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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

Craig and Darren discuss the end of Morton's 16 match unbeaten run with defeats to Inverness Caledonian Thistle & Dundee United.

Morton v Dundee United – Match Preview by Russell Gordon All good things must come to an end, and with Morton’s magnificent run of sixteen matches without defeat being halted by relegation-threatened Inverness on Saturday, league leaders Dundee United visit Cappielow Park Supported by Dalrada Technology hoping to keep their faltering chase to the finish line on track. With injuries building up, Dougie Imrie will be looking for an improved performance as his side attempt to get back on the saddle with a positive result against the title favourites. Match tickets are available at the below link: Fanbase | Select Ticket (fanbaseclub.com) Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News As we enter a crucial stage of the season, Imrie doesn’t have his problems to seek. Jamie MacDonald, not fully fit himself, is likely to continue in deputising between the sticks for Ryan Mullen, while long term casualty Iain Wilson will again sit out, after Imrie intimated prior to the Inverness match that his season could be over. Jai Quitongo again missed out the Inverness defeat only four games since he returned from his last injury setback. One can only hope that he’s not broken down again in his attempts to reach full fitness, as his injury-ravaged season takes another blow. Also likely to sit out is George Oakley, whose return can’t come soon enough, with Morton looking a completely different team without their talisman, after his rib injury sustained against Airdrie just over a week ago. Jack Bearne will hope for a starting berth after an encouraging cameo on Saturday, with Michael Garrity and Lewis McGrattan not making the best of their opportunities. Current Connections There are two Morton players who have represented the Terrors, both briefly. Robbie Muirhead signed on at Tannadice on transfer deadline day at the end of January 2015, for a £150,000 fee from Kilmarnock, only making fifteen appearances and scoring twice, against Aberdeen and Inverness towards the end of that season. He went on to sign on loan for Partick on the next transfer deadline day, before returning to Tayside in January 2016. He was released in April, signing for Hearts a couple of months later. Grant Gillespie had an even shorter spell in the City of Discovery, joining from Hamilton in January 2018 and making only six appearances as United missed out on the Championship title to St. Mirren and lost to Livingston in the play-off semi-final. That summer he moved to League of Ireland side, Derry City. United right back Liam Grimshaw spent last season at Cappielow following his release from Motherwell in the summer of 2022. After a slow start to his Morton career, he became a firm favourite with the ‘Ton support, eventually being awarded the club’s Player of the Year following an excellent campaign that saw Morton just miss out on a place in the promotion play-offs, before signing up at Tannadice in the summer. A familiar face in the United backroom staff is Andy Bryan, a lifelong Morton fan who spent most of his working life at Cappielow, fulfilling a multitude of roles from ballboy to kitman in over forty years serving the club before being relieved of his duties in the dark old days of Dave MacKinnon and David Hopkin. Tale of the Tape With this evening’s game being re-arranged from December, Morton have twice visited Tannadice this season without yet reciprocating United’s hospitality. The two visits have of course proven fruitful for our own favourites, garnering four points from six. In September, with Morton suffering a stuttering start to the campaign, they fell behind to an early Louis Moult header, but in a game marred by yet another horrific refereeing performance from Scotland’s most appalling Grade One official David Munro, Robbie Muirhead latched onto a mix-up between former St. Mirren defender Declan Gallagher and United’s on-loan goalkeeper Jack Walton to claim a point in unlikely circumstances. United could point to a penalty appeal that wasn’t spotted by the hapless official and weren’t happy with the ordering off of Matthew Cudjoe for an elbow on Calum Waters, but when footage was released, the referee’s assistant was proven correct in alerting Munro. No, I’m not giving him any credit for coming to the right decision for a change. Morton’s visit in January was one of those afternoons that will live long in the memory of many of those who travelled to Tannadice from the west, and George Oakley in particular. After the suspended Robbie Muirhead had bagged a perfect hat-trick the previous midweek against Ayr United, Oakley was not to be outdone, rising majestically to nod Michael Garrity’s pinpoint cross into the net to give Morton a 25th minute lead. His right-footed effort nine minutes later doubled the visitors’ advantage, before the hosts came roaring back, with headed goals from Kai Fotheringham and Louis Moult sending the teams in level at the break. With both teams looking for a winner in the second half, things reached boiling point in the 88th minute when Craig Sibbald, formerly of League One minnows Falkirk, was ordered off for a second booking. A minute later, Oakley completed his hat-trick, outmuscling Kevin Holt before lashing a howitzer into Walton’s net via the post to send the visiting support into raptures. Morton held on to record a fine victory, leaving the hosts to lick their wounds and under-pressure United boss Jim Goodwin to scramble for excuses for his own failings by blaming every party but himself for Morton’s shock victory. More of the same would be nice this evening! Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis Despite their lofty position in the table, all in not well on Tayside. The cups haven’t been kind to Goodwin, who followed up his Scottish Cup defeat to Darvel that pushed him towards the Pittodrie exit door by going out of the League Cup in the group stages after a headline-grabbing defeat to Spartans, before going out the other two cup competitions to League One minnows Falkirk and Queen of the South. The league hasn’t been straightforward, either. With big-spending Raith Rovers on their coattails, and a late defeat to the moneybags Fifers last month, United have failed to exert their authority on the title race with only one win in four leaving them only a point clear, despite Murray’s Moneymen’s not-at-all-funny defeat by bottom of the table Arbroath on Friday night. I spoke to Gary Manson of the Shed 57 Dundee United Supporters’ Club (@Shed_57), who gave me his thoughts going into the game. “They say the league table doesn’t lie- but someone forgot to tell the United fans that. Despite being top, a point clear of Raith, whose stunning capitulation at Gayfield last Friday night allowed United to carve out the narrowest of breathing spaces with a turgid draw at Firhill on Saturday- the Arabs are far from happy. United conceded early on Saturday- an Aidan Fitzpatrick corner headed home by long term nemesis Brian Graham had Partick ahead after only three minutes and the remainder of the first half was pretty dire from the men in green. Jim Goodwin was on the receiving end of torrents of abuse from the visiting fans occupying the main stand at half time. A decent finish from Louis Moult in the second half restored parity, earned a point that looked unlikely at half time and took some of the mounting pressure off Goodwin’s shoulders. There are probably more questions than answers for Goodwin- a season that looked really positive before Christmas until a 0-1 home defeat to title challengers Raith caused United to unravel. Grim home defeats to Morton and most recently to a very ordinary Airdrie side, and another poor result in Kirkcaldy, have caused anger amongst the Tannadice faithful- mostly directed at Goodwin, and have left the United fans looking over their shoulders. This is United’s first trip of the season to the Tail o’ the Bank, with the fixture falling foul of the weather in December. Goodwin has made a series of changes to his starting eleven in recent games as he searches for a winning formula. Young Miller Thomson has been thrown in at right back in place of ex-Morton man Liam Grimshaw, Interestingly, Goodwin’s other option at right back, Kieran Freeman has moved onto St. Patrick’s Athletic, having seen few opportunities during the Tannadice boss’s year in charge. Thomson was one of the few players to get pass marks against Airdrie last midweek, but he struggled in the first half against Aidan Fitzpatrick’s physicality at Firhill but looked more comfortable when moved into midfield following Kai Fotheringham’s replacement with Grimshaw. Dougie Imrie will have an eye on United’s right back selection On Tuesday night as a chance to exploit a potential weakness. Kevin Holt and Declan Gallagher are pretty sound centre halves but in contrast to earlier this season, United are losing goals and George Oakley will have fond memories of his Tannadice hat-trick, though Gallagher sat out that particular game through injury. The return of Ross Docherty against his former club at the weekend added much-needed dig to the midfield. The captain lasted 70 minutes before being replaced and the United fans will hope he remains injury free as we head into the business end of the season. Kai Fotheringham, who was scoring regularly earlier in the season, hasn’t hit the net since that defeat to Morton at Tannadice in early January and looks a player short on confidence. Craig Sibbald has been dependable in the middle of the park and has good energy and a high work rate. United’s lack of depth was cruelly exposed last Tuesday though, when Goodwin opted for a 4-3-3 and handed starting berths to Chris Mochrie and Archie Meekison. Neither repaid Goodwin’s faith, with both turning in poor performances as United failed to dominate and deservedly lost the match. St. Mirren loanee Alex Grieve has had several opportunities since his arrival in January but is yet to find the scoresheet and has failed to impress thus far. He does cover a lot of ground but looks to lack a footballing brain and missed a sitter at Firhill on Saturday, which is unlikely to boost his confidence. Another player who is struggling with confidence is Glenn Middleton. Often in space out wide, a combination of frequent inside passes and stray crosses have marginalised his contribution. Former Steelman Louis Moult leads the United line and added to his goal tally for the season on Saturday, but injuries have prevented him featuring as prominently as he, and the United fans would have liked. The Terrors looked much better on Saturday when Tony Watt was introduced for the second half. Watt has been frustrating this season. He often falls out of games, but if United are to get over the title line, and return to the top division, they could come to rely on the experienced striker’s contribution. Overall, the situation at Tannadice is a strange one- league leaders, but unconvincingly so. A win at Cappielow would put clear daylight between United and Raith, and would ease the pressure a little on the embattled Goodwin- defeat, and the critics and detractors will simply become louder.” Photo - GBR Photographs. What’s Happening Elsewhere? There’s one other re-arranged fixture this evening, with Airdrie visiting East End Park for a twice-postponed fixture that coincidentally was called off as Dunfermline were enduring an injury crisis and a poor run of form. Thankfully for the Pars, with things beginning to look up, the game can go ahead, and if the teams could draw to cancel each other out that would be just lovely. With nothing else going on in the Championship, we’ll venture down to League One, though not for as long as Falkirk have, as the Bairns continue their quest to make it fifth time lucky against Cove Rengers in Aberdeen. In League Two, the league’s two newest clubs meet at New Dundas Park, as Bonnyrigg Rose host Spartans, while Stranraer, in danger of being sucked into a battle with Clyde to avoid the relegation play-off place, host Dumbarton. On Thursday, Scotland’s last remaining European representatives Rangers, visit the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon to face Portuguese big-hitters Benfica. I’m sure we all wish them well. Or perhaps not. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 4th March 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. United go into the match as overwhelming favourites at 10/11, with Morton priced at 14/5 and the draw at 23/10. Robbie Muirhead is 9/1 to score the first goal, and Morton to get back to their miserly best at the back with a clean sheet is 3/1. Match Officials Referee- Lloyd Wilson takes charge of his second Morton match of the season, having previously taken charge of the re-arranged 2-1 victory over Inverness at Cappielow in December. AR 1- Graham McNeillie AR 2- Michael MacDermid

