those with disabilities. There are of course a number of barriers to be broken down, not just in terms of facilities, but also in terms of attitudes, as there have been tales that Bryan was able to relay of stewards at some grounds being insensitive to the needs of fans when carrying vital medical equipment with them on their travels. Football stewards being insensitive to paying customers might be a concept that we’re unfamiliar with, but yes, it does happen! There were clubs however that he was keen to praise that he feels Morton could look towards for help, advice and inspiration in improving their own facilities and practices. Not having had the opportunity to visit too many grounds this season, he was fulsome in his praise for Partick Thistle at Firhill, who used the Main Stand and Aitken Suite to provide disabled facilities. I’m reluctant to give them too much credit for anything, so we’ll put it down to being able to enjoy a routine victory and the company of the vocal away support on the evening! High praise was in plentiful supply for Hamilton Accies, and for the National Stadium’s facilities. Hampden’s elevated vantage points in the South Stand being the real plus point. He wasn’t quite so complimentary about Falkirk, who couldn’t be less helpful as we turned up to give them a wee nudge down to League One a few years ago, but at least there’s not much chance of visiting them anytime in the near future, so there’s a positive. Bryan sees the benchmark for Morton however to be Motherwell, which will come as a surprise to very few given how good their reputation is with almost every aspect of their public relations. ‘Well CEO Alan Burrows has already been good enough to chat with him about how much effort Motherwell put into catering for their disabled fans, and with them also being a fan owned club with an aging (although admittedly superior) stadium, provide what Bryan describes as the “gold standard” for all clubs, and particularly ours, to aspire to. Whilst it’s perhaps a long-term goal to achieve such standards, I’m sure we all hope that with the help of Bryan and Andy, the club and MCT can make the service Morton provide for disabled fans something to be proud of! The Morton Disabled Association can be contacted through the following channels; Email- mortondsa@gmail.com Facebook- www.facebook.com/MortonDSA Instagram- www.instagram.com/morton_dsa/ Twitter- www.twitter.com/Morton_DSA UEFA’s Centre For Access to Football In Europe site can be found at www.cafefootball.eu. Thanks very much to Brendan McEleny at Morton, who was good enough to provide me with access to the touchline to take the uncredited photographs prior to the recent home match against Ayr United.
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  22. Morton vs Queen of the South – Match Preview by Russell Gordon. Queen of the South visit Cappielow on Saturday for a fixture rearranged from Boxing Day in the wake of both clubs' exits from the Scottish Cup, and which most observers would look upon as the proverbial six-pointer, with eighth placed Morton sitting 5 points ahead of the Doonhamers, who prop up the table. It's fair to say that such a cushion offers Morton much more room to manoeuvre than it does our visitors, but this has to be looked upon as an opportunity to create some real daylight between ourselves and automatic relegation spot. Whilst we're well and truly back in the groove of going to the football again, Morton will be providing the usual stream for those who can't attend, which can be purchased here for the princely sum of £14. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News Again, there are no major injury concerns reported in the squad as yet, and whilst the team generally picks itself just now, Glens' Vodka SPFL Championship Manager of the Month for January, Dougie Imrie will again have the welcome headache of Robbie Muirhead battering his door down for a starting place, such is his excellent contribution almost every time he comes off the bench. With Oisin McEntee returning last week to the defence in place of Michael Ledger, it's difficult to imagine the backline changing after such a composed defensive performance away to one of the supposed title challengers in the Highlands last weekend, as Morton came down the A9 with three very welcome points from a satisfying afternoon's work. Iain Wilson will be hoping to break into the midfield, but it's difficult to see who of Gary Oliver, Reece Lyon and Cammy Blues should sit out to allow the former Kilmarnock and Dunfermline ace his first start. Current Connections There are no ex-Morton players in the Queens' ranks, but plenty ex-Doonhamers in the home squad. Club captain Kyle Jacobs spent four years in Dumfries before making the move to Cappielow three years ago, whilst more recently, Michael Ledger made five appearances for the borders club in the curtailed 2019-20 season having arrived in the January window, before signing for Morton for the following season. New signing Iain Wilson had a couple of loan spells at Palmerston in his time as a Killie player. Since starting his career at Hearts, Gary Oliver has had two spells at both clubs, and Livingston loanee, and Championship Player of the Month Gavin Reilly started his career in Dumfries. Photo - GBR Photographs. Tale of the Tape It doesn't make good reading, in spite of Queens' lowly position in the table. A 2-3 defeat at Cappielow in August was the first sign that Morton might not be in for a particularly smooth campaign, as our visitors notched their first points of the campaign with a resounding win which in truth flattered Gus MacPherson’s charges on the day. This was followed by an insipid 0-0 draw in Dumfries, only really memorable for Robbie Muirhead's lob unfortunately hitting the bar as both teams had to settle for a share of the spoils. The latest fixture between the two was the Challenge Cup Quarter Final at Palmerston in the dying embers of MacPherson’s tenure. Whilst he was to be relieved of his duties after the 2-2 draw with Ayr the following Saturday, Morton's dreadful performance in the 1-2 defeat was perhaps the straw that broke the camel's back, especially with such an angry reaction from the travelling support on the night. Opposition Analysis It's fair to say that not all is well at Palmerston. With one league win since early October, the prospect of visits to the likes of Peterhead, Kelty and Grangemouth next season is a realistic one. Injuries to the likes of Harry Cochrane, Udoka Chima and Paul McKay haven’t helped Queens’ cause, to the extent that club captain Willie Gibson has had to fill in at centre back on occasion, and the return of goalkeeper Sol Brynn to parent club Middlesborough was a massive blow, although Innes Cameron's return from Kilmarnock and the loan signing of Motherwell's Darragh O'Connor may well prove to be positives in Queens' battle to escape the trap door. With the weekend's game at the Firhill bog postponed late in the day (a mere seven days after Partick were whining about their fans being put out by a late pitch inspection at a windswept (?) Gayfield), Queens were idle, but they can take some encouragement from their last outing, a 3-3 draw on a day of controversy in Kirkcaldy, courtesy of a fantastic late Shea Gordon equaliser. Ahead of the game I spoke to QoSTV commentator Finlay Jack (@Finlay_Jack5), who spoke of the importance of this match to his side – “This feels like a bit do or die for us. I’ve been exceptionally optimist all season but with Ayr beating Killie it’s getting that little bit tougher. If we get beat, I still have complete faith that we can stay up, but a win would really help the cause! Imrie has clearly got the Ton playing, which is a concern, but 25% of our league wins this season have came at Cappielow, so who knows… Innes Cameron returning for us is huge. Though, in my opinion, Paul McKay and Harry Cochrane were proving to be a fantastic spine of our side, along with Innes, so not having them is an issue. It’s no coincidence our form has dipped without them. Defensively we’ve been poor. I have the utmost respect for Gibson (naturally a winger/RB), East (naturally a winger/ST) and Debayo (a LB/LWB) who have each filled in at CB consistently this season. Roberto Nditi also plays there, albeit he’s played RB, LB, LWB, and CDM this season so it’d maybe be a stretch to call him an out and out CB! There lies our issue, I guess. All of these players are absolutely capable of playing Championship level, though with no McKay or Chima (who has missed almost the entire season) they’ve been forced to play there. Bringing in Darragh O’Connor should help, although he endured a difficult first two games last week. I’ll go for a Queens win as I always do. Hopefully the manager of the month ‘curse’ strikes Imrie and we can get a result. We are absolutely more than capable, but we need to show it more consistently. Morton 2-3 Queens for me!” Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7am on 11th February 2022 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. It's been a while, but Morton head into the match as favourites for a change, although 11/10 could be considered generous given the two sides' differing form. Our visitors are priced at 11/5 and the draw at 9/4 For those optimistic of an enjoyable afternoon at the office, Morton to score over 2.5 goals is 15/4 and to score in both halves is 12/5 Match Officials Referee- Mike Roncoe AR 1- Chris Rae AR 2- Brian Christie
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  23. (Photo- BBC) Window Shopping in The January Sales- The Hits And Misses by Russell Gordon Since its inception in 2003, and introduction for what in Morton's case was the fateful 2003/04 season, the January Transfer Window has been part of the game in a similar way to pies, bovril and penalties to Rangers. Brought in by FIFA in an attempt to bring stability to clubs' squads in the post-Bosman era, it's been a period when we've seen them get shot of dead wood, strengthen their title challenges and desperately try and save a sinking ship. And of course, Morton being Morton, we've seen examples of all in the last couple of decades. But how have we benefitted or lost out in the winter window? In recent years, the window, or at least the approach to deadline day at the end of August or January always feels like a frustrating time as a Morton fan, watching clubs like Partick Thistle or Raith Rovers hoovering up our own personal targets whilst Morton seem to sit on their hand and count what pennies they can afford on a loan signing. But it's not always like that... Chris Templeman, 2005 Back in 2004/05, with the window in it's infancy, the SFL allowed clubs two transfers a season out with the designated windows, and in a season that Morton were really pushing the boat out in their attempts to return to the First Division, it would be remiss of me not to bend the rules and mention Chris Templeman, such was the significance and timing of the signing. After the disastrous collapse of the previous season, manager John McCormack had been belatedly relieved of his duties with Morton toiling in midtable. His successor Jim McInally had endured a difficult start to his time in charge when Chairman Douglas Rae decided to get his cheque book out to the tune of a reported £100,000 for Brechin's talismanic striker, Templeman in December. With Brechin and Stranraer holding commanding leads over Morton in the chase for the two promotion places, it was hoped that by weakening the leaders and adding goals to our squad we'd squeeze past one of the two and into the First Division before big spending Gretna arrived in the division the following year. Templeman's finest hour came in the Scottish Cup defeat of Kilmarnock in 2007 (Photo- Getty Images) For a man of his height, he certainly wasn't the Duncan Ferguson type that we might have hoped for, preferring the ball played to feet. In spite of his undoubted skill, he was an awkward type with a languid playing style whose game really relied on confidence. He was to finish the season with a medal, but unfortunately that was as a result of his previous club getting over the line with Stranraer, and ahead of ourselves. Templeman himself was to score seven league goals for Morton that season, including a hat trick against Forfar at Cappielow. Not an appalling return, but for Morton's investment, not exactly earth shattering. The following season was to prove a nightmare for the affable front man, as he was caught up in Rowan Alexander's mind games ahead of the visit of Gretna in September 2005. Alexander questioned why McInally continued to pick Templeman ahead of fellow forward Jason Walker ahead of the game- really none of his business, but it was enough to get folk talking about the subject and unsettle Morton ahead of a 2-0 win for the visitors. Templeman would score only two goals before being packed off on loan back to Brechin for the second half of the season, as Morton were to suffer more promotion heartbreak. Templeman, and Brechin were back in the Second Division the following season and there was to finally be a happy ending. The title and promotion were delivered, and one of the best individual performances Cappielow has seen in the modern era was produced by the returning striker as SPL Kilmarnock were unceremoniously bodied out of the cup 3-1, thanks in no small part to Templeman's double. The following season was to see his opportunities at the higher level restricted before he eventually moved onto East Fife and eventually Forfar and Montrose before going junior. It's difficult to assess his time at Morton without alluding to his transfer fee, but I always remember a mate comparing him to the Hot-Shot Hamish cartoon character. He was comfortable playing in front of small crowds and with lesser expectations, but the fee was like a noose around his neck which never really allowed him to become the player we'd hoped. Brian Wake, 2008 As one door closed, another opened. With Templeman heading off the the Fifers, and Morton toiling at the wrong end of the table in their first season back, under fire manager McInally brought in striker Brian Wake from league leaders Hamilton Accies. We'd already benefitted from the implosion of Gretna, with Allan Jenkins and Ryan McGuffie coming in as part of the fire sale. But Wake was to have the most immediate impact. That said, the initial signs weren't encouraging as he failed to find his feet and McInally was replaced in the dugout by Davie Irons. There was one narrow win against Stirling Albion, when, late in the game and through on goal, he decided to square the ball instead of shoot only for it to end terribly, which summed up his start in his new surroundings. Wake's unlikely goalscoring exploits saved Morton's skin, cementing his cult hero status years on. (Photo- Getty Images) But it was all to change as the season reached its climax. A goal that was to prove vital in spite of a 2-3 defeat in Perth got the ball rolling, and another in the 3-0 hammering of Dunfermline on the penultimate day set up a nerve-wracking trip to Firhill, in which Morton had to match Clyde's result at home to already relegated Stirling. Step forward Wake, whose magnificent double helped keep Morton out of the play-off place by the narrowest of margins and sparked celebrations that were perhaps more exuberant than those the previous year when Morton had won promotion. Wake was to stick around another year and a half, scoring goals fairly regularly, and often from the bench. There are many who will look back on his time at Morton and point out to his limitations as a player, but on that day, a cult hero was born, and he thoroughly deserves to be remembered so fondly for those heroics. Colin McMenamin, 2013 One who won't be looked back upon so fondly was Colin McMenamin. An utterly bizarre signing that was funded by our club's sponsors at the time and was completely unnecessary. Morton were in a title race with Partick Thistle and Dunfermline Athletic and after beating both over the festive period, were going into the new year in a strong position. They were scoring goals for fun, and had the added bonus of the return of the quite magnificent Peter MacDonald, who had missed the first half of the season through injury, to compliment Archie Campbell and Peter Weatherson, both of whom were enjoying fine campaigns to that point. Added to that, with Michael Tidser and Martin Hardie chipping in from midfield, surgery on the backline was arguably more urgent. Hindsight's a wonderful thing, but with Mark McLaughlin not getting any younger, and little cover in the full back positions, there wasn't much need to bring in a further attacking option. One wonders if it was more of a commercial than footballing decision to sign a goal scorer (a term I'll use loosely) than what was actually required. Perhaps the most memorable moment of Colin McMenamin's time at Morton was when Douglas Rae got his name wrong in introducing him to the crowd. (Photo- www.alamy.com) As it turned out, he went onto score twice in fifteen appearances- one being a penalty, and both being in routine victories over the eventually relegated Airdrie. The defence would go on to struggle, with Thomas O'Ware thrown in far too early in his career as Partick gradually pulled away, with a little helping hand from the Cowdenbeath fog. As cost-cutting measures came in the following summer, Morton's big hitters all moved onto pastures new. Whilst the departures of MacDonald, Hardie and Tidser were painful, McMenamin's went under the radar somewhat. Such was his contribution, he wasn't missed, even considering how bad the following season was to be. Garry O'Connor and Rowan Vine, 2014 There could be a book written about that disaster of a season, and Kenny Shiels' scattergun approach to signings saw an already horrific season go from bad to worse. This pair were by no means the only gutless failures to come in that winter, but were certainly the most high profile. Anyone remember much about Ben Sampayo? No, me neither. If ever a photo summed up a season... (Photo-SNS) O'Connor was a Scotland international, and Vine a £3 million player at earlier points in their careers. What we got was nothing of the sort, and Chairman Douglas Rae was prompted to bemoan the return on his investment on the overweight former Scotland striker, who delivered one goal in eleven really grim appearances for Morton. It was undoubtedly a sign of desperation from Rae, who had already dabbled in the has-been market by signing, and subsequently punting Spanish striker Nacho Novo earlier in the season after a similar return. Rae described O'Connor as "hopeless and unfit" in an interview with the Greenock Telegraph as the season from hell approached its inevitable conclusion. Vine on the other hand contributed four goals from twelve games, notably scoring the goal that effectively killed off Falkirk's title aspirations and celebrating in front of their fans, so it's not all bad, but in all honesty, he really wasn't great either. Had he converted his penalty in that final day hammering at Hamilton it wouldn't have made a great deal of difference, but his lazy effort epitomised his time at the club. A rare moment of joy in 2014, as Rowan Vine celebrated a goal in a late season 3-0 win over Dumbarton, as the fat lady was tuning up her vocal chords (Photo- SNS Group) It was no surprise to see neither player ever make a league appearance after leaving Morton, and thankfully the policy of signing high profile overpaid and over-the-hill duds seems to be a thing of the past. The next year's window was to prove more fruitful. Ross Forbes, 2015 Incredible when you think back, but at the time, we didn't actually enjoy the month of January 2015. Morton were clinging on into the title race behind Stranraer and Forfar, had recently been knocked out of the Scottish Cup by non-league Spartans, and had lost top scorer Declan McManus, who returned to Aberdeen from his loan spell. Manager Jim Duffy addressed the loss of McManus by signing Hibs' Ross Caldwell, and to much fanfare, the returning Peter MacDonald from Dundee. Unexpectedly, McManus would also return at the end of the month to play his part, but that was only a side note to the story of the 2015 window. But there was better to come- we often see players returning to Cappielow, but the return of Michael Tidser from Rotherham really got the juices flowing, with fans of clubs higher up the food chain criticising the ambition of the former Morton midfielder who openly admitted he wanted to return to a club where he had spent his happiest days instead of trying his luck in the Premiership or Championship. There had to be a snag though, and a brief loan spell from Rotherham at Oldham, with two appearances, meant that Tidser had represented two clubs that season, so subject to what at the time was a little known rule, wasn't actually eligible to play until the following season and couldn't contribute to Morton's title challenge. Amidst all the furore, it was a good thing that Jim Duffy had managed to engineer a swap deal with Dunfermline for Ross Forbes, with 'Ton striker Andy Barrowman, a Pars hero from a previous spell heading in the other direction. Whilst the Dunfermline fans would have been happy to drive Forbes down the M8 themselves and take Barrowman back up the road with them, there was only one winner in the deal. Barrowman would continue where he left off, with Dunfermline finishing seventh in what should've been a two horse race, and Forbes playing a starring role in Morton's title charge. His injury time winner against Ayr at Cappielow in the run-in resulted in absolute bedlam, with Morton eventually sneaking over the line. Carlsberg don't do swap deals, but if they did... (Photo- m7sport.com) It was far from the end of Forbes' contribution though, as he would go on to play a vital part in a Morton team that surprised many over the next two seasons- his wonderful goals against Hibs in an incredible 3-0 win in the capital in our first season back, and against St. Mirren in a 3-1 derby win the following season, which should've been about six or seven and smashed their 17 year unbeaten derby record, were particularly memorable, and his contribution to Thomas O'Ware's incredible goalscoring record at the time can't be ignored. There was a time that opposing managers knew exactly what was coming, but could do absolutely nothing about it. He would be nominated for the Championship Player of the Year in 2016-17, losing out to some bloke at Hibs called John McGinn (no idea what became of him), and as well as his ridiculous number of assists, knew how to find the net too- scoring 12, including brilliant free kicks against Hamilton in the League Cup and Raith in a 1-0 league win at Cappielow, a double at Somerset Park and a brilliant solo goal in a narrow win against Queen of the South. Forbes would eventually depart in January of the following season as injuries began to catch up with him, but what a star. I was too young to see the days of Andy Ritchie, but have seen many Morton teams and had many heroes, since. When hearing tales of the Idle Idol, who had the reputation of appearing lazy, but producing a moment of absolute genius, it's difficult to argue that Forbes is the closest we've seen to Ritchie since those heady days. The Notable Mentions He's been mentioned elsewhere of course, but Michael Tidser was another January transfer window signing from Swedish club Ostersunds in 2010, and in terms of longevity, perhaps our most successful when you take his two spells at the club into consideration. Certainly not a high profile signing at the time though, unlike Lawrence Shankland, who came on loan from Aberdeen, but immediately after a loan spell with St. Mirren. Shankland was supposed to propel us to play off success with Hibs' title win inevitable, but had a largely forgettable spell at Morton, before getting a wake up call, signing for Ayr and eventually having a sterling career which included international honours, alongside another January window signing, Stuart Findlay- who came in in 2014 and was one of the very few successes of that season. Last year was perhaps the most frustrating of windows since their inception, with Morton's form falling off a cliff, no sign of a managerial appointment to make any signings and no inward movement until the club decided to tease us about the potential signing of a Champions League player- who turned out to be Tottenham striker Kaziah Sterling, who got a run out for a few minutes of a dead rubber a few years back, was chased out of Southend and on arrival at Cappielow, contributed absolutely nothing before being sent back down the road as soon as Gus McPherson actually got a look at him. What the end of this transfer window brings we don't yet know, and a midfielder and reserve goalkeeper would be nice, but our most important signing this winter is arguably in the dugout as opposed to on the pitch anyway. We do, however live in hope for some late excitement. Please, no Star Wars GIFs on Twitter, though!
