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Our match preview and thread is brought to you in association with The Inverclyde Boiler Company, The Inverclyde Bathroom Company and The Inverclyde Kitchen Company. Shayne and his team are extremely proud to serve the Inverclyde community 💙 Our match thread is brought to you in association with Titan Spirits, a local company inspired by Clydeside heritage and Inverclyde's incredible scenery. Their new Titan Spiced Rum is available now! Click here to order Titan Spiced Rum! Our match thread is brought to you in association with the new Clyde Eats app and The Cottage Cafe Bistro. Clyde Eats is a new, Inverclyde-based food delivery app aiming to showcase the very best local restaurants and takeaways. Their app launches on 1st September, make sure you check it out!

Ayr United vs Morton – Match Preview by Dean McKinnon. Morton travel to Ayrshire for the second time this month to face an Ayr United, with the Sinclair Street side seeking their first league win in five matches. Gus MacPherson’s side have fell to Queen of the South, Partick, Kilmarnock and Raith Rovers in succession and will be targeting three points against a newly rejuvinated Ayr United side under the management of former Morton gaffer Jim Duffy. Injury News MacPherson will welcome club captain Kyle Jacobs back into the fold following a spell of illness. Gozie Ugwu will hopefully be fit enough to play his part at Somerset Park after taking a knock away at Kilmarnock. Photo - GBR Photographs. Current Connections Assistant manager Andy Millen was sent on loan to Ayr United in 1997 while on the books at Raith Rovers, before joining the Ayrshire side permanently. He made sixty league appearances before joining Morton in 1999. Alan Lithgow spent a season at Somerset Park with then League One Ayr United, making thirty-four league appearances over the season. Jim Duffy is the current interim manager at Somerset Park, following David Hopkin’s resignation after just fifteen competitive matches. Duffy, who turned out for Morton from 1982-85, joined Morton in 2014 in the wake of relegation to League One, with manager Kenny Shiels being relieved of his duties. He guided the club to the League One title, before getting Morton to the Premiership playoffs and reaching the League Cup semi-final. Dave Timmons was recruited alongside David Hopkin to serve as a goalkeeper coach and scout at Cappielow, he subsequently left alongside Hopkin in December 2020. Andy Murdoch signed for Jim Duffy in September 2016 following his release from Rangers. The hard-working midfielder quickly endeared himself to the Morton support, becoming a mainstay in the side alongside Celtic loanee Jamie Lindsay. Following seventy-five appearances in all competitions for The Ton, Duffy’s successor Ray McKinnon released the midfielder, much to the dismay of the Morton support. Murdoch subsequently signed for Championship rivals Ayr, where he has remained since. Michael Miller was part of the Morton side who won League One in 2014/15. He made forty-eight appearances over two years at the club before joining Livingston. He is currently on the books at Ayr United while on loan at Stenhousemuir. Jack Baird signed for Morton on loan from rivals St Mirren in 2019. He made twenty-one appearances for The Ton before subsequently moving down to Ayr on a permanent deal following his release from St Mirren. Following David Hopkin’s appointment at Somerset Park, he sought some familiar faces from his Morton squad that finished 9th in the Championship last term. Goalkeeper Aidan McAdams, defenders Sean McGinty and Marcus Fjortoft and attacker Cameron Salkeld all joined their former gaffer in his new role. Tale of the Tape Morton and Ayr shared the spoils last season, with both teams claiming a win and a draw. On Matchday 3, goals either side of half time from Cammy Smith gave the away side a two goal lead. Two goals in two minutes from Gary Oliver and Cammy Blues levelled the match before a Lewis Strapp header rounded off a stunning comeback for the Sinclair Street side. On Matchday 9, Anton McElhone’s side claimed a point at Somerset Park. Aidan Nesbitt put Morton ahead from the penalty spot following a rash challenge from Ayr player/manager Mark Kerr. An Aidan McAdams error allowed Luke McCowan to tap in from close range and gain a point for his side. On Matchday 18, a Cammy Smith double earned his side a valuable three points against a Morton side that failed to register a single shot on target. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis Tomi Adeloye is the top goal threat for the Ayrshire side, with the former East Kilbride player finding the net four times in six appearances so far this term. This match should see a high number of saves, with Morton goalkeeper Jack Hamilton and Ayr shot stopper Charlie Albinson ranking first and second in the league for saves made this term. Hamilton has faced twenty-three shots in six matches (3.83 per 90 minutes), with Albinson facing seventeen matches in five appearances (3.40 per 90 minutes). Both teams have been shot-shy this term, with Morton ranking 8th for shots taken with fifty-five (9.17 per 90 minutes) and Ayr ranking 10th with thirty-nine shots taken (6.50 per 90 minutes). I spoke to Marc Dunlop (@Marco_Ayr) ahead of tomorrow’s match, who spoke of the resurgence in the ranks since Jim Duffy took over following David Hopkin’s resignation - “The Honest Men entertain Morton this weekend with a renewed confidence. On the back of David Hopkins departure, interim boss Jim Duffy has guided Ayr to two league wins on the bounce, conceding only one goal in the process. Should this form continue, I’d expect Chairman David Smith to offer Duffy the job permanently. During this short spell, the exciting young Irishman O’Connor seems to be cementing a starting berth & his creativity will be key if they are to make Saturday three out of three. Frontman Adeloye is also finding his feet at this level & will be hoping to add to his already respectable goal tally. Defensively, an unchanged back line is expected & with a plethora of ex Morton players in the ranks, it should give them extra motivation to find the three points.” Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All match odds are provided by McBookie. All odds correct as of 10am on 23rd September 2021 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Ayr head into Saturday’s match as the bookmakers’ favourites, priced at 4/5 to win. Ayr to win with BTTS is 16/5, with Ayr priced at 19/10 to win with a clean sheet. The Ayrshire side to win on a -1 handicap prices at 5/2. The draw is chalked at 5/2 with a 0-0 draw priced at 9/1. Outsiders Morton are priced at 3/1 to win at Somerset. The Ton to win and BTTS prices up at 7/1, with Morton to win with a clean sheet chalked up at 11/1. If you fancy Morton to win with a -1 handicap a price of 10/1 is your reward. Match Officials Referee – Mike Roncone. AR1 – Ralph Gordon. AR2 – Chris Phillips.