Morton v Inverness Caledonian Thistle – Match Preview by Russell Gordon Off the back of Morton’s draw in Kirkcaldy against the league’s second top side, Dougie Imrie’s Morton welcome the league’s second bottom team to Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology with the visit of an Inverness Caledonian Thistle side who have struggled to drag themselves from danger despite some encouraging signs when the ex-Scotland striker took the reins in September. Having picked up four points from six this week, another three would see the ‘Ton extend their unbeaten run to an incredible seventeen matches! Match tickets are available at the below link: Fanbase | Select Ticket (fanbaseclub.com) Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News After enjoying a relatively lengthy period without too many injuries, they’re beginning to stack up again for Imrie’s team. Ryan Mullen sat out of Tuesday night’s draw and was replaced by Jamie MacDonald, who himself wasn’t fully fit, but turned in a solid performance in the kingdom, though he was well protected by his backline. Likewise, George Oakley was forced onto the sidelines after Aaron Taylor-Sinclair’s appalling foul last Saturday. Robbie Muirhead returned to the team, although he didn’t look his usual self, and Jai Quitongo up top through the middle didn’t really work, whether due to Quitongo’s own lack of fitness or how uncomfortable he was in the role is up for debate. Iain Wilson’s withdrawal on Tuesday was another massive blow, and the sight of him limping from the pitch wasn’t a pleasant one, although Grant Gillespie filled in admirably on his introduction. With Imrie needing to manage minutes with Morton’s hectic schedule, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Michael Garrity or Lewis McGrattan getting a starting berth, depending on the health and fitness of Muirhead and Quitongo. Current Connections After the recent departure of Steven Boyd, there are two former Thistle players in the Morton squad. Kirk Broadfoot enjoyed a season in the Highlands, playing his part in helping them to the Premiership play-off final, where they lost 6-2 on aggregate to St. Johnstone, before moving closer to home by signing for Lowland League Open Goal Broomhill and moving back up the pyramid to Morton as the plug was pulled on the fifth-tier side by their backers. George Oakley spent the first half of last season at Inverness, though an alleged difficult relationship with Billy Dodds soured his time in the north, and Dougie Imrie took his former Hamilton teammate to Cappielow in a move that has certainly suited Oakley and Morton. Dougie Imrie of course, had a two-year spell at the Caledonian Stadium from 2010-12, before moving to St. Mirren and then Morton in 2013. Inverness defender Wallace Duffy briefly joined Morton on loan from St. Johnstone in 2020, but left without playing a match after he was offered a permanent deal up north which suited Duffy and the Saints better than a temporary move to Cappielow. Photo - GBR Photographs. Tale of the Tape The teams have met twice this season, with Morton collecting four points so far. Off the back of the victory over Arbroath at Gayfield in December that kicked off Morton’s terrific unbeaten run, they dragged themselves off the foot of the Championship with a 2-1 midweek victory at Cappielow, in a match that was re-arranged from October. George Oakley pounced on a horrific error from Thistle defender Nikola Udjur to caress the ball into Mark Ridgers’ net. Jack Baird doubled the ‘Ton’s advantage by getting on the end of a mammoth Lewis Strapp throw in to lash home. A late Adam Brooks header made for a nervy ending, but Morton held on to kick start their season at long last. Later that month, while other clubs (including Inverness, whose game at Cappielow was postponed due to non-existent travel difficulties) weren’t asked to travel up and down the A9 in supposedly treacherous weather conditions, Morton and their fans weren’t extended such a courtesy, but secured a 0-0 draw from a fairly turgid affair in pretty foul conditions to maintain an unbeaten run which by that point had reached five games. Opposition Analysis Inverness are having a miserable time of it this season. After a slow start to the season, Billy Dodds, who had been given an extended contract off the back of their somewhat fortunate run to last season’s Scottish Cup final, was emptied to make way for Duncan Ferguson. That appointment saw an immediate reaction, with a 3-2 win at Gayfield taking them off the foot of the table at the expense of Morton and propelling them to a run of six unbeaten in the league before a narrow late defeat by big-spending Raith Rovers. Ferguson brought in free agents David Wotherspoon and Cillian Sheridan, with differing levels of success, resulting in both moving on- Wotherspoon to Dundee United, while Sheridan was released after a disappointing spell in the Highlands, eventually signing for Queen’s Park. They’ve also had their struggles off the pitch. After plans for a proposed battery farm on land owned by the club were approved earlier this month by Highland Council, the plans are now under review, which with massive losses year on year, was seen as a solution to addressing their financial woes, but has now left them in limbo until a decision is reached. Results since