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  24. Photo - Motherwell FC. Tickets – Click here to buy matchday tickets. Please note you will need to register with Motherwell before purchasing tickets. Prices are as follows – Adults £15, Concessions (16-18 year olds, Students and OAPs) £10, U15s £5. Disabled Supporters Information – The club have disabled facilities in both the Main Stand and the South Stand to accommodate supporters and carers. The best way to ensure access is to contact the Disabled Access Officer David Fraser via email - disabled.fans@motherwellfc.co.uk. When applying for tickets, the association reserve the right to check a persons eligibility under the disability discrimination act. All disabled supporters are requested to provide a copy of any of the following to book tickets - DLA middle or higher rate care/mobility; severe disablement allowance or attendance allowance; a personal letter of support from your hospital specialist or GP. Supporters Buses – The Gourock Morton Supporters bus will leave from Monteiths at 1pm, with the bar opening at 11am. The cost will be decided on the day, message their page on Facebook or contact Mark on 07847847357 to book a space. The Port Glasgow Morton Travel Club bus will leave from The Sutherland Bar at 1.30pm. The cost will be decided on the day. Message their page on Facebook or contact Bryan on 07969760292 to book a space. The Morton Supporters Club bus will leave from the club on Regent Street at 1.15pm. Prices are £10 and £7. Contact David on 07719548046 to book. By Train – There are three services an hour to Glasgow Central on the low line, departing Gourock at :08, :38 and :54 every hour, as well as one train an hour on the high line, departing Wemyss Bay at :57 every hour. Airbles train station is the nearest train station to Fir Park and is located one mile from the stadium. Motherwell train station is only slightly further away and is a 20 minute walk. All information taken from the ScotRail website. By Car – Use the postcode ML1 2QN for the stadium. The estimated journey time from Cappielow to Fir Park is around 45 minutes (35.5 miles). There is plenty of street parking in the vicinity of the stadium. On-street parking is available on numerous streets in the vicinity the stadium. Fans can also make use of nearby car parks within the Civic Centre/Motherwell Concert Hall and in its locality, Parkhead Street and the smaller MacDonald Street car park. Pre-Match – Photo - Trip Advisor If you are arriving by train, or are arriving in Motherwell with time to spare, the Electric Bar (291 Airbles Rd, Motherwell ML1 3AW) is the closest to Airbles station. En route to the stadium there are a wealth of options for a pre-match pint, including the Windmill Tavern (75 Windmillhill St, Motherwell ML1 1RY), The Steelworks Bar and Grill (Glencairn St, Motherwell ML1 1TT) and The Horseshoe Bar (Motherwell Point, 1-3 Muir St, Motherwell ML1 1BH) all available. Club100 (13 Edward St, Motherwell ML1 2PP) is a stones’ throw from the turnstiles. Photo - Club100 Facebook.
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  25. Partick Thistle v Morton – Match Preview by Russell Gordon With Morton’s adventures in the Scottish Cup over for another year after Monday night’s gallant performance against Premiership heavyweights Hearts proved to be in vain, it’s back to the league for Dougie Imrie’s men, and an important match against our good friends Partick at Firhill. With our hosts on a poor run of form, having now gone eight matches without a victory after Tuesday night’s defeat to big-spending Raith Rovers, Imrie’s side will themselves look to get back on the saddle by recording their first win of the season against our friends from Glasgow. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News Monday’s change in formation against Hearts worked relatively well under the circumstances, but it could be argued that a less ambitious approach was required against more formidable opposition than Morton are usually exposed to. Imrie could again revert to his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, with two of Michael Garrity, Lewis McGrattan or Jack Bearne coming into the team, assuming Jai Quitongo will again be out, as his nightmare season again saw him forced out of the cup quarter final. While long-term casualty Iain Wilson will certainly miss out, the match will also likely come too soon for George Oakley, and such is the English striker’s importance to Morton, Imrie will be wary of rushing him back for fear of risking a further set-back. Ryan Mullen, although still sporting heavy strapping on Monday night, certainly looked more like himself against the Jambos, having visibly struggled, particularly with his kicking against Dundee United. Should he revert back to his preferred formation, I’d expect Kirk Broadfoot to take his place on the bench, possibly alongside Grant Gillespie. Current Connections The only former Morton player in the Partick squad is club captain Brian Graham, who started his career at Cappielow, struggling to establish himself in the first team as a young player before leaving in 2011 to embark on a somewhat nomadic career, and finally making himself at home at Firhill. Young striker Ricco Diack’s dad Iain, had a somewhat uneventful spell at Morton in 2004-05, failing to find the net in one start and three substitute appearances. In the Morton squad, Robbie Muirhead is about as popular with the Partick fans as Graham is with the Morton support. Muirhead had a brief loan spell at Firhill in the second half of the 2015-16 season, scoring twice in eight appearances. Robbie Crawford spent the 2021-22 season in Glasgow before making the move to Morton following his surprise release at the end of that season, while Jai Quitongo also had a short spell at Firhill, leaving Morton after his contract expired in 2018, but moving onto Iranians Machine Sazi after only a few months. Tale of the Tape It doesn’t make for good reading. Morton’s early season frailties were exposed in a Cappielow horror show in early September. Having taken an early lead through a terrific Robbie Muirhead free kick, the loss of Robbie Crawford after 20 minutes proved the turning point in a game that most of us would rather forget. Steven Lawless restored parity before half time, and things fell to pieces for Morton with 20 minutes remaining as Brian Graham took great delight in netting twice in a minute against his favourite club. There was still time for Harry Milne to receive his marching orders, but even with only ten men, Tomi Adeloye put the icing on Partick’s cake by adding a fourth to make for a thoroughly miserable afternoon for the hosts. It wasn’t much fun at Firhill in November, either. With Morton enduring a horrible run at the time, they fell behind to an early Kerr McInroy strike. Though things looked bleak at that point, Morton grew into the game and Grant Gillespie equalised from the spot after 32 minutes. Things were to again fall apart for Morton as the game reached its latter stages, though. Only Morton could see an opposing player red-carded but not see the benefit of them being reduced to ten men, as Brian Graham was given his marching orders for a despicable gesture towards the Morton support, who had merely shown concern for his wellbeing following an uncharacteristically quiet performance, for which he had been substituted. Of course, as was Morton’s luck at the time, Blair Alston notched a fortuitous winner for the Glasgow side, as Graham stormed out the tunnel to carry on his completely unprovoked tirade at the innocent Morton fans. Fortunately, nobody was harmed. With things looking up in January, Morton were forced to settle for a draw. After Robbie Crawford’s early goal was ruled offside, the hosts took the lead after half an hour thanks to an own goal from Jack McMillan. Again though, it was a late show from Partick, with Ricco Diack coming off the bench to score an admittedly fine equaliser for Partick to ensure a share of the spoils. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis As I noted earlier, Partick aren’t enjoying their finest run of the season- though unfortunately, neither are Morton. They would have been disappointed not to at least collect a point from big-spending Raith Rovers on Tuesday night after dominating much of the game, but a first half Euan Murray header sent the points back to deepest, darkest Kirkcaldy with the moneybags Fifers. While goals haven’t been too difficult to come by in recent weeks, despite Tuesday’s blank, they’ve been leaking goals at an alarming rate. Having failed to win since their excellent Scottish Cup win in Dingwall, they’ve been knocked out the cup by Premiership strugglers Livingston, shipping a 2-0 lead to lose 2-3 after extra time, and conceded four goals to Ayr, three goals to Inverness and Dunfermline, a couple to Queen’s Park and one to Airdrie, Dundee United and big-spending Raith Rovers, only managing to collect draws against Airdrie, Inverness, Dundee United and Queens. The goalkeeper position has proved problematic, with Jamie Sneddon out for at least the medium term. Veteran former Stranraer custodian David Mitchell has the jersey just now, after Ross Stewart had a horrid couple of games, conceding seven in two games against Dunfermline and Ayr before losing his spot. However, with a three-pronged attack of Graham, Lawless and Aidan Fitzpatrick, it’s perhaps a relief that Morton’s recent injury woes haven’t really extended to the back line. With Partick having scored more goals, but not much between the clubs in terms of goal difference, a victory by two or more goals would take Morton above Partick in the table into third. What’s Happening Elsewhere? The weekend’s action kicks off with leaders Dundee United’s Friday night visit to Dunfermline for the BBC Scotland match. With United over the hill and far away from Morton at this point, there would be no complaints her if they were to keep the Pars at arm’s length from the ‘Ton. Morton’s nearest challengers for the final play-off place, Airdrie host bottom-of-the-table Arbroath, who even after their fantastic comeback win over big-spending Raith Rovers didn’t find themselves any better off following Inverness’s victory at Cappielow. By all accounts, the Red Lichties’ display at Tannadice last weekend was absolutely appalling, so don’t hold your breath for any favours, there. Inverness will be looking to climb out of the relegation play-off place by beating Ayr United in the Highlands, which would leave Scott Brown’s men staring down the barrel, while big-spending Raith Rovers have their second trip of the week to Glasgow to face Queen’s Park at Hampden. A draw between Thistle and Ayr and a win for the profligate Kirkcaldy side would do just nicely. Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 14th March 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Partick are clear favourites to end their barren run of results at 23/20, while Morton are priced at a generous 19/10, with the draw at 5/2. Robbie Muirhead is 7/1 to score the opening goal of the game, while the draw at half time and Morton at full time is 6/1. Match Officials Referee- Dan McFarlane takes charge of his first Morton game since we beat big-spending Raith Rovers 1-0 at Cappielow in the third last game of last season. AR 1- Frank Connor AR 2- Robin Taylor
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  26. Morton v Heart of Midlothian – Match Preview by Russell Gordon Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology hosts perhaps it’s highest profile match in a quarter of a century with the visit of one of Morton’s most unfamiliar foes in Premiership Heart of Midlothian, in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup quarter-final in front of the BBC Scotland cameras. Having already claimed one Premiership scalp in Motherwell, the competition’s only remaining non-Premiership club will be looking to claim a second and secure a semi-final berth for the first time since 1981. With the match not available on the season ticket, a limited number of individual match tickets for the Sinclair Street End are available at the below link, with the Main Stand and Cowshed sold out: Fanbase | Select Ticket (fanbaseclub.com) Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News It comes as no coincidence that having lost their two most influential players in George Oakley and Iain Wilson, Morton’s unbeaten run has come to a halt with consecutive home defeats to Inverness and Dundee United. One can only hope that Imrie has wrapped goalkeeper Ryan Mullen in cotton wool since Tuesday night’s Cappielow reverse to the Terrors, a game in which Mullen visibly struggled, requiring Darragh O’Connor to take goal kicks on his behalf. While Wilson will certainly miss out, Glen’s Vodka SPFL Championship Manager of the Month Dougie Imrie will be desperate to see the return of the talismanic Oakley, with Morton having failed to find the net in his absence. Should Oakley fail to make it, Jai Quitongo will likely deputise through the middle, with the probability of Robbie Muirhead taking on the role later in the game in the event of Quitongo being replaced. Kirk Broadfoot missed out against United through injury, but Imrie has indicated that he will return, most probably to the bench. I’d expect Michael Garrity to get the nod behind the main striker, with Grant Gillespie starting on the bench in anticipation of the amount of work that will be asked of Alan Power’s aging limbs. Having been booked twice already in the competition this season, Lewis Strapp would miss a potential semi-final should he collect another booking and Morton progress. Current Connections Scotland’s most gifted striker has represented both clubs- Robbie Muirhead spent the 2016-17 season at Tynecastle, scoring twice in eighteen games, with both goals coming in a 2-0 home win over Rangers. Morton’s now second choice goalkeeper, Jamie MacDonald started his career in the capital, making 116 appearances over a tumultuous period for the Gorgie club, which saw the glorious anarchy of the Romanov era, the trauma and uncertainty of administration and relegation to the Championship and the obvious highlight of keeping goal for their 5-1 2012 Scottish Cup final victory over local rivals Hibernian. There are two former Morton loanees in the visiting squad with winger Barrie McKay having spent the second half of Morton’s miserable 2013-14 season at Cappielow from former club Rangers, scoring five goals in eighteen games, including Morton’s only winning goal away from Cappielow in the league, notching the only goal in a victory at Livingston. Hearts star man Lawrence Shankland had a similarly unspectacular spell at Cappielow in the second half of the 2016-17. Having concluded a loan deal at St. Mirren from Aberdeen, he took the step up to Morton when his deal concluded, scoring four goals in sixteen games. Morton did reach the play-offs, but a late season dip in form helped contribute to a lame exit at the hands of Dundee United. The ‘Ton were also hindered by Shankland’s earlier involvement in the Scottish Cup with St. Mirren, cup-tying him for a trip to Ibrox, which the ‘Ton lost 1-2, without any viable striking options. He would move onto Ayr United, get his head screwed on and see his career go from strength to strength with it potentially peaking this summer if, as has been called for in many quarters, he leads the line for Scotland in this summer’s European Championships. Jai Quitongo’s dad Jose made thirty appearances for Hearts, mostly from the bench, between 1997 and 1999, scoring a memorable last-minute equaliser against Celtic at Tynecastle in 1998 as the Jam Tarts went head-to-head with Glasgow’s big two for the title, only falling away in the final few weeks of the season, but winning the Scottish Cup, although Quitongo didn’t make the squad for the showpiece occasion. Photo - GBR Photographs, Tale of the Tape It’s common knowledge that meetings between the two sides are few and far between, with Morton and Hearts continually avoiding each other in cup competitions for a generation or so before now, and the only meetings between the clubs since Morton’s relegation from the Premier Division in 1988 being three behind-closed-doors Championship encounters in the horrible COVID-affected 2020-21 season. Eventual champions Hearts took the spoils with a 2-0 win on their first visit to Cappielow in December thanks to two Jamie Walker goals, in a game in which Morton keeper Aidan McAdams’ performance kept the scoreline respectable. Morton’s visit to Tynecastle was a much more even affair, with Craig McGuffie shocking the Edinburgh side by firing Morton into a surprise lead, before Walker again netted for the Jambos to save them a point. It was again honours-even in the final meeting as a Morton side desperate for points to avoid the relegation play-offs couldn’t find a breakthrough against a Hearts side who had already been crowned champions, eventually settling for a goalless draw and surviving the hard way. Looking further back- the last Scottish Cup meeting was coincidentally also in 1988, which was won 2-0 by the Jambos in Edinburgh. The clubs have been drawn together eight times in the Scottish Cup, with Hearts progressing on seven of those occasions, including the 1968 semi-final, one of Hearts’ three replay successes. Morton’s only moment of joy also came after a replay, a 3-1 win at Tynecastle in 1981 courtesy of goals from Jim Rooney, Jim Tolmie and Bobby Thomson saw them through to face Aberdeen for what proved to be an especially memorable afternoon. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis There’s no escaping it- Hearts are on fire just now and have been for a considerable period. After a difficult start to his time in the Tynecastle hotseat, which was marred with controversy due to his lack of qualifications making him ineligible to lead his team in European competition, Steven Naismith’s side have settled and made the supposed battle for third place a procession, putting them in pole position for European group stage football so long as nobody other than they or the two big Glasgow clubs claim the Scottish Cup. This is of course in no small part helped by the scoring prowess of Shankland, but it would be foolish to label Hearts a one-man team. Other than Shankland, perhaps their standout performer has been Australian midfielder Calem Nieuwenhof, outstanding in last weekend’s victory over champions Celtic. We’ll likely see a rare appearance from Scotland keeper Craig Gordon, who has taken his place between the sticks in Hearts’ previous cup ties this season as he battles back from injury. Not wishing to harm his chances for a call up for the Euros, but if Naismith wishes to continue that policy, hopefully Monday’s game will be his last before the summer! I spoke to Adam Kennedy (@adamtkendo) of the Perth to Paisley podcast (@perthtopaisley) who wasn’t treating Morton lightly as he and many of his fellow Jambos make their first ever trip to Cappielow. “It’s been a wonderful time to be a Jambo recently, given the ridiculous run that Hearts went on from mid-December until we were thumped at Ibrox by a ruthless Rangers in our last away outing. Two matches at Tynecastle followed, just the small matter of an Edinburgh derby against Hibs and hosting the reigning Scottish champions- Celtic- at our place. What could possibly go wrong? I thought Sunday’s success against the team in green and white hoops had all the makings of a Celtic smashing beforehand… Brendan Rodgers’ side looked back to their best as they demolished Dundee 7-1 in midweek, and with the chance to go top of the tree and leapfrog Rangers, coupled with a disappointing derby display from a Hearts perspective- it seemed something of a certainty. However, as hasn’t been the case too often, the men in maroon were at it from the get-go. The ‘Second Half Hearts’ that we had become all too accustomed to seeing recently, had turned up from the very first minute. It would be naïve to suggest that VAR and controversy wasn’t at the heart of our victory last weekend. However, we needed a solid performance to stand a chance against Celtic and hopefully we see something similar against Morton on Monday night. Having come up against a potential banana skin in the last round, away to a decent Airdrieonians team, the Jambos produced a professional performance and swept the Diamonds aside with a 4-1 success in the last sixteen. With the possibility of a trip to Hampden of a Scottish Cup semi-final at stake, we cannot afford to take the ‘Ton lightly. Yes, we’re considered favourites in the eyes of many, but as Celtic proved at Tynecastle, that ultimately means nothing. From a personal perspective, I can’t wait to get to Cappielow and cheer the boys on. My dad reminisces about trips to Greenock. In particular, 20th October 1984, which he thinks was Sandy Clark’s first match for the Jambos, a game in which he popped up with the winner in a 3-2 victory. He was 18, but I’m 25 and only just managing to watch Hearts at Cappielow for the first time. The ‘Ton were also on a magnificent run until a wee stumble recently, I’m sorry that I hope the Jambos add to that. but I wish them well for the rest of the season. Here’s hoping that trips to Tynecastle for Morton fans, likewise excursions to Cappielow for Hearts fans, can become more frequent.” What’s Happening Elsewhere? By the time you get round to reading this, most of the action affecting Morton may well have taken place, given the BBC’s decision to save the best ‘til last this weekend. Starting with the Scottish Cup, quarter final weekend kicks off at Pittodrie with the meeting of two managers with Morton connections, as Neil Warnock’s toiling Aberdeen will be hoping the cup can provide welcome relief from their trials and tribulations in the league against Derek McInnes’s buoyant Kilmarnock, for a fixture that those with a morbid sense of curiosity may want to pay close attention too, with the ex-Aberdeen boss’s visiting side having more than a fighter’s chance of adding to the Dons’ woes. On Sunday, relegation threatened Livingston’s reward for their comeback victory over Partick in the last one is a big pay cheque and the probability of a heavy defeat at Celtic Park to show for their efforts. Later that day Rangers, fresh from their Europa League draw in Lisbon, visit Hibernian for the first Scottish Cup meeting of the clubs since the memorable 2016 final which saw Hibs end their 114-year wait for the famous old trophy. The semi-final draw takes place on BBC Scotland after Morton v Hearts. There are of course, four Championship fixtures on Saturday too, with only one club in the division retaining an interest in the competition at this late stage in the season. Leaders Dundee United will be looking to build on their midweek victory at Cappielow with a home win over bottom dogs Arbroath, who will also be looking to build on a positive result, having registered a fine comeback victory over big-spending Raith Rovers. The free-spending Fifers host local rivals Dunfermline for the sixth derby between the two this season, and with United likely to pick up three points in their own derby, will require a victory to avoid the Terrors stretching their lead at the top. Inverness host an Airdrie side that are suddenly breathing down Morton’s neck for a play-off place, having taken care of the East End Park club in midweek. There would be few complaints from Greenock if Duncan Ferguson’s side could replicate their result and performance from Cappielow this time around. In the final game, Queen’s Park host Partick in the Glasgow derby at Hampden, hoping for a win to propel them into play-off contention at the right end of the table, while Ayr United sit out with Morton otherwise occupied. Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 8th February 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. It’s no surprise that Hearts are favourites at 4/5, with Morton priced at 14/5 and the draw at 13/5. A Morton win in extra time comes in at 14/1 and Morton to win to nil is 6/1. Match Officials Referee- David Dickenson takes charge of his third Morton game of the season, having been in the middle for our 1-2 defeats by Rangers and big-spending Raith Rovers in the League Cup and the Championship respectively, even awarding Morton a penalty at Ibrox! AR 1- Dougie Potter AR 2- Gordon Crawford Fourth Official- Kevin Clancy
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  27. Hal’s Heroes- Morton’s Greatest Ever Season By Russell Gordon As we’re all aware by now, 2024 is a year of celebration of all things Morton, as the club celebrates its 150th anniversary. But with so many ups and downs to look back on over those years, it would be remiss of me not to wax lyrical about what was perhaps the greatest individual campaign in Morton’s 150 years of unbroken history. After the relative highs of the 1940s, which peaked with a narrow Scottish Cup final replay defeat to Rangers in 1948, Morton dropped to Division Two the following season, before claiming the first of their ten league titles the following year. Their stay in the top tier wouldn’t last long however, as relegation soon followed in 1952, and so, more than a decade of discontent would follow, with Morton on the outside of Scotland’s top eighteen clubs, looking enviously in. The nadir of that era was to come in season 1960-61, as the Greenock side finished below such minnows as Albion Rovers, Cowdenbeath, Forfar Athletic and Falkirk- unthinkable these days! But 1961 saw the arrival of Dundonian, Haldane Stewart to Cappielow- a tobacco salesman who used the skills honed in his trade of choice in his new environment of Scottish football. A man well ahead of his time, Stewart understood that everything had its price, and was a master at his craft. He took the unusual step of taking over as both Director and Manager of the club, and improvement over the next two years was incredible, with two consecutive third placed finishes, which resulted in Morton missing out of promotion firstly by nine points to Queen of the South, who were a point short of champions Clyde, and then by a single point to East Stirling, who finished six adrift of champions St. Johnstone in those days of two points for a win. But there were reasons for optimism. Three consecutive defeats late in the season, two of them at the homes of the two promoted teams, had cost Morton their place in the top tier, but were off the back of eight consecutive victories. There was little reason to believe that this Morton team couldn’t challenge in 1963-64. Having won their final two games of the 1962-63 season, little did anyone at the time know that the club had built the foundations of a winning run of league games that will unlikely never be broken. But among the many highlights of the first half of the season, Morton’s League Cup campaign provided a glamour that had eluded the fans in the previous twelve years as their side came up against sides who were no longer regular foes, given the club’s lengthy sabbatical from Scotland’s top table. Morton bludgeoned through their group, collecting maximum points from their six matches against Ayr United, Stranraer and Clyde and scoring twenty goals in the process to set up a two-legged quarter final with Motherwell. A framed, and signed photo of Allan McGraw being held aloft by his jubilant teammates adorns the Cappielow boardroom to this day. With Morton taking up where they left off in the league, by taking care of League Cup opponents Stranraer and Ayr, as well as Dumbarton, they headed into the first leg at Fir Park with a 100% record for the season. There couldn’t have been too many disappointed Morton fans to see that record go when they emerged with a 0-0 draw to take into the second leg in Greenock, despite the ordering off of Bobby Adamson for retaliation, on what was incredibly, his wedding day! While I certainly hope he was comforted by his new bride later that evening, he didn’t have too long to wait to cheer his mood on the park. In front of a crowd in the region of 20,000 at Cappielow for the second leg, Alex Byrne gave the hosts an early lead before a second half Adamson goal sparked wild celebrations amongst the Morton faithful as they secured a semi-final meeting with Hibernian at Ibrox the following month. In the meantime, the league campaign was going along splendidly, with Morton bagging 23 goals across only four games, keeping their impeccable league record intact before their showdown with the Edinburgh side. It was Adamson who was again on the scoresheet for Morton in the 3rd minute, but Hibs’ Neil Martin levelled the affair after 20 minutes and the teams had to settle for a replay back at Ibrox the following week. And Morton were to prevail in the replay, thanks to a 64th minute penalty from the talismanic Allan McGraw, to the delight of the majority of the crowd, which saw them through to their first ever League Cup Final, and their first national final of any kind in just over fifteen years. What we’d give for that success rate now. A 7-1 win over Berwick was excellent preparation for the final meeting with favourites Rangers, but on a day that the burglars of Greenock must only have dreamed of, with all roads leading to Hampden, Morton succumbed in the second half, having missed two gilt-edged chances to open the scoring in the first. In front of a crowd of 105,907, Jim Forrest helped himself to four and Alex Willoughby one as Rangers ran out 5-0 winners- a result that most observers felt was extremely harsh on a Morton side who continued to attack after falling behind, allowing Rangers to pick them off as they threw caution to the wind. Any fears that the heavy defeat could derail Morton’s promotion charge were to prove unfounded though, as they followed up their final defeat with a 6-4 win over Forfar and an 8-0 rout of Hamilton Accies, eventually going on a run of twelve wins in a row before kicking off their Scottish Cup campaign with a disappointing draw with Cowdenbeath at Cappielow, before comfortably disposing of the Fifers in the Central Park replay. The Scottish Cup campaign however, was to be brief, as Morton fell to the other side of the Old Firm- Celtic recording a 3-1 second round victory at Cappielow to leave Morton to concentrate on their promotion charge. But the following week, on 1st February, it all came to an end. Morton travelled to Bayview for their 24th league game of the season, finally failing to win as East Fife ran out 3-1 winners against the champions elect. A winning run of 23 matches was remarkable, but an accumulative run of 25 has never been beaten in the history of Scottish football, and was only matched by a Celtic team consisting of a prime Henrik Larsson in 2003-04. But in that season, Larsson “only” managed to notch a paltry 41 goals in all competitions for the Glasgow giants, not a patch on the 58 goals scored by Morton legend Allan McGraw across the memorable campaign. Although the modest McGraw was quick to credit the contribution of his teammates, commenting in Graeme Ross’s Morton Greats in 2004, “Joe Caven made a lot of goals for me, and Bobby Adamson. Morris Stevenson and Jimmy Wilson take a lot of credit as well. It was a team full of characters. Jimmy Reilly, Jimmy Mallan, Bobby Adamson, Jimmy Wilson. Great Characters.” But Morton had to get back on track- there was a league to win. The juggernaut continued apace after that blip with three further wins before the visit of Forfar to Cappielow on 29th February, with Morton needing a win to secure promotion to the top flight. The match programme from Morton's momentous victory that secured promotion on this day sixty years ago. Things didn’t go according to plan from the off, though. After Jimmy Wilson and Ian Henderson had both gone close in the opening minutes, it was The Loons who took a shock lead through Ewen only six minutes in. Forfar almost made it two before Henderson and McGraw let chances pass them by and Joe Caven was denied by Forfar keeper, Henderson. Morton’s pressure paid off just before the half hour mark though, with Hugh Strachan’s strike leaving the stricken Forfar keeper as a mere spectator. The teams went in level at the break, but the second half couldn’t have been more contrasting, as Morton turned the screw to secure the two points the needed and send the 10,000 crowd celebrating into the Greenock night. But it took until the 69th minute for the ‘Ton to finally get the breakthrough, through Wilson. McGraw added to his impressive tally for the season a minute later. And a minute after that, McGraw doubled his account for the day from the spot to make it 4-1. Not to be outdone by Morton’s star man, Wilson collected his second of the afternoon, before Henderson put the cherry on the cake by adding a sixth. Morton were promoted and the champagne could be uncorked! Given the nature of the date, there can’t be many clubs that can see it as a landmark date in their club’s history, but this was the date that Morton secured Division One football for the first time since relegation in 1952 and the celebrations could begin. This was to be the eighth time in the league campaign that they notched at least six goals in a game, and to my knowledge the only time a team has ever secured promotion at such an early stage in the history of football in the United Kingdom at least. By a sad coincidence, as we mark the 60th anniversary of Morton’s incredible feat of 1963-64, we’re also approaching the first anniversary of the sad passing of Allan McGraw, whose death, along with that of Joe Caven, who passed later last year and was a great friend of many a Morton fan who enjoyed their trips to the Highlands in more recent times, was greatly mourned by all connected with Morton. I hope and trust that as their families have looked back on their lives, they’ll take comfort in reminiscing on their incredible achievements that season and appreciate how lauded they are by the Morton support some sixty years on. Morton's players enjoy a very well deserved lap of honour after securing promotion to the top flight. After a couple more wins against Stirling and Queen’s Park, which saw the title secured, a run of three consecutive draws against Arbroath, Alloa and Albion Rovers were the only further points that Morton dropped before bringing down the curtain with wins over Cowdenbeath and Raith Rovers. Morton were knocked out of the end of season Summer Cup in the group stages by Partick Thistle on goal average, as was used to separate teams back in the sixties, but in no way could it have put a dampener on a terrific season. Their record-breaking campaign saw them collect 67 points in the league, dropping only five across the whole campaign, reach the League Cup Final, win promotion in record breaking time, provide British football’s top goal scorer thanks to Allan McGraw’s 58 strikes and embark on a run of 23 league wins in a row to add to their two from the tail end of the previous season. To think that with the gulf in resources between the rich and poor in Scottish football since those days, only Celtic have managed to equal such a feat, and nobody has managed to beat it is testament to the achievements of the Morton team of the era. Those of us who have enjoyed title wins in the modern era will undoubtedly have fond memories of those successes, perhaps particularly the 2003 Third Division title, but no Morton side will ever win a title in such emphatic fashion. On writing my obituary for Allan McGraw just under a year ago, I concluded by saying that we will never see his like again. The same applies to his teammates. Bibliography Greenock Morton 1874-1999, Vincent P Gillen, 1998 Images of Sport- Greenock Morton 1874-1999, Jim Jeffrey, 1999 Morton Greats, Graeme Ross, 2004 Thanks to Leon Mooney for his help in fact checking, and to Chris McNulty for supplying photos.