Away Day Guide – Ayr United (25th September) Photo - The Scottish Football Partnership. Tickets Tickets for Saturday’s game must be purchased using Ayr’s online ticketing system. Click here to purchase tickets. Entry prices are £18 for adults, £12 for concessions (OAPs, students and 18-21 year olds) and £6 for U18s. The match will also be streamed live on PPV by Black & White TV for those that can’t make it to Somerset Park. PPV access can be purchased here. Supporters Buses The Gourock Morton Supporters bus will leave from Monteiths at 1pm, with the bar opening at 11am. The cost is £10 for all travellers, message their page on Facebook or contact Mark on 07847847357 to book a space. Port Glasgow Morton Travel Club will leave from The Sutherland Bar at 1pm. The price will be decided on the day depending on the number of seats sold, message their page on Facebook or contact Bryan on 07969760291 to book. The Morton Supporters Club bus is departing at 1.15pm from the club. The cost is £10 for adults and £7 for U16s/OAPs. Contact David on 07719548046 to book. By Train There are three services an hour to Glasgow Central on the low line, departing Gourock at :08, :38 and :54 every hour, as well as one train an hour on the high line, departing Wemyss Bay at :57 every hour. Travel to Paisley Gilmour Street, alight and transfer to Platform 1, where Ayr-bound services depart from. Newton-on-Ayr is the closest station to the stadium (10 minute walk), but not all Ayr services stop there, so make sure you check before you travel. Ayr station is a twenty minute walk from the station. An adult return from Gourock to Ayr costs £12.70, with a Wemyss Bay to Ayr adult return costing £12.60. All info taken from Scotrail's website. By Car From the A77 take the A719 (Whitletts Road) into Ayr. After passing the racecourse on your left, turn right at the next set of traffic lights for the ground, or turn left to take you down to an unofficial car park. Turning right will take you into Burnett Terrace, then left into Hawkhill Avenue and then right into Somerset Road. The ground is down on the left. There is a small car park at the ground adjacent to the Main Stand but this is for pass holders only. There is plenty of street parking to be found in the area around the stadium. Pre-Match Photo - The Ayr Advertiser If alighting at Newton-on-Ayr then The Wallace Bar (6 Tam's Brig, Ayr KA8 8JQ) is a two minute walk from the station en-route to the stadium. If alighting at Ayr then Smiths (13 Dalblair Rd, Ayr KA7 1UF) is a ten minute walk from the station. The usual meeting place for away fans before a match at Somerset Park is Hawkhill Bowling Club (Back Hawkhill Ave, Ayr KA8 9LX), which is two minutes from the stadium. Photo - Ayr Hawkhill Facebook Page

Alan and Dean discuss Morton's defeat on Saturday, Morton's lack of goals and Gus MacPherson's role at the club.