Christmas have been underwhelming, and coupled with the improved form of Ayr, Queen’s Park and Dunfermline in recent weeks, they’ve been left in the play-off place at the foot of the table, albeit seven points clear of Arbroath. A Scottish Cup exit to Hibernian has halted any chance of a repeat of last year’s cup run, and left only one Championship club in the competition at this late stage of the season. And since then, three draws haven’t done much to lift them up the table, although a last gasp Cameron Harper equaliser at Gayfield last weekend struck a hammer blow to the Red Lichties’ survival hopes, keeping their relegation rivals at arm’s length Photo - GBR Photographs. What’s Happening Elsewhere? Speaking of Arbroath, the BBC cameras visit Angus for the visit of big-spending Raith Rovers, an evening that the hosts will be looking forward to with a massive sense of trepidation after shipping six appalling goals to Queen’s Park in a midweek Hampden rout. On Saturday, the Spiders visit Airdrie in a game that any of a Morton persuasion would accept a draw from, although those with a more direct interest will be looking for a result to provide a cushion from the drop rather than catch the ‘Ton in the play-off places. It’s a similar scenario at East End Park, where Dunfermline host Ayr United. After collecting four points from their last two games, a win for the Pars would prove an excellent week’s work, while also damaging our nearest challengers’ hopes of catching Morton. The division’s match of the day takes place at Firhill, where a wounded Dundee United will hope to recover from their shock midweek defeat by Airdrie by maintaining their fine league record against Partick this season. With big-spending Raith likely to be topping the table going into the match, the pressure will be on the Terrors, and one can only hope they stand up to it, allowing Morton to take advantage with a win to move into third. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 29th February 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Morton are clear favourites at 4/5, with Inverness priced at 31/10 and the draw at 12/5. Grant Gillespie to score the final goal of the game is 8/1 and Morton to win without conceding is 2/1. Match Officials Referee- Graham Grainger takes charge of his second Morton match of the season, having been in the middle of our 1-2 defeat by Dunfermline at Cappielow in November. AR 1- Craig Ferguson AR 2- Scott Bunting

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.

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

(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.

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

Queen’s Park v Morton – Match Preview by Russell Gordon Dougie Imrie’s Scottish Cup shock troops make what hopefully won’t be their last trip of the season to Scotland’s National Stadium as they look to extend their unbeaten run to an incredible fourteen games, after having disposed of Premiership Motherwell in last Friday’s televised Cappielow thriller. With opponents Queen’s Park having recently seen a resurgence under the watchful eye of new manager Callum Davidson however, Imrie’s side won’t be taking anything for granted against a team who are also looking a far different proposition to what they were earlier in the campaign. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News Imrie should have a few pleasant selection problems, with the returns of Kirk Broadfoot and Jai Quitongo from the bench last Friday, as Imrie introduced both in the dying minutes as the clock ticked down. The likelihood of either starting is slim, given Morton’s almost impregnable defensive efforts in recent weeks and Imrie’s policy of nursing his returning stars in lightly to competitive action, along with Quitongo’s misfortune on his many aborted returns thus far demanding a softly, softly approach in his case in particular. Steven Boyd and Jamie MacDonald will also be looking to return to action sooner rather than later, but with those who have stepped in stepping up, will also likely have to click their heels on their returns to full fitness. Current Connections There are three former Queen’s Park players in the Morton squad- ‘Ton captain Grant Gillespie and Jai Quitongo both spent a couple of seasons with the Spiders from 2020-22, winning the League Two title in the abbreviated 2020-21 season under everyone’s favourite former Morton boss, and expert in taking teams into League One Raymond McKinnon, and following that success up by winning promotion through the League One play-offs under Owen Coyle, after McKinnon’s successor, Laurie Ellis completed the main body of work from the dugout. Ryan Mullen made one loan appearance for Queens in 2021 while on loan for Celtic, and there’s another former Morton boss who has been helping out in the background at Hampden. David Hopkin has been a regular visitor to Hampden and had been leaning in offering the benefit of his wisdom to caretaker boss Paul Nuijten. Hopkin’s successor, and all-round good guy Anton McElhone is the Head of Academy Coaching, and former Morton centre back Thomas O’Ware (not an all-round good guy) is the coach of the Spiders’ B Team. Tale of the Tape With last season being the first that the clubs shared a division since 2002-03, Morton of course picked up ten points from the available twelve against Queen’s Park. They’re on course to do the same this season all going well, having played out a goalless draw on a bizarre afternoon at a rain-soaked Hampden in October, when most of the travelling Morton support were stuck in a flooded Greenock, along with winger Jack Bearne, who couldn’t join his teammates to take part on the afternoon. In December, Morton hosted Queens in Nuijten’s first game in caretaker-charge as they made it nine points from nine in a week to kick-start their season. A magnificent passing move, belying the image of “big, bad, physical Morton” was finished off by Robbie Muirhead in the eighth minute to seal the points. That of course, didn’t tell the whole tale of the afternoon though, as hapless referee Grant Irvine made it all about himself, producing a straight red card for George Oakley for a foul on the halfway line that merited a booking and nothing more five minutes before the break. Irvine then surpassed himself by awarding the visitors a penalty on the cusp of half time for a nothing challenge, but Ruari Paton’s tame spot kick was comfortably smothered by Ryan Mullen. The ten men had to soak up a lot of second half pressure, but Queens didn’t really produce any clear-cut chances against a Morton side who had to roll their sleeves up and defend doggedly to keep the three points in Greenock. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis Queen’s Park have had a funny season- after a disappointing League Cup group stage campaign, they started the league season with three successive wins, before hitting the skids and going fourteen league games without success and exiting the SPFL Trust Trophy to League One minnows Falkirk and the Scottish Cup to Partick. The appointment of former Ajax and Anderlecht youth coach Robin Veldman as Head Coach smacked of a club investing in establishing a philosophy without considering that in order to succeed in Scotland’s second tier, you actually need to roll your sleeves up and get your hands dirty now and again. After such a horrific run, which only saw a Trust Trophy victory over Bala Town of Wales, Veldman fell by the sword in December, with a resounding 1-4 Hampden defeat by Inverness proving to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. While Paul Nuijten steadied the ship somewhat, collecting three points in his final game stepping into the dugout with a 2-1 home success against Dunfermline, the permanent appointment of Callum Davidson, a man who is no stranger to winning at a near-empty Hampden, has seen a terrific turnaround in Queens’ fortunes, starting with a 2-1 win at big-spending Raith Rovers and falling 1-2 at home to Ayr United, before two more away wins, 1-0 in a real six-pointer at Inverness and a resounding 3-0 victory over a beleaguered Dunfermline side who were still smarting from their even heavier drubbing from Morton a week previous. The signing of former Scotland, Hearts and Liverpool centre back Danny Wilson has raised eyebrows, but perhaps the best signing the Spiders have made since going professional is that of their new manager, who should drag them clear of any danger with relative comfort. What’s Happening Elsewhere? The league season’s biggest game takes place under the gaze of the BBC Scotland cameras on Friday as big-spending Raith Rovers, on the back of a horror run of five defeats in a row across three competitions, try to hang onto the coattails of league leaders Dundee United who, with a four point cushion and a vastly superior goal difference could land a near-fatal blow to the Fifers’ faltering title challenge. Airdrie and Ayr are more than welcome to cancel each other out in the Bill Barr Derby at New Broomfield, and with Morton now chasing down Partick, there’ll be no complaints if they drop points in the Highlands against Inverness. There’s another match of significant importance, this time at the bottom of the table as a Dunfermline side in freefall host Arbroath, who will be desperate to take advantage of the Pars’ woes by winning to reduce the gap at the foot to three points. One would really fear for whoever loses, but the Red Lichties need to at worst avoid defeat is massive. Photo - GBR Photographs Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 15th February 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Despite home advantage, Queen’s Park are second favourites at 17/10, with Morton priced at 5/4 and the draw at 5/2. The draw at half time and Morton at full time is 19/4 and Morton to win to nil is 10/3. Match Officials Referee- Steven McLean is the man in the middle, his second Morton game of the season, having taken charge of the 3-0 League Cup Group Stage win over Stranraer in July. AR 1- Graham McNeillie AR 2- Jamie Andrews

Craig, Darren and Alan discuss Morton's 2-1 win over Motherwell and the quarter-final draw giving us a home tie against Hearts.

Morton v Motherwell – Match Preview by Russell Gordon Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology hosts the BBC Scotland cameras along with its biggest crowd in at least six years as Premiership strugglers Motherwell come to town to face a five-star Morton team who are on fire for a Fifth Round Scottish Gas Scottish Cup tie that is really whetting the appetite of the Greenock faithful. Glen’s Vodka Scottish Championship Manager of the Month for January, Dougie Imrie’s side will be smelling blood against a side that has been familiar opponents in recent years, and have more often than not proved a thorn in Morton’s side. With the prospect of extra time and penalties to be factored into the TV schedule, the game kicks off at the earlier than usual time of 7.30pm, and 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 While Tyler French sat out of the previous two rounds at the behest of parent club Dundee, with the transfer window now closed, and the Dark Blues’ interest in the competition ended by Kilmarnock last month, there’s no reason for the right back not to be available for the match. Jai Quitongo will likely still be unavailable, though Steven Boyd and Jamie MacDonald should be getting closer to returning and one or both may make the bench. Experienced centre back Kirk Broadfoot has missed the last couple of games through injury, so the prolific defensive duo of Jack Baird and Darragh O’Connor will likely continue at the back. Imrie will have his usual dilemma between club captain Grant Gillespie and Alan Power, imperious on Saturday, with both likely to play a part at some point in the proceedings. It should be noted that Jack Baird, Cammy Blues and Lewis Strapp are walking a suspension tightrope, having been booked in the previous rounds and will sit out of a potential quarter final should they collect another booking and Morton progress. Current Connections There aren’t too many connections in the two playing squads with only Robbie Crawford and Darragh O’Connor having represented the