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  28. Raith Rovers v Morton – Match Preview by Russell Gordon Following a hard-fought victory over Airdrie on Saturday, which took Morton to fifteen games without defeat, it’s straight back into action for Dougie Imrie’s men as they hit the winding little backroad to deepest, darkest Kirkcaldy to face a big-spending Raith Rovers side that have resurrected their title challenge after a couple of recent wins in the last fortnight. With Imrie having to assess a number of war wounds after Saturday’s bruising encounter against an Airdrie team we were led to believe were the Scottish Championship’s purveyors for beautiful football, the midweek visit to Fife promises to be anything but easy. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News With Iain Wilson and Robbie Muirhead sitting out of Saturday’s victory, one can only hope that any injuries they were carrying were fairly minor, and we’ll see their returns to the squad for Tuesday. Particularly after George Oakley was forced off on Saturday having taken a dull one on the back from Airdrie defender Aaron Taylor-Sinclair, whose appalling challenge also very nearly saw an early end to Robbie Crawford’s afternoon, and should have seen the Airdrie defender soaking in an early bath before being given the opportunity to target the Morton hitman. Jai Quitongo and Michael Garrity’s introductions to the team proved positive ones, with Quitongo’s exquisite cross providing Oakley’s opener and Garrity’s fantastic cushioned volley doubling Morton’s early lead. Both will look to continue in the starting line-up, but I expect Imrie will at least manage Quitongo’s minutes, given his injury record this season. Lewis Strapp was withdrawn after he also took a sore one from Airdrie full back Kanayo Megwa, but his substitution, like Darragh O’Connor’s could be down to being on a booking in an increasingly bad-tempered match. Current Connections There are two former Raith players in the Morton squad. Club captain Grant Gillespie spent the 2018-19 season in League One at Stark’s Park, as Raith made the promotion play-offs, losing out to Queen of the South. Jamie MacDonald had a three-year spell in the kingdom following their promotion in 2020, leaving on a free this summer before signing for Morton following Ryan Mullen’s early season injury. After an encouraging start to his Morton career, including a fine performance at Ibrox in the Viaplay Cup, he lost his place to Mullen and hasn’t been seen in the squad for quite some time. Raith defender Ross Millen is the son of Morton Assistant Manager Andy, who can count the Fifers among his litany of former clubs. Tale of the Tape It’s been a while, and a lot has changed in terms of Morton’s fortunes since the clubs last met, but Raith are the only club in the division who boast a 100% record against the ‘Ton, something Dougie Imrie will be desperate to put right. The first meeting at Stark’s Park on the second day of the season was an eventful affair, with referee David Munro starting the season as he meant to go on with perhaps the worst refereeing performance this observer has ever seen in over thirty years of watching football. A Morton side struggling for numbers fell behind to Jack Hamilton’s early goal, but it was in the fourteenth minute that Munro decided to take centre stage, awarding Raith a penalty for the most blatant Lewis Vaughan dive (and there’s been a few of them) that you’re ever likely to see. Such was Morton’s luck at the time, Vaughan dispatched the resultant penalty and goaded the furious visiting support as he celebrated extending Raith’s lead. Three minutes later, Robbie Muirhead reduced the arrears with a bullet header from Lewis McGrattan’s cross from the right, before the hapless referee failed to produce a second booking for Hamilton with Morton going in behind at the break. Morton took control of the second half and finally got their reward when Robbie Crawford stabbed home an equaliser with twenty minutes remaining, after Munro had again failed to produce a red card, this time for a flying Ross Millen elbow. He did of course, find the time to book eight Morton players. This was a game that Morton were doomed never to get a result from, though, and Kirk Broadfoot was caught in possession on the halfway line by Callum Smith, who ran on to dispatch the winner, much to the delight of the home crowd. MacDonald saved an injury time Josh Mullin penalty, but it was to prove no consolation on an afternoon that still leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Raith’s visit to Greenock on Halloween wasn’t quite the same horror show as Munro’s August howler, but proved relatively straightforward for Raith, as a Morton side struggling at the foot of the table fell to two first half headers from Aidan Connolly, the smallest man on the park. Iain Wilson got one back for Morton early in the second half, but while playing what was to that date his best game in a Morton jersey since his return to the club, he was surprisingly replaced just after the hour and Morton fell to defeat. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis The big-spending Fifers have enjoyed a terrific season. With new ownership arriving in the summer, they’ve taken the club by the scruff of the neck since then, splashing out on infrastructure and their playing squad, and have been rewarded with buy-in from the Kirkcaldy locals, who have turned out in increased numbers to back the new regime. Stark’s Park is now unrecognisable from January and February 2022 when John McGlynn signed rapist ex-Clyde striker David Goodwillie and the club was vilified across Scottish football. After a blistering start to the season, they’ve clung onto league leaders Dundee United’s coattails thanks in no small part to a plethora of late winners, in home games against Queen’s Park, Inverness and Dunfermline, while also bagging late winners on the road against Inverness and Queen’s Park, as well as at Gayfield. Remarkably, Raith are yet to win a league game by more than a single goal. But after a difficult month of January, none of those late goals would have felt as good for the Raith fans as Scott Brown’s spectacular strike which secured a late win over the Tannadice club earlier this month. They’ve been helped by a positive relationship with Dundee, who have done their best to help the Kirkcaldy side in their attempts to deny United the title with the loans of Shaun Byrne, Zak Rudden and now Lee Ashcroft, and a title race that has thus far had its twists and turns can expect a few more yet. Hopefully the latest twist is a Morton win, leaving Raith boss Ian Murray, whose comments on Morton this season have been somewhat disparaging, with a bit of egg on his face, but regardless, of Tuesday’s result, I suspect our own promotion ambitions may depend on beating the big-spending Fifers at some point later in the season. What’s Happening Elsewhere? Theres’ a full midweek card in the Championship, with Ayr and Partick, both smarting from home defeats to the Fife clubs, meeting at Somerset Park. With Morton sitting between both in the table, few would complain if the Honest Men were to get back on track with a win, allowing Morton to go into third by winning in Kirkcaldy, but Ayr failing to collect anything would provide a cushion in our play-off quest. League leaders Dundee United host Airdrie at Tannadice, and a home win would be just fantastic, while there are a couple of games that could have a massive impact at the bottom of the table. After conceding an agonisingly late equaliser to Inverness on Saturday, Arbroath really must pick up something against a Queen’s Park side who, despite their recent improvement, certainly aren’t clear of danger just yet. Inverness meanwhile, host a Dunfermline side that will be buoyed by their surprise, and not-at-all-funny victory over Partick at Firhill. Wins for Dunfermline and Queen’s Park could see a gap being created at the bottom, with Inverness and Arbroath struggling to make up the points to prevent the relegation battle becoming a fight for the right to lose to Montrose in the play-offs, rather than go down automatically. Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 26th February 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. The big-spending Fifers are favourites at even money, with Morton priced at a generous 23/10 and the draw at 12/5. The draw at half time and Morton at full time is 13/2 and Robbie Crawford to score the first goal is 12/1. Match Officials Referee- Steven Kirkland is in the middle of his second Morton match of the season, having taken charge of the 4-1 SPFL Trust Trophy win over Kelty Hearts in October. AR 1- Paul O’Neill AR 2- Ian Hart
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  29. Morton v Airdrieonians – Match Preview by Russell Gordon With Morton now pushing for the promotion play-offs on the back of what is now a fourteen-match unbeaten run, they face what is arguably their most important match of the season to date, with the visit of one of their nearest challengers for the coveted final place in the top four of the table. With Rhys McCabe’s Airdrie sitting five points behind Dougie Imrie’s men with a game in hand, three points for the hosts at Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology could go a long way to securing their place at the end of season showdown for promotion. Match tickets are available at the below link: Fanbase | Select Ticket (fanbaseclub.com) Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News It must be a long time since any Morton manager selected an unchanged starting XI for four consecutive matches, but this is the fortunate position Imrie finds himself in after such woes in the early period of the season. However, with Morton entering one of their busier periods of the campaign, and a midweek trip to big-spending Raith Rovers coming up, he may look to mix things up a bit and keep everyone fresh with a few changes. While there will undoubtedly be in-game changes, the most obvious move could be to bring in club captain Grant Gillespie for Alan Power, while Jai Quitongo and Kirk Broadfoot wil hope to start pushing for starting berths. Quitongo’s late cameo at Hampden last Saturday was encouraging, and one can only hope that he’ll catch a break with injuries between now and the end of the season to allow him to contribute as much as he’d like as we head into the business end of the campaign. Steven Boyd and Jamie MacDonald will be hoping for a return to the squad, but will understand that their opportunities of getting on the pitch on their returns are likely to be limited. Current Connections There are a few familiar faces in the visitors’ camp. Former Morton youngster Lewis McGregor was snapped up by Airdrie last January and contributed to their promotion push last term, before coming back to Cappielow and notching the winner for his current charges in September. Another ex-Morton man who will be looking to get one over his former employers is Charlie Telfer, who enjoyed a controversial year in Greenock under Raymond McKinnon and Jonatan Johansson. The highlight of his time at Morton was when he scored the second goal in their memorable 2-0 win over Falkirk, which effectively secured the ‘Ton’s Championship place for another year, and condemned the Grangemouth club to 5 (five) years in League One. Telfer was then inadvertently involved in Johansson’s resignation, after the Finn was advised not to pick him for the final game of the season in the event that his selection triggered an extension to Telfer’s one-year deal at Morton. Caretaker boss Jim McAlister brought Telfer off the bench anyway, and left Cappielow for League One minnows Falkirk. Telfer spent four seasons in League One, but it was only when he left The Falkirk Stadium that he managed to escape the purgatory of the third tier, helping Airdrie up via the play-offs, with victories over yes, you guessed it- Falkirk and then Hamilton. Airdrie reserve keeper David Hutton spent the 2012-13 season as Derek Gaston’s deputy, and the Diamonds’ Hibs loanee Josh O’Connor’s dad Garry spent the second half of the following campaign with Morton. The less said about his time on the tail o’ the bank the better. There are no former Waysiders in the home dressing room, but Jai Quitongo’s bother Rico had a very unhappy time at Airdrie, and there’s no love lost between the Quitongo clan and our friends from Monklands. Photo - GBR Photographs. Tale of the Tape This is the third meeting of the clubs this season, and goals have been at a premium in the previous encounters. As I’ve already alluded to, Lewis McGregor’s first half goal was enough to separate the Diamonds from an injury-ravaged Morton at Cappielow in late September, leaving the hosts rooted to the bottom of the table. In November, a Morton side who were beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel hosted Airdrie in the quarter finals of the SPFL Trust Trophy and the sides played out one of the more entertaining goalless draws you’re likely to see, with Morton missing chance after chance during a dominant second half before Lewis McGrattan was the only man to fail from the spot as Airdrie progressed on penalties. The Diamonds went on to beat big-spending Raith in their semi final and meet Welsh champions The New Saints in Grangemouth in next month’s final. The ‘Ton’s visit to North Lanarkshire a couple of days before Christmas was of the more turgid variety of goalless draws, as Morton, without the suspended George Oakley’s presence up front, held the hosts in a game that won’t live long in the memory. Opposition Analysis There won’t be too many Airdrie fans who aren’t satisfied with their progress in their first season back in Scotland’s second tier in over a decade. While League One Champions Dunfermline were perhaps more fancied going into the season, the Diamonds have been one of the surprise packages of this season, usurping the Pars to go into fourth place before only recently losing that berth as a result of Morton’s terrific run of form. They’ve had a more difficult couple of weeks since reaching the SPFL Trust Trophy final- losing comprehensively to Hearts to bow out the Scottish Cup, a match that must have provided food for thought for all those of a Morton persuasion, before suffering a 2-3 reverse to an Anton Dowds hat-trick for Ayr United at New Broomfield last weekend. I spoke to Airdrie fan Emma Quigley (@emmaq1983), who gave me her thoughts going into the match: “When we last caught up, Airdrie had been on a bumpy run of form, suffering three straight defeats while Morton had been picking up some great results. So, what promised to be a great tie between the two clubs of course ended up being a very uninspiring 0-0 draw at our place. We meet again this weekend, with both teams picking up some great results and enjoying some exciting cup success. We’ve the final of the SPFL Trust Trophy against TNS to look forward to after beating Raith in Kirkcaldy, and while we exited the Scottish Cup at the hands of Hearts, it was good to see how our style of play and young players stood up to that challenge. Sadly, on the day we were beaten by the better side, and it will be interesting to see how Morton get on against them in the quarter finals. Of course, those cup games have distracted from league business, and we come into this following (another) defeat to Ayr in what was an unusual display of defensive by the Diamonds. A missing Callum Fordyce may have contributed to that, with an unusual pairing of Rhys McCabe and Craig Watson at the heart of the defence. I’ve chalked it up to a bad day at the office, as our record at the back is second only to Dundee United. Prior to that defeat, we’d picked up wins against Queen’s Park, Inverness and another win over Raith Rovers before a home draw with Partick- and we still have two games in hand against Dunfermline and Arbroath. While we generally don’t concede many, we do still struggle from a lack of firepower up front. I am frequently very jealous watching George Oakley bang in goals for you guys. However, we are competing well in the Championship and the squad is coping well with the step up. The games between the sides are always tight, and I don’t think this will be any different, but we have already chalked up two wins over Morton this season- granted, one came down to penalties. So of course, I’m going to back the guys to collect a 1-0 or a 2-1 win and I’ll keep my fingers crossed for no rainfall over the Wee Dublin End.” Photo - GBR Photographs. What’s Happening Elsewhere? The BBC Scotland cameras visit Firhill on Saturday as Partick host a Dunfermline team that are looking to be in more serious bother with every passing week. While a Pars win would be the desired return, I wouldn’t be holding your breath for one. Dunfermline’s fellow strugglers Arbroath and Inverness meet at Gayfield- a fixture that Jim McIntyre’s side will look to as a must win with games running out, and winnable fixtures at even more of a premium, such is their horrid run of results. As for the top two, big-spending Raith will be hoping to carry on from last weekend’s win over Dundee United with a victory down at Somerset Park against Ayr, while the Terrors host a Queen’s Park side who Morton failed to break down last weekend. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 22nd February 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Morton are the favourites going into the match at 20/21 money, with Airdrie priced at 13/5 and the draw at 23/10. With Airdrie yet to concede to Morton this season, Morton to record a 1-0 win is 6/1 and Morton to win at half time and full time is 23/10. Match Officials Referee- Euan Anderson takes charge of his second Morton match of the season, having taken charge of Airdrie’s previous league visit in September, with Morton losing 0-1. AR 1- Graeme Stewart AR 2- Will Pare
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  30. Morton v Montrose - Match Preview by Russell Gordon Cup fever comes to Greenock as League One promotion-chasers Montrose visit Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology for a tie that should prove far more of a test than the convincing victory the ‘Ton recorded over Lowland League Bo’ness United in the last round of the competition. With Montrose sitting in fourth place in their division, and eying a stab at the play-offs in May, the trip to Greenock could prove a fine barometer for Stewart Petrie’s men as to the level they’ll hope to be competing against next season. With the match not available on the season ticket, individual match tickets are available at the below link: Fanbase | Select Ticket (fanbaseclub.com) Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News Dougie Imrie could have a defensive dilemma with Jack Baird again missing out of the draw against Partick at Cappielow last weekend, while Dundee loanee Tyler French was forced to sit out of the previous round’s success against the BUs in the event of him returning to his parent club. Given that we’re now well into the transfer window, Dundee boss Tony Docherty’s stance on French’s availability may well have softened, but I’d expect French to sit out, although in the event of Morton progressing, he’d likely to be available for any future tie in the competition, unless we draw Dundee themselves. Current Connections There are two former Morton players in the visiting squad. Centre back Kerr Waddell enjoyed a loan spell at Cappielow from Dundee in the bizarre 2018-19 season under Raymond McKinnon and subsequently Jonatan Johansson following the former’s controversial departure. Waddell proved a popular figure amongst the Morton support, making 22 starts and 6 substitute appearances and scoring twice, in a Scottish Cup replay win at Peterhead and more memorably notching the only goal in a Friday night live TV victory over eventual champions Ross County. He was however, injured in a 0-3 defeat by Partick in March, missing out on the run in as Morton charged clear of the relegation zone towards a comfortable fifth placed finish, leaving Falkirk rooted at the bottom of the table and staring at a season (or five) of League One football. Waddell was also to find himself in League One the following season, where he has remained ever since, having signed on a permanent deal for the Gable Endies, a surprising move considering his well-documented allegiance to their local rivals, Arbroath. A good bit further back, Michael Gardyne had a short spell at Cappielow under his former Celtic youth coach, Jim McInally. Signing on deadline day in August 2007, his spell in Greenock was a brief and uneventful one, leaving in the following window for Ross County, where he had been on loan the previous season, in the January 2008 window after only five months at Morton. Gardyne made only ten appearances for Morton, failing to find the net in that time, before enjoying two hugely successful spells in Dingwall, punctured by a move to Dundee United and a loan at Kilmarnock. On finally departing Victoria Park, he joined up at local rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle, but his time in the Highland Capital was to prove an unhappy one, as he was allegedly forced to leave “for the benefit of dressing room harmony”. I’ll say no more. Approaching 38, the veteran has enjoyed a fruitful spell at Montrose since that controversial departure from Thistle. Tale of the Tape Morton and Montrose haven’t shared a division since way back in 2002-03 when the ‘Ton won the Third Division title as they began their journey back up the divisions post administration. Since then, there have been a few meetings in various competitions, most recently in 2021, when Morton visited Links Park for a Challenge Cup tie and progressed on penalties after a turgid afternoon. It wasn’t, however, Morton’s only visit to Links Park that year, having fallen to a 1-2 defeat on the east coast in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final, leaving Morton clinging on desperately for their Championship lives. Gary Oliver’s early strike had given the visitors an early lead, but goals from Russell McLean and Graham Webster turned the tie around heading into the second leg. When the teams met at Cappielow, the pressure was all on the hosts, on an evening that under normal circumstances would have produced a crackling atmosphere, the match was played out in an eerie atmosphere as we came towards the end of the closed-doors era of Scottish football. Oliver was again off the mark early doors, and Morton’s lead was doubled by Cameron Salkeld 20 minutes in to hand them the advantage in the tie. McLean again netted to send the tie into extra time, before Craig McGuffie clipped in a delightful 120th minute winner to send the few inside Cappielow into raptures and Morton into a final in which they would dispose of Airdrie with relative ease. Prior to that, Morton enjoyed a resounding 4-0 League Cup second round victory over Montrose at Cappielow, giving them a tie at Celtic Park in the following round, which proved quite memorable. In that league campaign in 2002-03, the ‘Ton collected ten points from the twelve available, but the Scottish Cup doesn’t hold fond recent memories of Montrose. Allan McGraw’s magnificent team of 1996 toiled to a 1-1 draw at Cappielow against the Gable Endies, having taken the lead through Marko Rajamaki, before travelling up to Links Park the following evening for a replay against a team enduring a season similar to that that Edinburgh City are suffering in the same division this term. While Morton were overwhelming favourites having been given the second chance, it was the underdogs who prevailed 3-2 after Morton keeper David Wylie was ordered off and replaced in goal by centre back John Anderson, on an evening still remembered fondly in Montrose, and less so in Greenock. Against a far better Montrose side this weekend, that evening’s events should serve as a timely warning against complacency, and it should be noted that in the only other Scottish Cup meeting between the clubs, Montrose prevailed with a 3-1 win at Cappielow in 1976. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis Montrose are one of the great, unheralded success stories of the introduction of the pyramid to Scottish football. A club whose dire league performances in the noughties and beyond were only overshadowed by hapless East Stirlingshire, they became the first to face the dreaded pyramid play-off in 2015, relying on two late goals from Marvin Andrews and Gary Wood to overcome Brora Rangers and retain their SPFL status. Since then though, they’ve got their act together, winning the League Two title in 2018 and remaining in the third tier ever since, threatening promotion in 2021 and 2022 when that semi-final defeat to Morton prevented them advancing to the 2021final and a remarkable 5-6 aggregate defeat to Airdrie denied them the following year. As it stands, they’re sitting in a good place to make another assault on the play-offs this season. Pivotal in Montrose’s upturn in fortunes has been manager Stewart Petrie, who has been in situ since 2016, despite seeing his name mentioned several times since for higher profile jobs due to his continued success at Links Park. While they are sitting comfortably in the division, recent form has been poor, with Saturday’s 0-1 home defeat by Stirling Albion following up consecutive draws against Alloa, Cove and Annan. A run of one win in seven doesn’t bode well heading into an away tie at a team a division higher. I spoke to Montrose fan Blair Ruxton (@BlairRuxton), who gave me his thoughts heading into the tie: “When the draw for the fourth round was made, Montrose fans of a certain vintage were quick to point out to me that we were unbeaten against Morton in this competition, with the last tie in 1995-96 being won by Montrose after a replay at Links Park, so there was a sense of optimism. However, my head went straight to the moment I watched a Craig McGuffie cross find its way into Alan Fleming’s goal to end Montrose’s promotion hopes in the 2020-21 season on an iPad in the living room with my parents. I certainly know which of these events I’d rather see repeated this weekend. Since Stewart Petrie’s arrival at Montrose in 2016, the one thing many Mo fans have craved, in what has otherwise been our most successful period since the nineties, is a good cup run. We are yet to go beyond the fourth round of the cup under Petrie, but nevertheless, the Mo’ faithful will be travelling to Cappielow full of hope. Despite not having won a match since the middle of December, performances have been better than the results have suggested, having produced a fantastic comeback to draw against Alloa just before Christmas and held onto a point away to Annan early in the new year despite having been reduced to ten men. Although we still find ourselves in the play-off places, the opinion of many has been that we’ve not been at our best this season. Injuries haven’t helped, with Brazilian winger, Matheus Machado, and midfield stalwart, Terry Masson both missing most of the season as well as the recent injury to former Morton defender Kerr Waddell, who looks set to miss the rest of the season. Last weekend’s defeat to Stirling Albion wasn’t the ideal preparation, but due to suspensions it did give a chance for 17-year-old Ben Hermiston to start his first game of the season. The young Australian signed his first professional contract with the club prior to the game, having been with the Academy and made an impact from the bench, notching his first goal in that draw with Alloa. This week however, should see the return of Kane Hester and another former Morton man, Michael Gardyne, from suspension. Hester has been among the goals since his arrival in the summer from Elgin for a club record fee, and after a brace in the last round, will be determined to add to his tally for the season. Gardyne has, in my opinion, been the standout player this season. Playing deeper and more centrally, his technical ability is second to none. With those two coming back into the fold, barring any further injuries, Montrose will feel they couldn’t be better equipped to try and claim their first victory of 2024 and progress to the fifth round of the cup for the first time in Stewart Petrie’s reign. Hopefully the Mo’ faithful will leave Greenock with their head held high having competed well with a team from a higher division. And for my prediction? Well, a repeat of 95-96 can’t happen due to the lack of replays, nowadays, so I’ll have to go with the Morton fans receiving a piece of their own medicine courtesy of a 119th minute winner from a Michael Gardyne cross that sneaks into Ryan Mullen’s net!” Photo - GBR Photographs. What’s Happening Elsewhere? Weather permitting, one of the best weekends of any season, as the Premiership clubs join the competition, kicks off on Friday night as League Two bottom dogs Clyde host Aberdeen at their latest temporary lodging in front of the BBC Scotland cameras, with the Dons well aware of the pitfalls of not being on their game for a cup tie after last season’s Darvel debacle. The TV fayre continues with, remarkably, an Edinburgh derby that Hibs will be confident of avoiding defeat in, as Spartans host Hearts at Ainslie Park. Elsewhere, Airdrie host 2021 winners St’ Johnstone while Ayr United (who have never won the trophy) host Kelty. League One minnows Falkirk make the short journey to Bonnyrigg Rose, and there’s a nostalgic trip for the Cove fans to face their former Highland League foes, Brora Rangers. While Hibs will be delighted not to be losing the Edinburgh derby, they’ll also be pleased the draw handed them a straightforward tie with Raymond McKinnon’s struggling Forfar. Another team who love an easy draw is Inverness, who, after taking care of Cowdenbeath in the last round were handed another home tie against Lowland League opposition in the form of Broomhill, or whatever they’re called this season. The only all-Premiership tie takes place at Rugby Park as Dundee look to avoid exceeding Hibs’ run which ended after 114 years without winning the trophy, while struggling Livingston host a Raith Rovers team aiming to spend their way towards replacing them in next season’s Premiership. There are a further three ties between Premiership and lower league opposition as Motherwell host Alloa, Partick make the journey to the scene of their hilarious play-off final defeat in Dingwall and St. Mirren host Queen of the South. In a shock move, Viaplay have chosen the Old Firm’s ties to broadcast, and they should be titanic battles as Dumbarton host Rangers in the Saturday evening fixture, while Buckie Thistle make the trip to Celtic Park on Sunday for a tie that could change the finances of their club for generations to come. In the Championship, Dunfermline and Queen’s Park, both ousted in their derbies in the last round, meet in a fixture re-arranged from the 2nd of December, a match that may well prove daunting for the injury-hit Pars, given the Spiders’ recent resurgence. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 18th January 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. As the higher division club, Morton head into the match as clear favourites at 8/15, with the visitors priced at 3/1 and the draw at 4/1. Robbie Muirhead to score at least two goals is 4/1, while Morton to win at half time and full time is 29/20. Match Officials Referee- Matthew McDermid takes charge of his second Morton game of the season, having been in the middle of the first of our many victories over Ayr United on the opening day of the league season. AR 1- John McCrossan AR 2- Brian Christie
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  31. Dundee United v Morton - Match Preview by Russell Gordon Morton’s six-match unbeaten league run faces it’s sternest test to date this weekend as the ‘Ton make the journey east to face title favourites, and another of the division’s form sides, Dundee United at Tannadice. With both teams notching up impressive 3-0 victories in midweek, our hosts will also be aware that Morton pose a far greater threat than they may have expected earlier in the season, as the Greenock side start to look towards the play-offs at the top end of the table, rather than looking over their shoulder. Photo - GBR Photographs Squad News Touch wood, the news on the injury front has been encouraging of late, with Jai Quitongo being the latest to return to first team action in Tuesday’s drubbing of Ayr United. ‘Ton boss Dougie Imrie has also intimated that long term casualty Calum Waters is also making steady progress and could be back in contention for a return in the not-too-distant future. Notably though, there was no sign of veteran custodian Jamie MacDonald on the substitute’s bench on Tuesday, a position taken by youngster Sam Murdoch. With Ryan Mullen’s impressive performances seemingly indicating that he has permanently usurped MacDoanld, one wonders if the former Hearts man could be for the exit door this month, with the transfer window now open for business. However, for all the silver linings, there has to be a cloud, and quite a cloud it is. Man-of-the-moment Robbie Muirhead will be unavailable to repeat his Cappielow heroics, and indeed his goalscoring performance on his last visit to Tayside as he serves a one match ban, having accumulated six yellow cards across the league campaign. With Morton having now reached the halfway point in the season, nobody is now walking a suspension tightrope with the bar raised to twelve games before a ban kicks in. Current Connections There aren’t too many connections in the two squads, with only the suspended Muirhead, and club captain Grant Gillepsie having plied their trade in Tangerine. Muirhead spent a year and a half at Tannadice between 2014 and 2015, making sixteen appearances and finding the net twice, before making a loan move to Partick Thistle and eventually signing for Hearts. Gillespie meanwhile, had a short spell with United in 2018, making only eight appearances in a dismal season for a United side who failed to win promotion at the second time of asking. In the home dressing room is one of the few players you’ll see leaving Morton for another club in the same division with the best wishes of the Cappielow faithful. Liam Grimshaw signed on a free contract in September last season, and the affable Lancastrian quickly established himself as a fans favourite, winning a number of player of the year awards before moving onto pastures new at a club with whom Morton were never likely to compete with financially. In the backroom, former long-serving Morton kitman, and Jack-of-all-trades Andy Bryan is now on the payroll at Tannadice, having left Cappielow during the dark old days of David Hopkin and Dave MacKinnon. Tale of the Tape The clubs have only met once this season, also at Tannadice in a game that was marred by an appalling performance from hapless referee David Munro, not for the first time in a season the FIFA official would surely like to forget. With Morton enduring a difficult start to the campaign, the trip to Tayside was always going to be a daunting one, and was made all the more difficult by the concession of an early goal, with the talismanic Louis Moult nodding a fine Declan Glass cross into the visitors’ net. Morton however, rallied and Robbie Muirhead pounced on a mix-up between former Scotland defender Declan Gallagher and United goalkeeper Jack Walton to lash home an equaliser and snatch a point just before the hour mark. However, five minutes later, Terrors’ winger Matthew Cudjoe was given his marching orders after a clash with Calum Waters that was spotted by Munro’s assistant. While the ordering off upset those in Tangerine, it turned out that after the event, the red card was in fact justified, with Cudjoe clearly elbowing Waters- a good spot by the stand side linesman. Before that, the clubs last met three times in the COVID curtailed season, with David Hopkin’s Morton side falling 0-6 to a Lawrence Shankland-inspired United at Tannadice, with the now Scotland star bagging a hat trick on a chastening afternoon for Morton. United then registered a 2-1 victory at Cappielow, with the ex-Morton striker bagging another, and a resurgent Morton looked to have upset the odds in the final meeting at Tannadice, thanks to Kalvin Orsi’s early goal. No prizes for guessing who netted United’s injury time leveller. The two clubs were due to meet in Greenock on 2nd December, a game that fell foul of the weather and has yet to be re-arranged. Photo - GBR Photographs Opposition Analysis The title favourites have had an up-and-down season. Having endured a torrid relegation last season, the League Cup group stages saw embarrassing losses to Spartans and Partick Thistle, but United did manage an unbeaten run of fourteen games to open their league campaign. However, as the rest of the country was basking in Scotland’s qualification for next summer’s European Championships, United were enduring humiliating cup exits to League One minnows Falkirk and Queen of the South in the SPFL Trust Trophy and Scottish Cup respectively. Their unbeaten league run was ended at Tannadice by big-spending Raith Rovers, before rock-bottom Queen’s Park held them to a dismal draw in front of the BBC Scotland cameras at the National Stadium. However, having bounced back with consecutive 3-0 wins over Partick and Arbroath, they now sit three points behind the big-spending Fifers with that Cappielow fixture in hand. With no cup distractions, the absolute minimum for boss Jim Goodwin is the Championship Title. I spoke to our port of call for all things Dundee United, Gary Manson, of the Shed 57 Supporters’ Club (@Shed_57) who was happy to give me his thoughts: “Morton are the visitors to Tannadice this weekend as they look to improve on the 1-1 draw they recorded on their last visit. The United faithful of course, are yet to savour the delights of a visit to Cappielow with the early December fixture having been washed out. After a grim pre-Christmas performance at Hampden where Queen’s Park earned a point in a stodgy goalless draw, United have returned to winning ways with the remainder of the festive calendar yielding six points, six goals and nothing conceded. The ne’er day derby was unfamiliar to those in Tangerine as traditional opponents Dundee, Aberdeen and even St. Johnstone are all in the top flight, giving United a trip to Gayfield to face Arbroath. The 3-0 scoreline underlined United’s dominance over the Red Lichties, but injuries to Declan Gallagher and Scott McMann, both of whom had to be replaced, put a dampener on an otherwise successful afternoon. There is no doubt that, in spite of a +33 goal difference, finding the net has been an Achilles’ heel for United this season. Tony Watt notched a hat-trick against Partick last week and Louis Moult returned to the scoresheet at Arbroath, so things may be looking more positive from an attacking perspective. At the back, United have been solid- conceding only seven goals- the fewest in all UK professional leagues, hence the strong positive goal difference. Luton Town loanee Jack Walton has established himself as a very capable keeper behind a confident and miserly defence. Ex-Ton man Liam Grimshaw has slotted in quite comfortably into the right back position and Gallagher and Kevin Holt have strolled most games at centre half. Even with Gallagher’s recent fitness issues, young Ross Graham has stepped up well to the back four. If McMann is unavailable for Saturday’s game, United may go for three at the back or could call in young Flynn Duffy to bolster the defence. There’s no doubt that the absence of ex-Partick captain Ross Docherty weakens the Tangerine’s midfield. Craig Sibbald adds dig and grit to the midfield, but Ross County loanee Jordan Tilson has taken time to settle. Glenn Middleton remains a source of frustration for the Arabs- he’s fast and mobile, but his delivery lets him down and too often he’s at the wrong place at the wrong time. He did however score United’s second on Tuesday so that may give him some confidence going forward. Overall for Jim Goodwin, it’s a job half done. His cup record has been shameful with United dumped out of all three cups before Santa showed up. That said, Jim’s enjoyed his ne’er day steak pie having seen only one league defeat so far. Nobody could have anticipated the run Raith Rovers have put together, but for United, 41 points from 18 games is title-winning form, and in most other seasons would have been rewarded with a decent lead at the top of the league. As it is- every point is a prisoner and everyone of a Tangerine persuasion will be hoping for three more of them on Saturday.” Photo - GBR Photographs What’s Happening Elsewhere? The BBC Scotland cameras return to Hampden a matter of weeks after United’s visit, hopefully for a more entertaining affair between the league’s bottom dogs and a Dunfermline side who slipped out of the play-off places after both sides suffered midweek derby defeats. In the Saturday fixtures, Airdrie will be looking for a repeat of big-spending Raith Rovers sole league defeat of the season when the league leaders visit New Broomfield. Those of a Morton persuasion may be more concerned with the league leaders putting a dent in the Diamonds’ play-off ambitions. Fellow mid-table sides Ayr and Inverness, will look to get back on track after difficult midweek defeats when they meet at Somerset Park, and Partick host Arbroath at Firhill. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7am on 5th January 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Unsurprisingly, the Terrors are favourites at 4/11, with the draw at 7/2 and Morton a fairly generous 6/1. Morton to come out on top having been level at half time is 12/1, and George Oakley to score at any time is 7/2. Match Officials Referee- Iain Snedden officiates his second Morton game of the season, having taken charge of our 0-3 drubbing by Arbroath at Cappielow in August. AR 1- Paul McAvinue AR 2- Kenny Brown