Alan and Dean discuss Morton's defeat on Saturday, Morton's lack of goals and Gus MacPherson's role at the club.

Photo - Craig Doyle Sports Media Morton exited the SWF Championship Cup after falling 7-0 to Edinburgh City in the Second Round yesterday. On Sunday, Morton travel to Clyde in the SWF Championship South. Full details will be released in due course.

Our match preview and thread is brought to you in association with The Inverclyde Boiler Company, The Inverclyde Bathroom Company and The Inverclyde Kitchen Company. Shayne and his team are extremely proud to serve the Inverclyde community 💙 Our match thread is brought to you in association with Titan Spirits, a local company inspired by Clydeside heritage and Inverclyde's incredible scenery. Their new Titan Spiced Rum is available now! Click here to order Titan Spiced Rum! Our match thread is brought to you in association with the new Clyde Eats app and The Cottage Cafe Bistro. Clyde Eats is a new, Inverclyde-based food delivery app aiming to showcase the very best local restaurants and takeaways. Their app launches on 1st September, make sure you check it out!

Morton vs Raith Rovers - Match Preview by Dean McKinnon. Morton welcome Raith Rovers to Cappielow tomorrow, attempting to claim their first point in four Championship matches. Gus MacPherson’s side will look to bounce back from successive defeats in the hands of Queen of the South, Partick Thistle and Kilmarnock against a Raith Rovers side that have stuttered so far this season. John McGlynn’s side were standouts last season, finishing 3rd behind promoted sides Hearts and Dundee, and will provide another stern test for the Sinclair Street side. Injury News Morton captain Kyle Jacobs looks certain to miss out again this week. Striker Gozie Ugwu is facing a race against time to be fit enough to play his part in Saturday’s match, despite having featured as a late substitute against Kilmarnock as Morton tried to force an equaliser. Photo - GBR Photographs. Current Connections Morton’s assistant manager Andy Millen spent a season in Kirkaldy as a player in 1997, making eighteen league appearances. David McGurn is the most obvious link between The Ton and our Fife counterparts. He joined Morton in 2002 as a youth from Hillwood Boys Club. After being promoted to the first team, he spent the entirety of 2003-04 deputising to Craig Coyle, who also played for Raith Rovers. After one hundred appearances over four seasons in the first team, he left to join then part-time Raith Rovers to enhance his career prospects out-with football. After seven seasons between the sticks, he had spells with Stranraer and Cowdenbeath before returning to Kirkcaldy in 2019 as a player/goalkeeping coach. Reghan Tumilty spent two seasons on the books at Morton. He was a mainstay in the turbulent 2018-19 season, making forty appearances in all competitions. David Hopkin didn’t appear to rate the full-back, sending him out on loan to Jim Duffy’s Dumbarton side for the first half of the 2019-20 season. He was recalled over the festive period but chose to leave the club in the close season to join Raith Rovers. Tale of the Tape Raith Rovers claimed maximum points against Morton last season in their three league meetings. On Matchday 4, Morton fell 5-0 at Starks Park. With Morton already two goals down, captain Jim McAlister was sent off for a dangerous tackle, with Raith Rovers taking full advantage of the numerical difference between the sides. On Matchday 15, an Iain Davidson strike in the twelfth minute gave the away side all three points at Cappielow, with Morton failing to register a single shot on target throughout the ninety minutes. On Matchday 22, a late Jamie Gullan goal split the sides at Starks Park. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis Raith have found the net on five occasions so far this season, once more than Morton. The Fife side have attempted 48 shots (12.0 per 90 minutes) so far this term, joint fourth place in the league, compared to Morton who have attempted 42 shots (8.4 per 90 minutes) this season, ranking The Ton joint seventh. Raith have registered 24 shots on target (6.0 per 90 minutes) this term (2nd in the Championship), compared to Morton having 16 shots on target (3.2 per 90 minutes) so far this season (8th in the Championship). Familiar face Reghan Tumilty has been a creative outlet for the Fife side this term, with two assists in four appearances. I spoke to sport journalist Alan Temple (@AlanFTemple) this week, who spoke about Raith’s efforts to follow on from last season – “After losing a swathe of their top performers from last season — most notably the metronomic Regan Hendry — Rovers’ campaign has been as inconsistent as one might expect. Rebuilding a team and conditioning them to play in John McGlynn’s fluid, free-flowing style isn’t an overnight endeavour. The lights going out on their derby against Dunfermline didn’t help in the quest for momentum. However, there have been flashes of progress — the thrilling 2-1 win over Aberdeen in the Premier Sports Cup; a professional win at Ayr United; the first 65 minutes against Hamilton before all hell broke loose. Even in last weekend's 1-0 home defeat to Queen of the South, Rovers registered 20 shots and 14 corners. They are liberally creating chances but perhaps lack that seasoned, clinical striker to put the ball in the back of the net. How they miss the luckless Lewis Vaughan. The real threat will come from the flanks. Dario Zanatta is a player reborn and will cause havoc cutting in from the left wing as the willing Liam Dick overlaps. With Aidan Connolly injured, Kai Fotheringham and Reghan Tumilty have the same rapport on the right. Dylan Tait has progressed superbly this season and is a tireless presence in midfield, bombing forward and getting shots away. How he has failed to find the net this term remains a mystery. Be warned, a goal is coming. Speaking to John earlier this week, he was full of praise for Gus McPherson and, in particular, his recent recruitment. The captures of Jaakko Oksanen and Gavin Reilly were met with admiration. He fully expects a testing encounter. Nevertheless, a defeat for Rovers would turn a challenging start to the campaign into a disappointing one. My prediction would be 3-1 Raith Rovers with Dario Zanatta scoring and generally giving Michael Ledger a testing afternoon at the coalface. Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All match odds are provided by McBookie. All odds correct as of 6am on 16th September 2021 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Despite home advantage, Morton head into tomorrow’s clash as outsiders, priced at 9/5 to win. Morton to win with BTTS is 9/2, and The Ton are 4/1 to win without reply. If you fancy a comfortable home victory, you can claim 11/2 on Morton to win on a -1 handicap. The draw chalks up at 12/5, with a 0-0 stalemate pricing at 10/1. Raith Rovers are 13/10 to win. The Fife side are 7/2 to win with BTTS and 3/1 to win without reply. You can back Raith Rovers on a -1 handicap at 15/4. Match Officials Referee – Colin Steven. Assistant Referees – Gordon Crawford and Michael MacDermid.

