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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.
    11 points
  2. (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
  3. (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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  4. (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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  5. 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.
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  6. (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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  7. 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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  8. 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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  9. 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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  10. 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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  11. 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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  12. 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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  13. 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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  14. 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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  15. 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
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  16. 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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  17. 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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