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  32. Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Morton - Match Preview by Russell Gordon Having enjoyed a productive month of December, which has seen Morton accumulate more points than in the entirety of the season before the month began, Dougie Imrie’s side make the arduous journey to the Highlands to visit Inverness Caledonian Thistle. With the ‘Ton currently sitting in fifth place, ahead of their hosts by a point, a victory over the Highlanders would be a fantastic way to wrap up 2023. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News Kirk Broadfoot is again available, having served a one match ban for an accumulation of bookings against Airdrie last weekend, but unfortunately George Oakley’s extended festive break continues following his scandalous ordering off against Queen’s Park a fortnight ago. Broadfoot may however, find it difficult to regain his place in the starting eleven, after Darragh O’Connor impressed on completing his first ninety minutes since September, having been nursed back into action over the last month or so. Jai Quitongo and long-term casualty Calum Waters will both sit out, so I wouldn’t expect too many changes to the side, with the probability of Lewis McGrattan continuing in the starting line up and Robbie Muirhead up front on his own. Current Connections Most of the connections between the two squads are in the Morton camp, with Broadfoot enjoying a relatively successful 2021-22 campaign in the Highland capital, making the play-offs and only falling short in the second leg of the final as St. Johnstone preserved their Premiership status thanks to a 4-1 aggregate victory. With Inverness remaining in the Championship the following season, Broadfoot moved onto pastures new at Lowland League circus act Open Goal Broomhill and in came George Oakley and Steven Boyd. Oakley didn’t last too long in Inverness, allegedly falling out with the notoriously difficult Billy Dodds and heading south to Cappielow in a move that upset nobody, not least the Cappielow faithful. Boyd was to follow his teammate to Cappielow this summer, having sat on the bench in their Scottish Cup Final defeat by Celtic in June. Morton boss Dougie Imrie of course, had a two-year spell in the Highlands between 2008 and 2010. The only former Morton employee in Inverness is defender Wallace Duffy, who joined Morton on loan from St. Johnstone in 2020, but left immediately after his parent club agreed a permanent deal with the weekend’s hosts for him to join Inverness. Tale of the Tape After the original Cappielow fixture was called off because of travel difficulties for the visitors in travelling down the A9, a luxury that wasn’t afforded to Morton a mere fortnight earlier when members of the Morton squad couldn’t even get out of Greenock to travel to an away draw with Queen’s Park, Inverness eventually graced us with their presence earlier this month, although few would have noticed they’d turned up, as Duncan Ferguson’s on-form side were ruthlessly put to the sword by a resurgent Morton side who produced arguably their best performance of the season in recording a 2-1 victory that flattered their opponents. George Oakley capitalised on a mistake by Inverness defender Nikola Udjur to deftly lob the ball over a stricken Mark Ridgers into the net to give Morton a 20th minute lead. Ten minutes from time, Jack Baird lashed home from close range following a Lewis Strapp long throw to double Morton’s lead. An injury time Adam Brooks header gave Inverness a scarcely-deserved consolation, but that, was all they had other than a misplaced sense of superiority that they play beautiful football in comparison to Morton, to take up the road with them, which was a real shame. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis After a difficult start to the season saw Inverness rooted to the foot of the table in the campaign’s early weeks, the axe fell on manager Billy Dodds, and after rumours of the imminent appointment of ‘Ton gaffer Dougie Imrie came to nothing, Inverness appointed former Scotland striker Duncan Ferguson to the hotseat. Ferguson had an immediate impact, recording a 3-2 debut success against Arbroath at Gayfield which lifted them off the foot of the table at the expense of Morton. They followed up that success, embarking on a six-match unbeaten league run and progressing to the next round of the Scottish Cup before hitting the buffers somewhat in December. Having led late on against big-spending Raith Rovers, they succumbed to 86th and 94th minute goals from Lewis Vaughan and Jamie Gullan as Ferguson’s men snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. That looked only to be a temporary blip though, following a resounding Hampden victory over struggling Queen’s Park. However, that was to prove a false dawn, as they travelled to Cappielow hoping to follow that success up only to find Morton a far tougher nut to crack. Having lost to the bottom side in midweek, they followed that up with defeat to Arbroath, the side who replaced Morton at the bottom of the league to continue a miserable month for the Caley Jags. Thistle then travelled to Firhill, where they recorded a 1-1 draw with Partick last weekend, one of a full set of draws that saw the Championship table retain a status quo. What’s Happening Elsewhere? The Championship’s biggest game of the weekend takes place at Tannadice as a stumbling Dundee United will look to get back on track against third placed Partick in the Friday evening game in front of the BBC Scoaltnad cameras. Big-spending Raith Rovers will be looking to continue their good form with a win over Arbroath at Stark’s Park, while Ayr United host Dunfermline and Airdrie travel to Hampden to face a Queen’s Park side who are struggling at the foot of the table. Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7am on 29th December 2023 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Inverness are the favourites going into the match, priced at 23/20, while Morton are priced at 21/10 and the draw is 23/10. Morton to win 1-0 is 17/2 and Grant Gillespie to score at any time is 7/2. Match Officials Referee- Colin Steven takes charge of his first Morton game of the season. He last officiated the ‘Ton in April, sending off George Oakley in a 1-1 draw at Somerset Park on an afternoon I suspect he’d rather forget. AR 1- David Roome AR 2- Robin Taylor
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  33. Ayr United vs Morton – Match Preview by Dean McKinnon Morton head down the coast tomorrow to face a rejuvenated Ayr United side, hoping for an away win that could spark Dougie Imrie’s men into a turnaround of their own. The Ton besting their Ayrshire counterparts in the Championship curtain raiser is their only win to date this term, sitting at the foot of the table with only five points to their name. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad Update The Ton will be hoping that last week’s questionable call off will have allowed injuries to heal, with the gaffer still contending with a lengthy injury list. Loanee Tyler French will be welcomed back to the fold after being cup tied for the home win against Kelty Hearts in the SPFL Trust Trophy. Rangers loanee Jack Harkness has went under the knife in the last couple of weeks and has had his loan terminated by Rangers without making a first team appearance. Current Connections All together now – assistant manager Andy Millen turned out as a player for tomorrow’s opponents. Millen spent an incredibly brief spell in Ayrshire, making three appearances whilst on loan from Hibs. There is plenty of familiarity between both dressing rooms, however not as much in previous years as the sides rid themselves of the ‘legacy’ left at both clubs by David Hopkin. Jack Baird sandwiched a two-year stint at Somerset Park in-between both his spells in Greenock. Club captain Grant Gillespie spent a brief spell during the COVID-impacted 2019/20 season in Ayrshire, joining Ayr following his release from Derry City. Robbie Crawford graduated into the Ayr first team from their academy in 2012. The hardworking midfielder would make 217 appearances for the Honest Men, scoring 16 goals in the process, before joining Livingston ahead of the 2019/20 campaign. Andy Murdoch joined the Ayrshire side after being released by Ray McKinnon in what is quite possibly the most objectionable decision made in his short time in the Cappielow dugout. Murdoch will play no part on Saturday, having torn his ACL attempting to stick one on Jai Quitongo on the opening day. Familiar foe Sean McGinty will no doubt be looking to get one over on his former employers, with the fractious relationship between the centre back and the visiting support well documented in our match previews. Tale of the Tape Morton had the best possible start to the league season against tomorrow’s opponents, showing grit and determination to come from a goal down to win the encounter 3-1. The score remained at 0-0 after a breathless first half, however the Honest Men broke the deadlock six minutes into the second period as Oli Pendlebury smashed past Jamie MacDonald. The Ton rallied after conceding, with goalscoring midfielder Robbie Crawford curling a stunning effort into the far corner of Charlie Albinson’s goal to level the affair. Robbie Muirhead put his side ahead on the 75th minute, netting a penalty after pantomime villan Sean McGinty was adjudged to have fouled Robbie Crawford. Steven Boyd sealed the victory, sweeping home in style after some excellent attacking play down The Ton’s right hand side resulted in an inch perfect delivery from Jack Bearne. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis The Ayrshire side have had an inconsistent start to the season as Lee Bullen looks to life after Dipo Akinyemi, however it has been the other end of the pitch where the Honest Men have struggled so far this term. Tomorrow’s hosts have conceded seventeen goals so far this term, one more than their visitors. Three away wins in succession, 5-2 against Queens Park, 2-1 against Airdrieonians and 1-0 against Dunfermline, have lifted United off the foot of the table into a more comfortable mid-table spot in recent weeks. Ahead of the match, I spoke to Ayr fan Marc Dunlop (@marco_ayr) who spoke of low spirits in the home dressing room - “The Honest Men welcome a Morton side to Somerset on Saturday, low on confidence after an indifferent start to the season. Ayr themselves come into this game on the back of two away victories on the spin, however, their home form, as yet, has failed to impress, with their last home victory being recorded in only the 2nd match of the league campaign. That was a narrow 1-0 victory over Inverness CT, however, boss Lee Bullen will be quietly confident that they’ve turned a corner after registering two impressive victories on the road either side of the International Break. He’ll also find himself with some what of a selection headache, as Ben Dempsey returned to full training earlier in the week. A nice problem to have, however, most of the Ayr support would welcome an unchanged side with the impressive duo of Senga-Ngoyi & Syla striking up a formidable partnership in central midfield in the absence of him & former Morton favourite, Andy Murdoch. The loan arrivals of Logan Chalmers & Anton Dowds have also given United another dimension going forward, & with the experienced Jamie Murphy on the opposite flank, they look a real threat in the final third. The growing enthusiasm, matched against a Morton side low confidence will hopefully see Ayr claim their 2nd home win of the league campaign & 3rd win on the bounce. However, as we all know, nothing in football is guaranteed & the Greenock faithful will be hoping this is the week their side can turn around their season & start climbing the table. Whatever happens, a mouth watering fixture awaits what always is a decent crowd when these two sides take to the pitch. Cmon Ayr!!” Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All match odds are provided by McBookie. Odds are correct as of 7am on 27th October and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. The hosts head into tomorrow’s encounter as favourites, listed at Evs to claim a second home win of the season. A stalemate between the sides is priced at 12/5, with 23/10 your reward if you back Dougie Imrie’s men to gain their first away win of the season. Robbie Crawford is an eye-catching 3/1 to net anytime against his former employers, with Jack Baird listed at 9/1 to haunt his former side. Match Officials Referee - David Dickinson AR1 - John McCrossan AR2 - Brian Christie
    1 point
  34. Rangers v Morton – Match Preview by Russell Gordon This weekend sees undoubtedly Morton’s stiffest test of the season so far, as they make the short trip down the M8 to face Premiership giants, Rangers. Whilst the tie provides a welcome boost to Dougie Imrie’s budget as the closure of the transfer window fast approaches, he’ll be under no illusions as to the size of the task Morton are facing. It should also be noted that the SPFL has a similar policy to the SFA of applying different rules in some matches as it does to others in the same round of their competition, so VAR will be used in Saturday’s match. After Morton’s experiences last season at Celtic Park, one might expect those of a Morton persuasion to look sceptically on such a development, but last weekend’s David Munro Show could change some views on that! The 12.30 kick-off is being broadcast live by the tournament sponsors, and unfortunately, away end tickets are no longer available, with sales having closed on Thursday evening. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News Although I suspect that Ryan Mullen and Grant Gillespie’s places on the bench at Kirkcaldy last weekend were taken without the intention of being used, they are at least a bit further down the line to regaining full fitness. Jack Baird however, will still be missing with his shoulder injury, and Jai Quitongo could face a race against time having been forced off just before the break in last Saturday’s bruising encounter against Raith Rovers. Also missing will be Steven Boyd, who sits out through suspension having collected bookings against Kelty Hearts and Edinburgh City in the group stages of the tournament. What will be most concerning for the travelling fans though, is the rumours of interest from a number of Premiership and EFL clubs in Morton’s talismanic midfielder, Robbie Crawford. Whilst Crawford’s exceptional form makes interest from elsewhere inevitable, there won’t be any Morton fans welcoming any bids for the ‘Ton’s star man. On a positive note, Imrie strengthened his squad this week with the addition of Iain Wilson, a familiar face from his previous spell at Morton, who comes in on a season long loan from Queen of the South. Although Wilson has struggled with injuries this term, he could well slot into the midfield, allowing Cammy Blues to fill the problem right back position. Current Connections There aren’t too many links between the two playing squads, with only Kirk Broadfoot having plied his trade at Ibrox after signing a pre-contract agreement in March 2007 and joining up that summer from St. Mirren. It’s fair to say he enjoyed a number of ups and downs in that time, collecting three SPL titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and a League Cup winner’s medal in 2008. He also started in Rangers’ 2008 UEFA Cup Final defeat by Russian cracks Zenit St. Petersburg in Manchester, but was dropped for the following week’s Scottish Cup Final victory over Queen of the South. As Rangers spiralled into administration and ultimately liquidation in 2012, Broadfoot initially stuck around Ibrox as they began “the journey” but with his international ambitions hindered by Rangers’ lowly status at the time, he moved on to Blackpool. In the Rangers ranks, reserve goalkeeper Robby McCrorie had a short loan spell at Cappielow late in the 2018-19 season under Jonatan Johansson. McCrorie made fifteen appearances for the ‘Ton, notably keeping a clean sheet as they won 2-0 on that fantastic day in Grangemouth, to give Falkirk (remember them?) a bit more than a wee nudge towards League One. Another former Morton loanee, Joash McPake, is back at Ibrox after last season’s loan spell at Queen’s Park, but having played in their B Team’s SPFL Trust Trophy win at Stenhousemuir in midweek, I’d imagine he will be far enough down the pecking order so as not to threaten an appearance on the hosts’ bench. Tale of the Tape Morton’s last League Cup visit to Ibrox came exactly 28 years to the day since Saturday’s forthcoming meeting. Back in 1995, Allan McGraw’s newly crowned Second Division Champions travelled to a face a star-studded Rangers side who were at that stage beginning the quest for the eighth of their nine titles in a row. Whilst a fine Morton side put up a credible show against what was clearly the best team in the land at the time, a look at Rangers’ goal scorers on the day just shows the task Morton faced. Goals from Ally McCoist, Mark Hateley and Paul Gascoigne gave the hosts a comfortable 3-0 win. In recent times, however, Morton have fared better in Govan, but have ultimately fell just short of recording a memorable result. When the clubs shared a division in 2015-16, Morton overturned a 0-1 deficit to lead 2-1 late in the game through a James Tavernier own goal and a delightful Stefan McCluskey finish, only for Martyn Waghorn to rescue a point for the hosts. The 1-3 defeat at Ibrox later that season wasn’t quite so memorable for the Cappielow faithful, whilst Morton fell 0-4 and 0-2 at Cappielow. The most recent meeting between the teams was in a Scottish Cup tie 2017. Facing a Rangers team in turmoil amidst the sacking of manager Mark Warburton, Jim Duffy’s side took an early lead through Michael Tidser, only to be pegged back by Kenny Miller, before Waghorn settled the affair on the hour. Were it not for poor finishing, Morton may have sneaked a replay, but the match could be viewed as very much a missed opportunity. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis I won’t go too much into analysing our opponents, as having looked around without much luck for a Rangers fan to give us their insight, two came along at once who were more than happy to provide their thoughts on Saturday’s match. Whilst there’s clearly been a massive overhaul at Ibrox over the summer, question marks still arise in how prepared they are to achieve their goals for the season. An opening day loss at Kilmarnock didn’t bode well for the Ibrox men’s title challenge, with they and Celtic unlikely to drop too many points outwith their derby meetings, and Rangers already facing a three-point handicap from the off. However, Tuesday’s draw in Geneva against Servette has eased them through to the play-off round of the Champions League, where they face Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven in Tuesday coming’s first leg at Ibrox, before travelling to the Netherlands next week.. Ahead of the match I spoke to Rangers fan Kai Watson, owner of The Rangers Journal (@RangersJournal), who provided his thoughts on his side going into the match: “Rangers’ season hasn’t started as many fans had anticipated. With the amount of money invested and new players arriving, losing on the first day of the season was unfathomable to some. Then it happened, a massive reality check at the beginning of the squad rebuild. Since that loss, Rangers impressed for the first half hour of the first leg of the Servette tie, struggling in the final sixty minutes and recording an uncomfortable 2-1 win over ten men, before struggling in the first half of the second leg in Switzerland and putting in an improved second half showing to progress. Against Livingston at the weekend though, Rangers were at it. Naturally they had more of the ball and created more chances than in the outings against Kilmarnock and Servette. Four new players registering their first goals for the club and Jose Cifuentes making his first start made for a satisfactory afternoon. It’s hard to predict what the line up will look like against Morton, though. With the greatest respect, there may be mass squad rotation to get minutes in the legs of some of the fringe players. What can Morton expect of Rangers though? Michael Beale’s ideology is to play on the front foot. His team will look to press high and force defenders into mistakes. Then on the ball, he’ll be looking for short, sharp exchanges of play to draw out defenders and create spaces in behind. I would imagine the likes of Matondo and Sima will get a chance to prove themselves, meaning there’ll be a lot of pace up top. Expect Rangers to dominate the ball and come at you in waves, potentially with relentless crosses if there is no space through the middle. The full backs have been providing the majority of Rangers’ width this season- whilst it hasn’t been overly effective, it has caused some problems in the last couple of games. I expect Rangers to come out of the traps quickly, as happened in their previous two home games. Morton will have to be wary of Rangers coming out all guns blazing if they hope to achieve a positive result.” Donald McLeod, who is currently in the process of penning a biography of former Morton and Rangers hero Kai Johnansen, was also naturally confident of his team’s chances of progression in Saturday’s tie, and looking forward to welcoming back an old hero: “Rangers welcome Dougie Imrie’s visitors along the M8 to Ibrox, with a particularly warm welcome being extended to one of the stars of our UEFA Cup Final in 2008, Kirk Broadfoot, who spent five seasons with the light blues. On top of all the silverware he won, he’ll always be remembered for winning THAT penalty at Celtic Park. It’s great to see him continuing to play at almost 40, and I wish him and his Morton teammates all the best in the Championship this season. After the worst possible start, defeat to a Kilmarnock side managed by Derek McInnes- formerly of Morton and Rangers- we have kick started our season with a comfortable win over Livingston and by squeezing past Servette in the Champions League. With so many new players in the squad, it will undoubtedly take time for the team to settle. The departures of Kent and Sakala have left us playing narrower than Sauchiehall Lane, heavily relying on Barasic and Tavernier pushing forward to offer some width. Our four new forwards- Danilo, Dessers, Lammers and Sima- have all hit the target already this season, and it will be interesting to see which of them turn out this Saturday, given the upcoming PSV game. In the nets, Butland looks to be a cracking signing, and a very safe pair of hands. Centre midfield is often where games are won and lost, and we’ve been packed tighter than Alfredo Morelos’ fridge, with Beale picking at least three from Cantwell, Raskin, Jack, Lundstrum and new signings Jose Cifuentes and Kieron Dowell, who scored a peach against Livi. The Morton game should provide an opportunity for guys who didn’t feature against Servette, so we may see Ianis Hagi, Rabbi Matondo, and Glen Kamara come in for their first starts of the season. It would be nice to see some of the younger lads too, perhaps King, Devine and Lyall, who all made the bench in the Champions League. After a tough battle with Partick in the Scottish Cup last season, Rangers will not underestimate Morton, but I’d expect the home team to run out winners on Saturday.” Photo - GBR Photographs. What’s Happening Elsewhere? The first tie of the round takes place on Friday night as Barry Robson’s Aberdeen face the tournament’s shock troops, League Two Champions Stirling Albion. There are two all Premiership ties, as the Motherwell fans will have to ensure their inoculations are all up to date ahead of the trip to Paisley, whilst on Sunday, in the other TV game that Viaplay unexpectedly selected, Celtic visit Rugby Park to play a Kilmarnock team who will be looking to do an Old Firm double. Ayr United and Airdrie will be hoping to spring surprises at Livingston and at home to Ross County respectively. Also on Sunday, Edinburgh plays host to two ties, as Hibernian will host Raith Rovers, and Hearts will have to content with the visit of Partick Thistle and their fans trying to chum up with them as they bemoan perceived mutual historic injustices. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7am on 18th August 2023 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. It should come as no surprise that the hosts are overwhelming favourites heading into the match, priced at 1/12, with Morton registering at 22/1 and the draw at 7/1. Never one to look on the negative side regardless of how much we’re up against it, Morton to sneak a 1-0 win is 40/1 and Robbie Crawford to extend his sensational run of form by scoring the final goal of the game is 45/1. When Morton win 1-0 with a Crawford goal, mine’s a pint of Tennent’s, please and thank you. Match Officials Referee- David Dickinson AR 1- Calum Spence AR 2- Gordon Crawford Fourth Official- Grant Irvine VAR- Gavin Duncan AVAR- Graeme Stewart