Photo - GBR Photographs. Morton ran out 4-0 winners against Gleniffer Thistle yesterday at Parklea thanks to goals from Caitlin McKee and a hattrick from 16 year old Rhiana Rankin. Here is how the SWF Championship table looks after Matchday Five - On Sunday - Morton travel to Edinburgh City in Round Two of the SWF Championship Cup, with full details being released in due course.

Dean and Stephen discuss yesterday's 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock, the new arrivals in the squad and preview Saturday's match against Raith Rovers.

Dean and Stephen discuss yesterday's 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock, the new arrivals in the squad and preview Saturday's match against Raith Rovers.

Our match preview and thread is brought to you in association with The Inverclyde Boiler Company, The Inverclyde Bathroom Company and The Inverclyde Kitchen Company. Shayne and his team are extremely proud to serve the Inverclyde community 💙 Our match thread is brought to you in association with Titan Spirits, a local company inspired by Clydeside heritage and Inverclyde's incredible scenery. Their new Titan Spiced Rum is available now! Click here to order Titan Spiced Rum! Our match thread is brought to you in association with the new Clyde Eats app and The Cottage Cafe Bistro. Clyde Eats is a new, Inverclyde-based food delivery app aiming to showcase the very best local restaurants and takeaways. Their app launches on 1st September, make sure you check it out!