Steelmen, and no ex-Morton players in the visiting squad. Crawford initially joined Motherwell on loan from Livingston in 2020, before signing a permanent deal in January 2021, making 29 appearances for the ‘Well before moving to Partick a year later and eventually wound up at Cappielow in August 2022, where he has become a firm favourite with the Morton support. O’Connor joined up at Fir Park in the summer of 2021 from the youth set-up at then English Premier League side, Leicester City, having previously served Waterford in his native Ireland. He made only one appearance in claret and amber, and enjoyed a loan spell at Queen of the South in the second half of the 2021-22 season, scoring once in fifteen appearances before signing up with Morton that summer. Tale of the Tape Those of a nervous disposition look away now. Of course, Motherwell have enjoyed a loftier status than Morton in the Scottish game for a considerable time now, but while the clubs have been frequent foes in cup competitions in recent years, upsets have been few and far between. The clubs met at this stage in 2007 after Second Division Morton’s demolition of Kilmarnock in the previous round, but a 4500-strong travelling support were left disappointed as their favourites failed to follow up that success, falling to goals from Brian Kerr and Scott McDonald. Morton’s next visit to Fir Park was a chastening 0-6 Scottish Cup mauling in 2012 that I don’t really want to elaborate on, similarly the two 0-4 League Cup Group stage defeats at Fir Park in 2017 and 2019 respectively. Our most recent Scottish Cup visits have been far less embarrassing, but no less devastating. In the dark old days of COVID in 2021, Morton held the ‘Well until Stephen O’Donnell looked to have won the tie in extra time with a last-minute strike from range, before Markus Fjortoft forced penalties in the nick of time, only for Motherwell to progress in the shoot-out. The following season, under new manager Imrie, Morton again took Motherwell to extra time in Lanarkshire, and took the lead thanks to a fine Robbie Muirhead strike, before being pegged back late on by a Kevin Van Veen penalty and falling to a last-minute howitzer from Liam Donnelly which again sent the ‘Ton fans home cursing their luck. Morton’s last win over the Steelmen was in a League Cup tie in 2015, when an Alex Samuel double and a Michael Tidser strike saw the Greenock side prevail 3-2 in extra time, a result that flattered the visitors, and resulted in crowd trouble in the Wee Dublin End and Motherwell boss Ian Baraclough losing his job. Fans of both sides looking for positive omens may wish to point towards the last time their favourites won the cup. In 1922, Morton triumphed 2-1 at Fir Park en route to Hampden glory, while in 1991, Motherwell progressed on penalties after a 0-0 stalemate at Fir Park and a 1-1 draw at Cappielow before going on to lift the trophy in one of the tournament’s greatest ever finals against Dundee United. A defeat that will give many Morton fans of a certain vintage a cold shiver! Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis Motherwell haven’t enjoyed the best of seasons, with Tuesday’s mauling of Ross County being only their second win in their last twenty league games. A crucial, and morale boosting win it was though, providing them with a considerable buffer from the Highlanders, who are very much cut adrift in second bottom now, with a relegation battle an unlikely prospect in Scotland’s top-flight. It could be said that Motherwell, and a few others such as Aberdeen and St. Johnstone, are fortunate that Livingston and Ross County have been so poor, but Tuesday’s win was their sixth match without defeat, although their only successes came against the Staggies and the Lions, as well as League One Alloa in the last round of the cup. With Tuesday’s win providing a bit of breathing space, and a push up the table towards the European places unlikely, their main focus for the season will surely be the Scottish Cup. I picked the brains of Motherwell fan Scott Philip ahead of the match, who is feeling a bit happier about life after Tuesday’s victory: “When I heard Dougie Imrie saying in his post-match interview on Saturday that Morton couldn’t be in a better position going into Friday’s tie, I thought to myself that for Motherwell it couldn’t be much worse. A run of just two wins in twenty games (home wins against lowly Livingston and League One Alloa) had left us again with the main objective of staying in the league. A seemingly underwhelming transfer window followed, losing key striker Mika Bireth, then losing out on a deadline day deal for Kevin Van Veen to Kilmarnock over wage demands, leaving us extremely short of attacking options, and adding to the air of negativity surrounding Fir Park. There was no downing of tools throughout that period despite the lack of wins, and that’s probably why Stuart Kettlewell didn’t feel too much pressure on his job. The players stuck with him and performances since Christmas have vastly improved. Unlucky not to take three points at Hibs and St. Johnstone in recent weeks, then again after a strong second half against Kilmarnock on Saturday, our inability to turn draws into wins has been a real Achilles heel this season. But it was on Tuesday night when things finally seemed to click and ‘Well recorded a 5-0 win of their own. Albeit against a struggling Ross County, the result didn’t flatter Motherwell in the slightest, and I’m sure even Derek Adams wouldn’t have had anything negative to say about the quality of football on show from Motherwell. It was clear to see we had found our rhythm and there’s no doubt that we head to Cappielow on the back of a much-needed lift. Theo Bair scored from the spot on Tuesday to make it six in six as he continues to prove wrong those who ridiculed his signing in the summer. Bair has stepped up to fill the striker void and shown in recent weeks that he offers much more than just a physical presence, thriving with confidence and scoring a variety of goals. Blair Spittal helped himself to a brace on Tuesday, including a goal of the season