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  35. Morton v Stranraer – Match Preview by Russell Gordon Competitive action returns to Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology with the visit of League Two Stranraer, as Morton look to build upon Saturday’s comfortable 3-1 victory over Kelty Hearts at New Central Park in Group D of the Viaplay Cup. With Stranraer’s weekend conquerors Ross County likely to be battling it out for top spot with Morton in the group and the only guaranteed place in the competition’s last sixteen, three points would be a welcome return with the Staggies idle ahead of Morton’s weekend trip to Dingwall. Photo - GBR Photographs Squad News Assistant boss Andy Millen reported a clean bill of health ahead of the match, although with Morton at home against what is in theory the weakest team in the group, I’d expect a few changes, with new signing Jack Bearne from Liverpool a possible starter. Jai Quitongo and Lewis McGrattan will also look for starting berths after their second half cameos turned around what was at half time a difficult situation into a very comfortable victory. However, with McGrattan, Steven Boyd, Grant Gillespie, George Oakley and Jack Baird all picking up yellow cards in Fife, Imrie may look to keep some of them out of the firing line ahead of what he’ll expect to be a far more testing afternoon at Victoria Park at the weekend. Current Connections The only current connections between the clubs are in the visitors’ camp. Strikers Ben Armour and Thomas Orr had similar experiences on the periphery of the Morton first team squad in the infancy of their careers before moving down the divisions having made around a handful of appearances each in Morton colours. Stranraer Assistant Manager Peter Weatherson however, had a far more celebrated career in the famous blue and white hoops, netting 122 goals in 387 appearances over a decade, having moved from Queen of the South for £30,000 in 2003, bagging a Second Division Champions medal in 2007, and bookending his time on the tail o’ the bank with a testimonial against St. Johnstone in July 2013, before opening his account for new club Annan with a late free kick winner against his former employers to oust them from the Challenge Cup as a season of woe got off to a horrific start before getting worse. Photo - GBR Photographs Tale of the Tape Meetings between the clubs haven’t been commonplace in recent years, although they were drawn together in the group stages of the Premier Sports Cup in 2021. However, with the world only just dragging its way out of the grips of the COVID pandemic, Morton’s squad were hit by an outbreak which rendered them unable to field a team and forced to concede a 0-3 defeat in what would have been their first game of the tournament, effectively eliminating them from the competition before a ball was kicked. The last meeting of the two teams was a far more memorable experience, however. On the penultimate day of the 2014-15 season Morton weren’t the only visitors to Stair Park, as the League One Trophy also came to town, in the expectation of being presented to the hosts in the event of a home win. Jim Duffy’s side however, had other ideas, and after a Derek Gaston wonder save with the match scoreless, Declan McManus netted a first half penalty before doubling the ‘Ton’s advantage before the break to leave Stranraer’s title hopes in tatters, much to the delight of the large traveling support. A late Ricki Lamie red card dampened Morton’s spirits, but the three points put them in the box seat going into the final match of the season, as Morton went on to beat Peterhead 3-1 and claim promotion to the Championship where they have remained since. Stranraer were to miss out on promotion in the play-offs, losing to Forfar in the semi finals before eventually falling to League Two in controversial circumstances in 2020 as the season was curtailed by the COVID pandemic. Admittedly, they were certs to go before the season was halted, and perhaps their lowly status didn’t attract quite so much attention, but they did at least conduct themselves better than Hearts or Partick, who suffered similar fates in the divisions above. Opposition Analysis Stranraer didn’t enjoy the most successful of campaigns last time around, finishing seventh in the division, five points from the play-off places at the top end of the table and six from relegated Albion Rovers. Manager Scott Agnew has been busy over the summer- as well as the signing of ex-Morton striker Armour from Forfar, he has added goalkeeper Martin McDonald from Hurlford, full back Cammy Williamson from Annan, East Kilbride midfielder Ben Hughes, Cumnock winger James Dolan and Kyle Fleming from Albion Rovers. Pre-season has been a mixed bag, with a 1-1 home draw with Welsh Premier League side Connah’s Quay Nomads, followed up by a similar result at Hurlford United, a 0-2 reverse against Ayr United at Dam Park, as Somerset’s pitch is relayed and a comprehensive 4-1 victory over West of Scotland First Division side Kilwinning Rangers. Saturday’s 1-5 home battering from Ross County perhaps wasn’t unexpected, but it sets the standard that Morton will be hoping to attain in a match that, for progression, and the rewards that entails are to be achieved. Photo - GBR Photographs Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7am on 18th July 2023 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Morton are the clear favourites at 1/4, with the visitors coming in at 9/1 and the draw at 9/2. Steven Boyd is a tempting 6/1 to continue his goalscoring form with the first of the evening, and a Robbie Muirhead double is 10/3. Match Officials Referee- Steven McLean AR 1- Elliot Husband Powton AR 2- Liam Duncan
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  36. Morton v Queen of the South – Match Preview by Russell Gordon After Morton’s fantastic last-gasp victory at Cove Rangers last weekend, the football world’s attention turns to the latest episode in the story of the greatest sporting competition on the planet- yes, our interest in the Scottish Cup resumes for another year! Whilst it’s far from the most attractive of fixtures, with many of us at least looking for someone we’ve never previously met at this early stage, or at best a trip to a far-flung non-league ground that we’re unlikely to visit again, the visit of familiar foe Queen of the South to Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology UK at least provides an opportunity for progression in the competition against a side who have struggled to adapt to their new surroundings since last season’s relegation to League One. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News Dougie Imrie should enjoy as close to a full squad as possible ahead of the Doonhamers' visit, with Darragh O’Connor and Lawton Green approaching full fitness, and club captain Grant Gillespie returning from his enforced absence in Aberdeen last weekend. From listening to Imrie’s post-match interview at Balmoral Stadium, I’d expect him to shuffle his pack somewhat, which could see some game time for the likes of Carlo Pignatiello, Alex King and Alan Lithgow, who have all seen limited minutes in recent weeks. Current Connections The only Morton player to have represented Queens is Darragh O’Connor, who, despite last season’s relegation, impressed during a loan spell from Motherwell in the second half of the campaign. In the Dumfries side’s ranks, reserve keeper Scott Fox answered the call to step in for the injured Aidan McAdams in the play-off final of 2021, registering two clean sheets as Morton emphatically retained their Championship status with a 4-0 aggregate hammering of Airdrie. Gavin Reilly had a fruitful loan spell at Cappielow last term from Livingston, under Imrie’s tutelage at least, whilst midfielder Iain Wilson was an inspired addition to Morton’s midfield last term. Full back Rico Quitongo is the brother of Morton forward Jai, and should be available in spite of being sent off for a second booking in their 4-0 defeat of Montrose last weekend. It may well be the most tenuous of connections, but defender Ciaran McKenna’s collision with hapless former Falkirk teammate William Edjenguele allowed Greg Kiltie to square for Charlie Telfer to bury the second goal which helped send the Bairns spinning into League One in 2019, from where they are yet to return. Photo - GBR Photographs. Tale of the Tape Cup ties between the clubs have been common occurrences in recent years, with this the fourth consecutive season Morton and Queens have met in one cup competition or another, and the Doonhamers have the slight upper hand over the ties. I could go back further, but in their most recent promotion season of 2012-13, Queen of the South visited Cappielow in a second round Challenge Cup tie and progressed with a 2-1 win on their way to winning the competition, eventually triumphing on penalties against Partick in the final. Every cloud. The next cup meeting was in the second round of the League Cup in 2015, when newly promoted Morton shocked their more-fancied opponents 1-0 thanks to a fantastic Ross Forbes strike from the edge of the box to secure a third round tie with Motherwell at Cappielow. 2018 saw a 3-3 League Cup group stage draw and a penalty shoot-out win for Morton in Greenock that took us through to a knock-out stage tie with Hibernian at Easter Road, before the following season, Queens visited for the first competitive game under COVID restrictions, this time taking the spoils in a penalty shoot-out for the bonus point as Morton exited the competition early with only one win and three spot-kick defeats in the group stages. Last season saw a 2-1 Challenge Cup Quarter Final defeat in the dying embers of Gus MacPherson’s disastrous reign as Queens went onto the final only to fall to Raith Rovers. With Queens having the better of the league meetings last season, it’s fair to say we “owe” them one. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis You just don’t know what you’re going to get from Queen of the South this season- their four most recent results summing up the inconsistency in their side. Losing 1-3 at home to League One stalwarts Falkirk, before registering an impressive 3-0 victory at promotion-chasing Edinburgh is one thing, but following those results up with a 1-5 shellacking at Alloa and then a 4-0 victory over a very good Montrose side tells you that there’s no method to predicting what sort of Queen of the South team will turn up. I spoke to Queen of the South fan Finlay Jack (@Finlay_Jack5) who is quite optimistic about his team’s chances heading into the tie, although he was also quick to acknowledge the lack of a novelty factor about the match-up. “This is probably one of the worst draws we could’ve got (I’m sure Morton fans are saying similar)- I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve met in cup competition over the last few years, on top of all the league meetings! I don’t think this can quite be considered as a “free hit” for us, but the pressure is all on Morton, here. The league is our bread and butter this term, and we’ve already profited a fair bit from our League Cup run, which ended with a trip to Ibrox in August, but a cup run is always nice. If we can keep our midfield trio of Iain Wilson, Calvin McGrory and Josh Todd fit then we’ve every chance of sneaking a win. And with the gaffer’s 17-year-old son, Lewis Gibson creating goals for fun, I’d be surprised if Paton and or Reilly don’t find the net. Our issue is at the other end of the park. We leak far too many goals. But I’ll remain optimistic… a 3-3 draw and a win on penalties!” Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 4pm on 25th November 2022 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Morton head into the match as 4/6 favourites, with the draw priced at 31/10 and the visitors at 16/5. With Morton conceding in each of their last three, a home win with both teams to score is 11/5, whilst over 3.5 goals in the match is 17/10. Match Officials Referee- Scott Lambie AR 1- Daniel McFarlane AR 2- Ian Hart
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  37. Morton vs Raith Rovers – Match Preview by Russell Gordon. Morton and Raith Rovers return to league duty at Cappielow in front of the BBC Scotland cameras tomorrow night after very different Scottish Cup experiences last weekend. Whilst Morton were heartbreakingly close to causing an upset against high flying Motherwell at Fir Park, the Fifers were easing through with the minimum of fuss against North Region Juniors, Banks O' Dee. With restrictions lifted, there are no limits on the crowd that can realistically adversely affect the attendance, so again it looks like we're getting back to "normal". Although the game is on BBC Scotland, it's also available on Ton TV for anyone who would prefer to listen to Gerry and Andy's more informed musings for the princely sum of £7. Streams can also be purchased here. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News As has been the case in recent times, Dougie Imrie has benefitted from a relatively clean bill of health, and given the continuity in his selection in recent weeks, there are likely to be few questions as to how Morton line up- although with the return of Oisin McEntee, and with Robbie Muirhead's name again being added to the scoresheet after coming off the bench, the manager has some welcome decisions to make. Jamie Brandon will be hoping to continue in the right wing-back position, having been substituted in his two previous starts since arriving on loan from Hearts after a long-term injury. Current Connections There's only one player at each club who has represented their opponents- Raith right back Reghan Tumilty had a stop-start time of it during his two-year spell at Cappielow before opting to sign for newly promoted Raith in the summer of 2020, much to the dismay of many of the Morton support, who felt he wasn't given a fair chance under then Morton boss David Hopkin. Morton's talisman Gozie Ugwu spent last season in the kingdom, scoring 3 goals in 13 appearances. 'Ton Assistant Manager Andy Millen had a spell at Stark's in 1997. Tale of the Tape Anyone of a Morton disposition might want to skip to the next paragraph. We've not beaten Raith since February 2017, when a second half Lee Kilday header saw Morton come back down the road from Fife with maximum points. There was a 0-2 defeat in Kirkcaldy later that season before Raith's enforced three-season abeyance in League One. On their return, we've seen nothing but Raith Rovers victories, with three from three in last season's abridged league campaign, including a 5-0 mauling at Stark's Park, and two narrow defeats for Morton this term- 0-1 at Cappielow in September and 1-2 in Fife in November. Raith certainly appear to have an Indian Sign over us. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis On a more promising note, Raith haven't been firing in all cylinders in recent times, with only one league win, against title favourites Kilmarnock in the seven since they took the points against Morton in November. Admittedly Morton have only had two league wins since then, but at least they've been in our last two outings! An area of concern for the Fifers will be the drop off in form of Canadian striker Dario Zanatta, who was on fire in the first quarter of the campaign but has failed to find the net since notching the winner in that aforementioned victory over Killie. I spoke to Raith Rovers fan, and A View From The Terrace (TheTerraceTV) panellist Shaughan McGuigan (@ShaughanM), who wasn't in the most optimistic of moods, given the two clubs' contrasting fortunes in recent weeks. "As much as Raith Rovers appear to have something of a hex over Morton, with six straight wins in the last half dozen meetings, you'll struggle to find too many Rovers fans who are confident about making it seven. The team appears to have fallen off the rails in the last few weeks, and while it's probably down to a few reasons rather than a single issue, that means it feels even trickier for the team to turn things around. The injury which Brad Spencer received at Gayfield back in December certainly didn't help, as no-one else in the squad is quite as adept at taking the ball from the back four and breaking through the opponents' lines, but that's also coincided with a handful of forward players seeing their form fall off a cliff. Dario Zanatta had no issue in tormenting Championship defences and pinging them in from 25 yards every week at the start of the season, but he now appears devoid of confidence, likewise Ethan Ross, who has been unable to recapture the form which saw him score five goals in as many games after his move from Aberdeen. Raith's travails are of course coinciding with Morton's form picking up, which makes this game feel like it's perfect timing for them, and less than ideal for ourselves. Of course, the nature of football is such that Rovers form could inexplicably turnaround on Friday night and they'll kick on and potentially challenge for a promotion spot, but there's a real feeling that the season might fizzle out from here. This match might go some way to telling us which side from the two can most look forward to the remainder of the campaign." Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7am on 28th January 2022 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. The hosts go in as underdogs at 21/10, with Raith priced at 5/4 and the draw 11/5, which might be a decent bet given how the teams' are looking much better matched than earlier in the season. Given his form for coming off the bench and bagging a goal, Robbie Muirhead is 15/2 to score the last goal of the game. Given that I've tempted fate by alluding to Dario Zanatta's drop off in form in recent weeks, the pessimist in me would point to 5/2 for Zanatta to score anytime. Match Officials Referee- David Dickinson AR 1- David McGeachie AR 2- Graham McNellie Fourth Official- Steven Reid
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  38. Partick Thistle vs Morton – Match Preview by Russell Gordon. As we leave 2021 and enter 2022, Dougie Imrie will look to build upon his solid start as Morton boss as they first foot Partick Thistle at Firhill. Imrie may well find that any hopes of that are scuppered by the weather however, with the Maryhill club already having announced a 10am pitch inspection ahead of Sunday's clash. With the weather forecast not looking terribly promising, and the Jags' previous home fixture against Ayr United in midweek already having conveniently fallen foul of the weather at a time when crowds, and income are restricted for Scottish football clubs. Only a supreme optimist would expect to be seeing the 'Ton in action this weekend, but we'll crack on regardless... Match streams can be purchased here. It is worth noting, however, that there is a 10am pitch inspection tomorrow morning. Given that away fans may be able to attend the rearranged fixture, it's worth waiting until later in the day before purchasing the stream. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News With Brian McLean returning to the side in midweek, in a straight swap for the injured Oisin McEntee, who Imrie confirmed broke his wrist at Gayfield a fortnight ago, the new boss will likely continue with his central defensive trio, although it'll be interesting to see what he does with Mark Russell and Lewis Strapp in the left wing-back position. It's unclear as to whether Russell collected an injury on Wednesday, but if not, his first half substitution, after he would probably admit himself to having a howler, was a marked change in managerial policy from anything the Morton support have seen in many a long year. Strapp will quite justifiably feel that his performance in the second half, particularly in an attacking sense, merits a starting berth. Likewise, Robbie Muirhead and Cammy Blues, whose second half introductions were pivotal in changing the game on Wednesday will feel they have a shout. Current Connections Only Robbie Muirhead of the current Morton squad has represented Partick, whilst on loan from Hearts in 2015, scoring twice in 8 appearances. There are more ex-Morton players in the home side's ranks though, with Scott Tiffoney and Brian Graham starting their careers at Cappielow before moving on and finding themselves back in the lower leagues with Partick. Former Motherwell loanee Ross McIver spent the latter part of last season on loan at Firhill after returning to Motherwell from Morton in the January window, and went onto make his move permanent in the summer following his release from the Steelmen. Midfielder Kyle Turner is the son of ex-Morton and Partick midfielder Tommy. Photo - GBR Photographs. Tale of the Tape It's a long time since Morton beat Partick Thistle. The last time being the fantastic 3-2 win in August 2019 at Cappielow when Morton were outplayed for long spells before awaking from their slumber in the last 15 minutes to grab victory from the jaws of defeat. The blow of two defeats after that were softened by Partick's abysmal run of form, resulting in their relegation as the season was curtailed due to the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. However, on their return to the division this year, they dished out a 3-0 early season hammering which we're best glossing over. A 0-0 midweek draw at Cappielow wasn't a terrible result, nor was it a bad performance, but during a run in which wins, rather than draws are required, it may well be Morton, rather than Partick who look back on the game as two points dropped come the season's end. Opposition Analysis With Morton propping up the table and looking to drag themselves out of trouble, Partick have other ambitions. Whilst sitting in 5th place, just outside the play-off places at the top end of the table, the 6 point gap on top of the league Arbroath is hardly insurmountable, given their game in hand. Their defensive record this season has been excellent, with the recent 0-2 home defeat by Arbroath bringing to an end a run of 656 minutes in the league without conceding a goal. Amidst rumours that St. Johnstone are sniffing about striker Zak Rudden, Ian McCall will be keen to bat away any advances from the Perth club. Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 10am on 17th January 2022 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. As has been the case more often than not this season, our hosts are favourites ahead of the match at 4/7, with the draw priced at 13/5 and Morton priced at 9/2. Given Morton's improved defensive performance at Rugby Park, Partick to win with under 2.5 goals in the game at 12/5 or Morton to keep a clean sheet at 15/4 may be worth looking at. Match Officials Referee- Euan Anderson AR 1- Graham Chambers AR 2- John Stewart
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  39. Dean interviews newly appointed Morton GM Chris Ross. Dean and Chris speak about Chris' background in football and wider business, his role at the club, the upcoming takeover, fan engagement, commercial activity, Morton in the Community and more.