Kilmarnock vs Morton – Match Preview by Dean McKinnon Gus MacPherson’s side travel down the coast tomorrow for the first league meeting between Morton and Kilmarnock since the 1992/93 season – when Gus MacPherson was playing for the Ayrshire side. Looking to improve upon an incredibly disappointing performance and result at Partick Thistle a fortnight ago, the Cappielow side will take confidence from the 1-1 draw against tomorrow’s opponents in this season’s League Cup group stages. Morton fans will be looking forward to casting their eyes over the new arrivals in Gus MacPherson’s squad – with defender Oisin McEntee, midfielders Jaakko Oksanen and Tom Allan and attacker Gavin Reilly all arriving on Sinclair Street in the closing days of the transfer window. This enthusiasm may be tempered slightly by the news that both captain Kyle Jacobs and striker Gozie Ugwu are doubts heading into this clash against a Kilmarnock side tipped as favourites to win the Championship this season. Photo - GBR Photographs. Current Connections While nobody in the current Morton squad have ever played for Kilmarnock, both Gus MacPherson and Andy Millen have turned out for the Ayrshire side. Millen made 57 league appearances for the Ayrshire side between 1993-95, earning a Scotland B cap against Wales B for his endeavours. Gus MacPherson joined Killie in 1991, having failed to make the grade as a Rangers as a youth player. He spent a decade in Ayrshire as a mainstay in their squad, making 354 league appearances for the club. The crowning achievement of his time with Killie was lifting the Scottish Cup in 1997, beating Morton 5-2 in the Quarter Finals. Jason Naismith signed for Kilmarnock in the summer after his release from Premiership side Ross County. Naismith spent six months on loan at Morton in 2012 from parent club St Mirren, marking the first time in history that a player had been loaned between the two rival clubs. After making only seven appearances for The Ton, he returned to Paisley before being sent on loan to Cowdenbeath to complete the season. Stephen McGinn spent the tail end of last season on loan at Sinclair Street. Gus MacPherson utilised the positive relationship he had with the player and convinced him from Hibernian. Debuting away to Dunfermline, McGinn went on to make eight league appearances, including both legs of the playoff final victory against Airdrieonians. Tale of the Tape This is the second meeting of the sides this season, having squared off already in Morton’s ill-fated League Cup campaign. Morton opened the scoring in the sixteenth minute as teenager Lewis McGregor cut inside onto his right foot and curled the ball into the far corner from the edge of the box, grasping his first-team opportunity with both hands. Morton tired late on, with former Morton loanee Jason Naismith’s delivery into the box being pushed towards Kyle Connell who equalised in the first minute of injury time. Tommy Wright’s side went on to win on penalties and progress from the group. Morton’s last win against Kilmarnock came once again in the League Cup, this time in Morton’s successful 2016/17 season. Gary Oliver and Jai Quitongo goals sealed an excellent win for Jim Duffy’s side en route to a League Cup Semi Final appearance for the first time in thirty-five years. You can read our ‘Where Are They Now?’ article for the 2016/17 semi-final squad here. The two teams last shared a division in 1992/93, with the last league meeting between the sides coming on 9th March 1993. Goals from Martin Doak and Jim Tolmie secured a point for The Ton. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis Following their 1-0 home defeat to Inverness on Matchday Four, Kilmarnock sit 3rd in the Championship behind Partick Thistle and the aforementioned Inverness. Both Kilmarnock and Morton have scored five league goals this term, Kilmarnock are top of the league table for shots attempted (11.75 per 90 minutes), with Morton joint 5th in shots attempted (9.00 shots per 90 minutes). The most notable statistical difference between the two sides so far this term is in their defensive capabilities. Kilmarnock have only conceded one goal so far this season, in their 1-0 defeat to Inverness. By contrast, Morton have conceded eight goals to date this term. Zach Hemming has the second best clean sheet in the division so far, with three of his four matches played resulting in shutouts. Hemming has faced the second least number of shots in the league so far (seven shots), as opposed to Morton’s Jack Hamiton who has faced more shots on target than any other goalkeeper in the division (seventeen shots). I spoke to Kilmarnock fan Peter McCormack (@CamMcCo on Twitter), who spoke about the squad rebuild and change of mentality at Kilmarnock as they adjust to life in the second tier – “For Kilmarnock, it has been a summer of rebuilding, taking stock and getting over the shambles of last season and our subsequent, deserved, relegation to the Championship. However, there has been a cautious optimism among the Kilmarnock rank and file support (ignoring the hot heads and bampots who expect instant success after decades of being spoiled by our extended stay in the top flight) as Tommy Wright (and Director of Football James Fowler) have constructed a solid foundation of a team over the last few months. The club have stated that their goal for the season is promotion and the press and bookmakers have backed this opinion likewise. The title of favourites, though, is one which Kilmarnock haven't often been used to. With almost all of last season's team out of contract (thankfully for the most part), as well as the need to change things following successive seasons of poor showings, a clearing of the decks has been undertaken and the replacements drafted in appear to have been of a solid, experienced spine, with a focus on players of a reliable and consistent standard, rather than any attempt at signing "stars" (relatively speaking). Early season form (including pre-season) has been encouraging, with the only blots on our copy book being an unsurprising and fairly expected 2-0 defeat by Hibs at Easter Road and a disappointing 0-1 defeat at Rugby Park by potential title rivals Inverness in our most recent league match. Performances generally have been workmanlike but effective and this squad already plays far more football than last seasons. The additions of new captain Stokes (currently injured) and vice-captain Ewan Murray at centre back have made a huge improvement on last season, as has Hemming in goal, which has allowed a foundation for the likes of McGinn, Polworth, Alston, the impressive Fraser Murray and the evergreen Chris Burke to play through the midfield. Arguably we have been short of experienced, recognised first team centre forwards (academy graduate Innes Cameron had been leading the line but is not yet the finished article, then converted midfielder Scott Robinson who scored a double in our win at Hamilton but is now injured; Rumarn Burrell who is a young forward on loan from Middlesbrough set up the winner against QOTS after coming on as a late sub, but then was also injured), but the deadline day arrival of former Hibs striker Oli Shaw from Ross County and for whom we have paid a transfer fee gives hope that this issue has been addressed. The manager insists a loan striker is still being worked on also, so there may yet be more to come there. In terms of what to expect from Killie, we play a 4-2-3-1 system, we're fairly solid in the centre and stable at the back and we rely on the full backs and the left and right wingers to act as our width and out ball, with Polmont the central creator behind the lone forward. We've shown a tendency to grind out results where last season we would have failed to, and hopefully we will be keen to make up for the no show against ICT last time out in the league (we beat Falkirk 3-1 in our most recent match in the SPFL Trust Trophy, but matches against a side of Falkirk's utter diddiness hardly merit a mention).” Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All match odds are provided by McBookie. All odds correct as of 6am on 8th August 2021 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Kilmarnock go into this match as heavy favourites with the bookies – priced at 1/2 to win in any manner. The home side to win and BTTS chalks up at 23/10 and the Ayrshire side are 29/10 to win without reply. Killie are 29/20 to win on a -1 handicap. The draw is priced at 31/10 with a 0-0 stalemate priced at 11/1. Morton to take all three points away from Rugby Park prices at 19/4. Morton to win and BTTS is 9/1, with the Greenock side also chalked at 9/1 to win without reply. Morton are 14/1 to win on a -1 handicap.