contender. He’s normally at the heart of anything Motherwell do at the top end of the park, regularly chipping in with goals and assists, playing alongside Harry Paton in an advanced midfield role. The ever-reliable Paul McGinn has been another standout this season, showing his versatility as he’s slotted seamlessly into the left hand side of a back three. Andy Halliday may miss out after coming off early in the second half on Tuesday. If so, then 17-year-old Lennon Miller may return to the starting XI after a few months out with a knee injury. All the evidence would suggest that this probably won’t be straightforward for Motherwell. Having failed to win on the road in five months, I don’t think the word “shock” could be used in the event of a cup exit. We needed 120th minute goals to rescue the last two meetings in recent years at Fir Park, and I’d happily take more of the same on Friday night at Cappielow.” What’s Happening Elsewhere? Most of the Scottish Cup action takes place on Saturday, with Aberdeen, led by Morton-daft Neil Warnock hosting a Bonnyrigg side who have cantered to this stage by disposing of minnows Fraserburgh, Albion Rovers and Falkirk thus far. Hibernian take the long trip to face Inverness, while Kilmarnock host League One Cove Rangers. Glasgow hosts two match ups between Premiership and Championship clubs as relegation threatened Livingston travel to Firhill to face Partick, while Viaplay Sports unsurprisingly plumped for Ayr United’s visit to Rangers, a tie that will have its own little sub-plot if you’re that way inclined. On Sunday, the satellite broadcaster will be in Paisley as our good pals St. Mirren welcome, wait for it… Celtic! The BBC’s other game sees Hearts visit Airdrie for what should be a terrific tie, which will bring back some memories of some titanic Scottish Cup tussles between Hearts and the old Airdrie from the ‘90s. In the Championship, a rejuvenated Queen’s Park, fresh from victory in the Highlands last week, visit a Dunfermline side that was battered by Morton last weekend and with every passing week are getting dragged closer and closer to a relegation battle. 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. As the Premiership side, Motherwell are unsurprisingly favourites to win the match at 10/11, while a Morton win comes in at 5/2 and the draw also at 5/2. Cinch Scottish Championship Player of the Month, George Oakley to score the first goal is 6/1, while Morton to continue their fine defensive record with a clean sheet (in 90 minutes) is 7/2. Match Officials Referee- John Beaton takes charge of his first Morton game of the season, his last being the 2-1 victory over Queen’s Park on the penultimate day of last term. AR 1- Jonathan Bell AR 2- Alan Mulvanny Fourth Official- Ross Hardie

Dean and Dodds react to the 5-0 thumping of Dunfermline and look forward to Friday night's visit of Motherwell in the Scottish Cup.

Dunfermline Athletic v Morton – Match Preview by Russell Gordon Morton hit the road this weekend, seeking to create a landmark twelfth game unbeaten for the first time since they embarked on a magnificent run of fifteen unbeaten in 1979. While such an achievement would be a tremendous one, and testament to the good work that Dougie Imrie and his squad have done in recent months, those looking for omens may not want to consider that in March 2017, as Morton approached the landmark of a full year unbeaten at home, their bubble was burst by none other than Saturday’s hosts, Dunfermline Athletic. Having now reached the top four though, Imrie’s charges will be determined to carry on the momentum from their terrific run of form. Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News With Jack Baird returning to the team last Saturday, the only certain absentee is winger Jai Quitongo, whose season I’ve described several times as “stop-start”, but realistically can only be described as “injury ravaged” at this stage, as he suffers setback after setback. Imrie intimated that the winger would likely be out for 3-4 weeks this time around, but given his fortunes this season, there can’t be too many that are optimistic for Quitongo. Kirk Broadfoot also sat out of Saturday’s comprehensive victory over the division’s bottom side, but there’s no indication as to why, with the boss keeping his cards close to his chest, as is often the case. Current Connections There are only two players in the Morton squad who have represented the Pars- Robbie Muirhead endured an extremely disappointing season in Fife in 2018-19. Having signed on deadline day in August, he failed to find the net in only twelve appearances that season before moving onto Cappielow, where he has of course enjoyed a much more fruitful period of his career, albeit with it’s ups and downs, particularly in his early days. Iain Wilson is another who made the move from Fife to Inverclyde, becoming Imrie’s second signing in the January window of 2022, having spent a year and a half at Dunfermline. He did of course move onto Queen of the South before returning to Morton this season, but managed to score a somewhat unconventional 25 yard “strike” on his return to East End Park shortly after joining Morton, as Dunfermline sunk towards a season slumming it in League One with minnows such as Clyde, Peterhead and Falkirk. Pars’ gaffer James McPake had a brief and unremarkable loan spell at Morton in 2006, scoring twice in ten appearances. Tale of the Tape Over the last 10-12 years or so, Morton have had the upper hand over Dunfermline, but the tables have turned this season, with our friends from the Kingdom taking six points from six this season, albeit at periods of the campaign where Morton were really suffering for form. Their previous visit to East End Park couldn’t have gone much worse. 