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  40. Premier Sports Cup 2021/22 Summary – by Dean McKinnon. Morton’s season got off to a somewhat troublesome beginning as pre-match COVID testing hindered The Ton’s curtain-raising clash at Stair Park. The match against Stranraer was forfeited as news broke that a substantial number of first team players faced a ten-day isolation period following positive tests in the squad. This was not a consequence unique to Morton, with Ross County and Dumbarton withdrawing from their matches against Forfar and St Mirren respectively. With a 3-0 win awarded to the home side and Morton now sitting bottom of the group, it looked like an upward battle to qualify for the Second Round of the Premier Sports Cup. This isolation period forced manager Gus MacPherson’s hand, with a string of academy graduates being thrown into our first home match of the season. Defender Chris Stafford, midfielder Alex King and attackers Michael Garrity and Lewis McGregor all featured in the starting line-up, with Regan Aitken and Josh Cooper both featuring from the bench. Guided by the experienced players in the team, the Academy graduates performed admirably as the game played out in a goalless draw, with Morton claiming an additional point from the ensuing penalty shoot-out. Despite this result being a blow to The Ton’s chances of progression, there was consolation to be taken from how bright the future looks for Inverclyde’s home-grown talent. It was also incredibly unfortunate that our match against East Kilbride was forced to be played behind closed doors. Morton legend Chris Millar lined up against The Ton as East Kilbride’s captain and I’m sure that the entire Morton support would have embraced the opportunity to show their appreciation for a modern-day club legend, who’s stellar contribution against Montrose in the second leg of the playoff semi-final ensured The Ton are playing Championship football this season. Photo - GBR Photos. The returning first team players were thrown out of the frying pan and straight into the fire. The Ton’s returning squad members travelled down to Rugby Park to square off against Championship new boys Kilmarnock with only one post-isolation training session under their belts. The Ayrshire side, who will spend this season competing in the second tier of Scottish football for the first time in twenty-nine years, were rocked in the sixteenth minute as Lewis McGregor gave Morton the lead. The youngster, who retained his starting berth following his impressive performance against East Kilbride, cut inside from the left and curled the ball expertly into Middlesbrough loanee Zach Hemming’s left-hand post. Morton looked solid defensively with the return of the Brian McLean helping guide those around him. Cammy Blues and Kyle Jacobs marshalled the midfield against their former teammate Stephen McGinn, who chose to join the Ayrshire side ahead of extending his Cappielow stay this summer, with the intelligence of Gary Oliver and the presence of Gozie Ugwu causing Kilmarnock’s rear-guard issues as the match wore on. Kilmarnock grew into the game in the second half, enjoying more possession and pressuring the Morton backline with more frequency and intent than in the first half. The home side’s newly discovered momentum made a tough task even harder for a Morton backline that had only trained once in the previous ten days, meaning there was an unfortunate sense of inevitability when the home side levelled in the first minute of injury time. After a sustained period of possession around Morton’s defensive quarters, Fraser Murray’s clipped ball towards the back post was headed back into the danger area by former Morton loanee Jason Naismith towards Kyle Connell, who finished from close range to send the match to spot kicks. Despite leading both 1-0 and 3-2 in the shootout, the shootout headed to sudden death with both teams scoring three penalties a piece. Newly appointed club captain Kyle Jacobs’ miss was punished by Blair Alston who claimed a bonus point for a Kilmarnock side that look as though they may take some time to adjust to life in Scotland’s second tier. Photo - GBR Photos. Unfortunately, the group’s preview results predestined that only the away team had anything substantial to play for as Clyde turned up to Cappielow last Saturday. On a pleasant summer day in front of over 500 Morton supporters, Gus MacPherson freshened the team up, lining up with a diamond in midfield behind Robbie Muirhead and Gozie Ugwu in attack. The Ton started brightly with Robbie Muirhead threatening in the opening stages with two flashes across goal against a Clyde backline featuring former Morton players Jonathan Page and Adam Livingstone. Photo - GBR Photos. Despite having the lion’s share of possession and territory in the first half, the match was goalless at the interval, with Brian McLean requiring to be stretched off after a clash of heads between himself and Kyle Jacobs. Clyde manager Danny Lennon played his hand early in the second hand, introducing Ally Love to proceedings. He repaid his manager’s decision in the 56th minute when he blasted a volley into the top corner of Jack Hamilton’s net from around twenty-five yards out to give his side the lead. Morton turned the screw after Clyde’s opener and soon found their just reward. Cammy Blues floated a ball over the top in the direction of Robbie Muirhead, who brushed off defender Billy Mortimer to prod the ball home for the equaliser. Morton rounded off the comeback in the 68th minute as a Kyle Jacobs ball across the box found its way through to Muirhead at the back post, who slotted home his second of the afternoon. All in all it was a successful afternoon’s work, with the performance being praised by Gus MacPherson, who also stated he wanted to add at least four more bodies to the Morton ranks ahead of the Championship kicking off. Photo - GBR Photos. In group stages that fell foul of the ongoing pandemic, Morton will reflect ruefully on the late goal conceded against eventual group winners Kilmarnock, a goal which changed the complexion of the group entirely. There was the additional, and arguably more visceral, misfortune of being unable to give Chris Millar a deserved send-off in front of the supporters that welcomed him into senior football, wished him well upon his departure and subsequently welcomed him back with open arms. However, there were also plenty of positives to take from the group stages. Our defence looks solid heading into another tough-looking season in the Championship. Robbie Muirhead looks to be thriving after being given a run in his natural position, and with no fewer than eleven Academy graduates featuring across the three matches, there looks to be a bright future on Sinclair Street for producing and showcasing homegrown talent. - A shortened version of this article appeared in the matchday programme vs Dunfermline on 31st August 2021. Click here to order a digital copy of Saturday's match programme.
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  41. (Photo- Gary Bradley) Storm Clouds are Gathering... A Review of Morton's 2020-21 Season, Part One. By Russell Gordon Well, that's it finished, then. Another season of struggle and a seventh consecutive season in the Championship awaits for Morton. When we look back in years to come, we'll see a ninth placed finish and a comfortable play off campaign that secured our Championship status with the minimum of fuss. But boy, that doesn't even scratch the surface of one of the most eventful and downright catastrophic seasons in the history of a club that does eventful and catastrophic like few others. We all know the backdrop- the planet was ravaged by COVID and football was no different- with last season abruptly and prematurely ended by the pandemic, we faced uncertainty over whether we'd see a ball kicked in 2020-21 right through the summer. Many of Morton's peers took the shut down as an opportunity to make the most of social media to promote themselves, seek new forms of sponsorship, get the begging bowl out and pull on the heart strings of their local communities. Raith Rovers and Dunfermline did extremely well in this regard and Arbroath's brick selling campaign worked a treat for them. Morton chairman Crawford Rae took a different approach. Everyone within the club apart from erstwhile CEO Dave MacKinnon was put on the government's furlough scheme and the club effectively ceased operating for the duration of the summer months. Poverty was pleaded, and "we're in the middle of a pandemic" was the answer to all the fans' concerns. That's not to say Morton did nothing right over the summer- they did vote to retain the current league structure instead of meddling with it in order to protect Hearts, Partick Thistle and Stranraer, who saw the early end to the season as the perfect opportunity to spare themselves the ignominy and financial impact of what would've been inevitable relegations, given their form at the time of the season's curtailment. The SPFL pencilled in an October start, and a 27 game league campaign, with everyone facing up three times instead of the usual four. Given Morton's approach to the season, a struggle in the bottom half of the table was always on the cards, but boss David Hopkin eventually made moves to assemble a squad that he hoped would be able to do enough to survive but do little else in the division. As is always the case, some moved onto pastures new, with star man from the previous campaign Nicky Cadden, moving south to English League Two side Forest Green Rovers, where he would enjoy a fruitful season helping them into the play-offs before falling short in a dramatic semi-final against Newport. Perhaps most grating to the support was the loss of Reghan Tumilty to Raith Rovers. Whilst Tumilty had been sent to the purgatory of a loan spell at Dumbarton, he came back looking a more than accomplished attacking full back who could have a lot to offer. Morton however, couldn't, or didn't, offer him the terms or the length of contract that the more proactive Fifers did. Amazing what not sitting on your hands in a time of crisis does for you, eh? It would also be remiss of me not to note that our main source of goals over the previous couple of seasons, Bob McHugh, choosing to drop down to League Two, working under the man who so memorably took Falkirk down to League One, Raymond McKinnon (sorry, that couldn't go without a mention) was an indication of how attractive a proposition playing for Morton is in the current climate. The first two in the door were Rabin Omar of Elgin City, making the step up to full time football after a relatively successful period in League Two with the Highlanders and previously Annan, and the returning Gary Oliver, charged with the unenviable task of trying to fire in enough goals to keep our heads above water. Others soon followed, with the signing of some unfamiliar faces such as Ross County's James Wallace, who had impressed for Brora Rangers against the Ton in the cup the previous season, Sunderland defender Michael Ledger and former Celtic and Rangers youth keeper Aidan McAdams, who, with extremely limited first team experience was brought in as Morton's only senior goalkeeper. Hopkin did use the loan market to supplement his squad, with promising Rangers youth Josh McPake coming in alongside Motherwell striker Ross McIver. Centre back Markus Fjortoft from Hamilton was perhaps the highest profile signing, but that profile owed more to his famous father's stellar career in the English Premier League than to Fjortoft himself. He did however prove to be one of the relative success stories of the season, along with Ledger and McAdams. So, with a period without fans being allowed inside football grounds the world over ahead, clubs were hit with the dilemma of how to bridge the financial gap that this would clearly entail and the obvious solution for clubs in Scotland was to provide online streaming services, and Morton were no different. Except, they were a bit different. Different in that they just didn't heed any of the warnings that the fans gave them about their website's capacity and ability to cope with such traffic on a matchday. First of all, a commentary team were put in place, and who better than Morton legend and patter merchant extraordinaire Andy Ritchie and, err... local Celtic fan Gerry McDade? In fairness, the double act worked very well, with McDade providing a competent and fairly balanced commentary that was, whilst perhaps not lauded by fans of other clubs in the ultra-partisan world of Scottish football, was at least accepted as one of the better club productions. Ritchie would provide an informed analysis along with him, which was sprinkled with a bit of humour, allowing us to raise the odd smile through this most tortuous of campaigns. The stream itself debuted in our opening League Cup Group stage game, against familiar foes Queen of the South. The Ton had been placed in perhaps the toughest of groups, with the Doonhamers, local rivals St. Mirren, relegated Partick Thistle and the monied Queen's Park, providing plenty of grudge games given Partick's misplaced sense of injustice and Raymond's latest return visit to Cappielow. It was an inauspicious start on a couple of fronts though, with the stream, some might say predictably crashing before being transferred over to YouTube, and all those who stumped up being refunded for the inconvenience whilst the team were twice clawed back from a winning position to lose on penalties to a club we felt would be struggling alongside, if not below us in the league. There was however some cheer in the following fixture when Queen's Park came calling and a second half goal from Cameron Blues sent Raymond heading back down the road with his tail firmly between his legs. Again. And onwards it was to the league campaign, with Alloa the first visitors to the tail o' the bank and Morton enjoying a successful start that wasn't without it's scares. Cammy Salkeld's early goal was enough to separate the teams, but the Wasps could feel aggrieved not to at least have gotten a penalty, and may have felt worthy of a point from a match in which Josh McPake starred but was needlessly sent off for a couple of daft bookings. The Ton's first away trip was to Dens Park, where they fell to an early Jonathan Afolabi goal. Robbie Muirhead incurred the wrath of a number of those watching from home when he was stupidly sent off for two bookings- the second of which being for sarcastically applauding the referee as he issued his first. This prompted Hopkin to go on the offensive with the support, who he felt had gone way over the top with their criticisms, or in his view, abuse of Muirhead. The first signs of a fractious relationship between the club and support were to prove brief however, as October came to a close with the most entertaining match of the season. Ayr United came calling and, inspired by Cammy Smith, stormed into a two goal lead in spite of Morton's one man advantage after Aaron Muirhead did Aaron Muirhead things and was sent packing for scything down Aidan Nesbitt on the touchline. Morton were to stage a dramatic late comeback- Oliver calmly netting with seven minutes to go after Strapp's long ball into the danger zone caused chaos in the previously impregnable Ayr defence. Again, it was a long diagonal a couple of minutes later that led to Cammy Blues' equaliser as Ayr completely lost the plot and the same tactic worked a treat a further three minutes on, Lewis Strapp sealing the most dramatic of wins with a diving header which, had we been allowed inside, would have had Cappielow in raptures. All was well in the world. Lewis Stapp heads home Morton's dramatic late winner against Ayr. (Photo- Gary Bradley) But Morton being Morton, brought us back down to earth with an incredible bump. A visit to Kirkcaldy never seems to bring much joy, and with Raith enjoying a fine start to the season on their return to the division, they dished out a 5-0 hammering to the Ton in what was to prove our heaviest defeat of the campaign. It was Jim McAlister's turn to see red this time, but with the score line sitting at 2-0 at the time, the damage had already been done before the captain walked. The league campaign would take a back seat for a fortnight as international football took centre stage, but before that wonderful night in Belgrade that brought so much joy to the nation, there was the small matter for Morton of a Renfrewshire Derby at New St. Mirren Park in front of the cameras to negotiate, as our League Cup Group Stage campaign resumed. St. Mirren weren't without their own problems at the time, with COVID ravaging their squad and the SPFL hammering them for their own part in their internal outbreak, somewhat unjustly in my eyes. That's the last you'll hear anything sympathetic from me towards them though. Minus their suspended skipper, Morton set up defensively but St. Mirren took until 5 minutes before half time to open the scoring, a Jonathan Obika header finally breaking down our resistance, and a home win looked to be on the cards from there. But a completely different Morton side reappeared for the second half, with the introduction of Kyle Jacobs in midfield allowing us to get more of a grip on the game, and another substitution, that of Ross McIver on the hour, proving crucial. The on-loan Motherwell man netted within seconds of his introduction to secure a draw and head us towards another penalty shoot-out, in which the Saints prevailed en route to a semi-final defeat by Livingston. In a week of penalty shoot-outs, you'd perhaps have accepted Morton's misfortune just this once to see Scotland qualifying so dramatically out in Serbia, but the third penalty competition of the week followed a 0-0 draw in the final group stage game, by now effectively a dead rubber at Firhill. Morton lost their third penalty competition of the season. And so, it was back to league business, and a truly turgid 0-0 draw with Arbroath. Hopkin's negative tactics had been drawing widespread criticism from the club's fans but on this occasion, it was one of his peers, the Red Lichties' gaffer, Dick Campbell who was scathing in his assessment of how Hopkin had set up to stifle the game, and made very little attempt to win it. As the festive period approached, we welcomed Hearts to Cappielow for the first time in 33 years, and to be honest, there was no chance of Morton ever getting anything from the fixture. Two Jamie Walker goals either side of the break gave Hearts a win that would've been far more convincing had it not been for the performance of Ton custodian Aidan McAdams. Former Morton Manager, David Hopkin (Photo- Gary Bradley) There were no great surprises in losing to the Jambos, but a few days later, Cappielow was plunged into chaos as David Hopkin handed in his resignation as first team manager. This was portrayed by the club as a selfless act in order to protect the club in a period of uncertainty, but fooled nobody. Hopkin's incredibly unbalanced squad building, which by this point in the season still left us without a reserve goalkeeper, had come back to bite him. By all accounts, it appeared he had asked for more money to bring in a reserve keeper and been refused, before spitting the dummy and resigning in a fit of rage. It's difficult to pinpoint who is exactly responsible for this ridiculous situation arising, but the board placed their trust in the manager to work with a budget and he made a mess of it. Perhaps they should've been questioning the assembly of said squad, but ultimately the manager has to carry the can for such a shambles. Had they interfered, he would've had every right to point out that assembling the squad and picking the team was his responsibility. That it was, and as a result, his departure was mourned by very few. Hopkin had arrived with great fanfare, and as a Morton fan who had previously managed to bring success to a financially stricken Livingston, appeared the perfect fit to do likewise at his local team. It never happened though, and with the number of rumours of unrest in the background, and subsequent dirty laundry being aired in public, Hopkin's departure was probably good news for all concerned. There was to be no swift replacement, however. Assistant Manager Anton McElhone took the reins, with the help of senior players Jim McAlister, Chris Millar and Brian McLean. His tenure was to get off to an unexpectedly fantastic start. Under the backdrop of a takeover announcement from fans' group Morton Club Together, it was back to Fife for Morton, just over a month after their 0-5 trousering by Raith, and a completely unexpected 2-1 victory against a Dunfermline side that had recently defeated champions-elect Hearts and appeared nailed on for a play-off place. McAlister's final goal for Morton (more of that one later) and a Craig McGuffie strike sealed the three points in a game in which Morton also had a Kalvin Orsi goal controversially ruled out after it had clearly crossed the line, minutes before Declan McManus equalised from the spot for the Pars. Orsi was to prove the hero the following week, with a brace in a 2-0 home win over Queen of the South as Morton incredibly climbed to third in the table. With such momentum, it was perhaps a shame that the Boxing Day fixture with Inverness fell foul of the weather, and Morton brought 2020 to a close with a 1-1 draw at Somerset Park, which probably should've yielded three points. Aidan McAdams' uncharacteristic error allowed Luke McCowan to equalise after Nesbitt had converted from the spot to give us a first half lead. Cammy Salkeld and Kalvin Orsi hail Craig McGuffie's late winner at East End Park. (Photo- Gary Bradley) But a winter of severe discontent on and off the park was to follow. The terms of the takeover irked a large section of the support- specifically Crawford Rae's intention to retain ownership of Cappielow and the car park for his family and to charge a peppercorn rent. It raised comparisons between Rae and previous owner Hugh Scott and made the chairman public enemy number one in the eyes of the rank-and-file. The proposal also raised questions about the competence of MCT, who appeared far too content to just accept the first proposal Rae gave them in order to get their feet under the proverbial desk without offending the chairman. As 2020 ended and 2021 began, there were a lot of questions on the lips of Morton fans, and not very many answers coming from the powers that be...
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