Kilmarnock vs Morton – Away Day Guide Photo - Wikipedia Tickets All match tickets must be purchased in advance. Click here to buy a ticket. Prices are as follows - Adult – £20; Over 65/Students/Under 21 – £15; Under 18 – £10; Under 16 – £5. Supporters Buses The Gourock Morton Supporters bus will leave from Monteiths at 1pm, with the bar opening at 11am. The cost is £12 for all travellers, message their page on Facebook or contact Mark on 07847847357 to book a space. Port Glasgow Morton Travel Club will leave from The Sutherland Bar at 1.30pm. The price will be decided on the day depending on the number of seats sold, message their page on Facebook or contact Bryan on 07969760291 to book. The Morton Supporters Club bus is departing at 1.15pm from the club. The cost is £10 for adults and £7 for U16s/OAPs. Contact David on 07719548046 to book. By Train There are three services an hour to Glasgow Central on the low line, departing Gourock at :08, :38 and :54 every hour, as well as one train an hour on the high line, departing Wemyss Bay at :57 every hour. Please note that Glasgow Central to Kilmarnock trains DO NOT stop at Paisley Gilmour Street, so transfers must be made in Glasgow. An adult return from Gourock costs £11.20 and an adult return from Wemyss Bay costs £11.30. After arriving in Kilmarnock, the stadium is around a 20-minute walk (1.1 miles) from the train station along John Finnie Street and Dundonald Road, with three of pubs en-route. All info taken from Scotrail's website. By Car Use KA1 1UR as the postcode if you are travelling to Rugby Park, this will take you to Dundonald Place and the south entrance to Rugby Park. There is restricted access on match days. There is also no access to Rugby Park by way of Rugby Road (KA1 2DP) on match days. Pre-Match The closest pub to the train station is Fanny by Gaslight (22-24 West George Street, Kilmarnock, KA1 1DG). The Clansman (56 John Finnie St, Kilmarnock KA1 1BS) can also be found en-route between the train station and the stadium. The Park Hotel is the most convenient stop-off for a pre-match pint (2 Dundonald Pl, Kilmarnock KA1 1UR) and is a two minute walk from the turnstiles. Photo - Picture This Scotland

Photo - GBR Photographs. Morton ran out 6-2 winners against Clyde Ladies yesterday at Parklea in the First Round of the SWF Championship Cup thanks to a hatrick from Laura Darroch and goals from Rachel McConnachie, Leah Campbell and Caitlin McKee. They will now face Edinburgh City away in the next round on Sunday 19th September. Here is the draw in full - Click here for match photography by GBR Photographs. This Sunday, Morton take on Gleniffer Thistle at Parklea, with full details being released in due course.

With Finnish midfielder Jaakko Oksanen joining the club on transfer deadline day, Russell Gordon took the opportunity to reminisce about Morton's Flying Finns - Janne Lindberg and Marko Rajamaki.

(Photo- www.tellhimhespele.com) The Flying Finns by Russell Gordon Tuesday's deadline day drama certainly had us all glued to our phones, in what was perhaps the most exciting day of positive movement in and out of Cappielow since the inception of the windows, around a generation ago. Even when Douglas Rae opened the purse strings in the January of 2015 to bolster our promotion charge with the signings of Peter MacDonald, Ross Forbes and the re-signing of Declan McManus, our enthusiasm was tempered by the farcical nature of Michael Tidser's arrival in spite of his ineligibility to actually play until the following season. But with the arrival of Finland Under 21 international Jaako Oksanen on loan from Brentford, it was only natural that those of us of a certain vintage looked back fondly to Nordic influxes of days gone by. I wouldn't be doing them justice to attempt to write about the Great Danes of the 1960s, such as Kai Johansen, Carl Bertlesen, Borge Thorup, Jorn Sorenson, Preben Arentoft and the man in black, Erik Sorenson; but my memory does stretch back to the arrival of Finland internationals Janne Lindberg and Marko Rajamaki in the autumn of 1994. We were first exposed to Janne a month before his arrival at Cappielow when he played for Finland in their opening Euro '96 qualifier against Scotland, inadvertently assisting John Collins' goal as his clearing header fell nicely on the Scotland midfielder's left foot, for him volley the national team into a 2-0 lead in Helsinki, a result Scotland would hold onto as they started what would become a successful qualifying campaign. One of world football's most iconic figures of the 1990s... tussles with French midfielder Didier Deschamps. (Photo-Getty Images) The autumn of 1994 wasn't a happy time at Cappielow. The club had been relegated to the Second Division for the first time in their history, amidst a season-long injury crisis the previous year, and league reconstruction that saw Morton being amongst five clubs relegated from the First Division. A stuttering start to the campaign in '94 did little to suggest that Morton would be pushing for a speedy return to the First Division though, only for them to turn up at Shielfield Park in Berwick with two trialists from Finnish club MyPa47 in the ranks. The result on the day wasn't to be a positive one, as Morton fell to their third league defeat in a row, 1-2 to the hosts having previously fallen 0-1 to Clyde at Cappielow, and suffered a 0-3 hosing at Palmerston Park. But it didn't take Allan McGraw and the board long to decide to take the plunge on Janne and Marko, and a fee of £250,000 found its way to Kouvola, unthinkable for Morton in these times. The signings of the Finns were by no means a quick fix, as results remained inconsistent towards the festive period. Whilst over a quarter of a century has passed, and my memory could be playing tricks on me, the Scottish Cup tie against Kilmarnock in my mind proved to be the turning point of the season, against what was a very good Premier Division team at the time. My standout memories from the 0-0 draw at Rugby Park in late January were Stephen McCahill's header narrowly clearing Dragoje Lekovic's crossbar to deny us a shock win, and the imperious performance on Janne on the day. Alas, Morton were to suffer a narrow extra time replay defeat by the Ayrshire men at a bouncing Cappielow, but kicked on from there, with three wins in February, including an absolutely crucial 1-0 win over Stenhousemuir, only a week after their incredible Scottish Cup slaying of Aberdeen; courtesy of a goal and fantastic performance from Marko. But Morton being Morton, it was never going to be that easy, and a sticky patch in March kept things interesting in what was to be a four-way battle for promotion between ourselves, Dumbarton, Stirling and Stenny. Things were to come good the following month though with crucial wins against East Fife and Clyde, before a memorable 4-3 win on their return trip over the border set up what was effectively a title decider against Dumbarton. Of course, it was all to end joyously, as Marko's incredible goal put the icing on the most delicious of cakes, and we retook our place in the second tier at the first time of asking, bagging a nice little silver pot in the process. Derek McInnes was to win the Player of the Year award, but it would be foolish not to acknowledge the contribution of our two imports. Whether Morton would've been in the promotion race without them is seriously doubtful. A couple of awestruck admirers watch on as Janne launches a Morton attack at Ibrox in 1995. (Photo- Chris McNulty) What wasn't in doubt though, was that Morton with their two Finnish stars were a force to be reckoned with, as they took the following season by storm, with Janne, Derek McInnes and Alan Mahood pulling the strings in midfield and Marko providing a flair on the wing that is still spoken about in glowing terms even now. Whilst there were a number of great performances and results that season, particularly early on, it was on Morton's visit to St. Mirren in late September that Marko perhaps produced his finest performance in a Morton shirt, as he absolutely tormented the Saints defence in a 4-1 win, cementing his place not only in the hearts of the Morton support, but as a hate-figure amongst the Buddies faithful. What a man. Of course, that incredibly exciting team was to come up just short, owing in no small part to the departure of Derek McInnes to Rangers and the season-ending injuries to Janne and Alan Mahood. Marko was to continue to do his bit to drag us through, with vital goals in the run in against Hamilton, both home and away and an admittedly howling miss in the vital 1-0 win at home to fellow promotion hopefuls St. Johnstone. He was of course to equalise in the final day showdown against Dundee United, but Morton were left to rue their misfortune and look forward to the following season. Marko leads the charge in a 3-0 win against Clydebank at Cappielow, on the opening day of the 1996-97 season. (Photo- Chris McNulty) The 1996-97 campaign was to prove both players' final season at the club, and was an anti-climax for us all, as a much-fancied Morton failed to live up to expectations, finishing the season in eighth place, comfortably clear of relegation, but miles away from a promotion play off place, never mind runaway champions St. Johnstone. There were to be highlights, however- Marko's early season winner against Falkirk was delightful, as winners against Falkirk tend to be, and there was the incredible League Cup tie against Aberdeen which ended in a 3-7 defeat, with Morton coming from 0-2 down with 15 minutes of normal time remaining to lead 3-2 going into the last minute, only to suffer another hard-luck story. In truth, with promotion becoming a more remote prospect as the season progressed, McGraw put all his eggs into the Scottish Cup basket, with a fine replay win against Dundee setting up a quarter final with Kilmarnock at a near capacity Cappielow. There was to be no hard-luck story to this cup defeat though, as Morton were resoundingly trounced 2-5 by Killie, in spite of a brief second half fightback. As the season petered out, and the players' contacts ran down, their departures became inevitable and a really thrilling, but oh so brief chapter in Morton's history was to reach its conclusion, to be succeeded by the Scott era, which I'm sure is an article or two for another day. Janne was to go onto pastures new in Germany with FC Saarbrucken before finishing his career back at MyPa47 and embarking on a career in coaching in his homeland, whist Marko was to enjoy brief stints at Hamilton and Livingston, even playing against Morton for the Accies, also finishing his career in his native Finland, with TPS Turku and enjoying a successful coaching career. Both have returned in the intervening years to visit, Marko turning out in a testimonial in 2006 as well as attending a game against Hamilton in 2012 and receiving a rapturous reception. To my knowledge, Janne hasn't made a match on his return, but his daughter Nanne has been a vocal supporter of the club through her social media accounts, so it would be rude not to give her devotion to the cause a mention! Since their departure, we've seen Jani Uotinen flying the flag and collecting a Third Division winners' medal in 2002-03 for his troubles and Jonatan Johansson's fast flowing, easy on the eye (or something like that) brand of football help us secure safety in the rollercoaster 2018-19 season. Let's be honest though, Morton fans love a signing from that part of the world, and will surely take to Jaako. No pressure, but there are some pretty big shoes needing filled, young man! Thanks to Jonathan Mitchell for his contribution into the research for this piece and to Chris McNulty for his help with archive photographs.

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Dean interviews newly appointed Morton GM Chris Ross. Dean and Chris speak about Chris' background in football and wider business, his role at the club, the upcoming takeover, fan engagement, commercial activity, Morton in the Community and more.

Dean interviews newly appointed Morton GM Chris Ross. Dean and Chris speak about Chris' background in football and wider business, his role at the club, the upcoming takeover, fan engagement, commercial activity, Morton in the Community and more.

As an editorial team, we have decided that we will not be covering our match against Celtic Colts in our usual manner. There will still be a match thread on the Forum for those to wish to discuss the game, however there will be no match preview, away day guide or post-match podcast record covering the game. We, as an editorial team, disagree strongly with the inclusion of Colt teams in senior competitions, a position that we feel is reflective of the view of the wider support. We feel that covering the game in the usual manner would place a level of concurrence on the inclusion of Colts teams that we do not wish to display, and feel that this is the correct way to show our disdain for their inclusion.

Dean and Louise discuss Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Partick Thistle, Morton's defensive set-piece record, incoming transfers and dolphins...