2-0 down at the break thanks to goals from Craig Wighton and Lewis McCann, they lost Tyler French to injury early in the second half, and his replacement Darragh O’Connor, who lasted a whole seven minutes before he too had to be replaced, eventually sitting out for around six weeks. A late Robbie Crawford strike gave Morton hope of sneaking a draw, but Michael O’Halloran’s goal in the final minute sent the ‘Ton home pointless and licking their considerable wounds. In early November, the BBC Scotland cameras made their first visit of the season to Cappielow, and only had to wait a matter of seconds to see Dunfermline break the deadlock through Celtic loanee Owen Moffat. Moffat doubled his account in only the seventh minute on an evening that the Cappielow atmosphere was at perhaps its most poisonous in a long time. The cameras caught Wilson storming off after his early substitution, and Broadfoot was to face the ire of the Cowshed, with the BBC’s microphones picking up a cacophony of boos as Morton hit perhaps their lowest point of the season. Whatever was said at half time though, while it may not have achieved a result, saw Morton produce a far improved performance, with a Steven Boyd penalty 12 minutes from time putting a bit more respectability on the final result. While we may not have felt it at the time, it was arguably the watershed moment in Morton’s season when things began to turn. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis With Morton enjoying a fine run of form, which has coincided with the return of a number of key players, Dunfermline’s fortunes have been almost the exact opposite of our favourites. Injuries have piled up for the Fifers, with the likes of Kyle Benedictus, Aaron Comrie, Kane Ritchie-Hosler and Alex Jakubiak amongst the absentees in recent weeks. With that, results have fallen off a cliff, with no wins in six, their last being at Airdrie in early December as we were breaking our Arbroath duck. Add to that an early Scottish Cup exit to their local rivals Raith Rovers, and three league defeats to their big-spending neighbours, it’s not been the perfect return to the Championship. Last weekend’s goalless draw at Tannadice was perhaps a step in the right direction, but by all accounts owed a lot to a fine defensive display, with the Pars offering very little going forward. With the injury list being what it has been, I’m sure it’s only a coincidence that their last two home matches fell victim of the weather, the match against Airdrie succumbing to a frozen pitch and against Queen’s Park to a waterlogged one. That poor run of form, coupled with the two postponements has seen Dunfermline fall out of the play-off places to seventh in the table, albeit with games in hand over everyone else in the division. But sitting only four points clear of the ninth placed Spiders, who recorded their first league win since August recently against Dunfermline, there must be a point that McPake’s men begin to look over their shoulders. Though they won’t be as stretched as Arbroath were last weekend, one can only hope that Morton offer as little sympathy as they did to the Red Lichties. What’s Happening Elsewhere? There’s an abridged Championship card due to the SPFL Trust Trophy semi-finals. The two Championship clubs remaining in the competition- Morton’s conquerors Airdrie, and big-spending Raith Rovers for the right to beat either League One minnows Falkirk, or Welsh champions The New Saints, who meet in Grangemouth on Saturday evening. In the Championship, Arbroath and Partick are inactive, and Dundee United will look to take advantage of big-spending Raith Rovers being otherwise occupied by disposing of an Ayr United side who started the Scott Brown era with a win at Hampden last week.. There’s a six-pointer at the bottom of the table in the Highlands, as Callum Davidson’s Queen’s Park visit Inverness. With four points separating the teams, the Spiders will see this as a massive opportunity to make ground on Thistle in eighth. Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7pm on 1st February 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Dunfermline are slight favourites at 29/20, with Morton priced at 13/8 and the draw at 9/4. Morton to win to nil comes in at 7/2 and Grant Gillespie to score anytime is 3/1. Match Officials Referee- Kevin Clancy takes charge of his first Morton match in just over a year, his last being the 0-5 Scottish Cup defeat at Celtic Park in which he awarded Celtic a ludicrous VAR-assisted penalty against Efe Ambrose for a non-existent handball. AR 1- John McCrossan AR 2- Barry Reid

Away Day Guide – Dunfermline (3rd February) Photo - Dunfermline FC Ticketing Click here to purchase tickets. Ticket prices are as follows: Adult - £21, Concession - £15, U12s - £7. Disabled Supporters Information There is no limit to the number of tickets available to disabled supporters, although East End Park is only able to accommodate 19 home wheelchair users and 12 away wheelchair users, and therefore tickets for this group of supporters are subject to availability. Where a disabled supporter requires a carer or Personal Assistant, that person will be admitted free of charge. The Club has 6 dedicated parking spaces for disabled away fans behind the East Stand, spaces can be booked in advance by emailing matthew@dafc.co.uk up to 24 hours before the match. Any remaing spaces will be available on a first come first served basis on matchday. Please enter the Main Carpark via Leys Park Road and follow the stewards` directions. These spaces are available free of charge.
 Supporters Buses The Gourock Morton Supporters bus will depart from The Old Wherry Tavern at 12noon. The price will be decided on the day. Both buses are currently full. Message their page on Facebook to book a space. The Port Glasgow Morton Travel Club bus will leave The Caledonian Bar at 12.30pm. The cost will be decided on the day. Message their page on Facebook to book a space. By Train Travel to Glasgow central, transfer to Glasgow Queen Street and board a train to Edinburgh Waverly, then alight at Haymarket, boarding a service to Dunfermline Queen Margaret. All information taken from the ScotRail website. By Car Use the postcode KY12 7RB for the stadium. The estimated journey time from Cappielow, via the M8, M876 and A985 is 1 hour and 19 minutes (61.2 miles). Street parking around the stadium is limited, please also note that parking in the retail park next to the stadium may incur a private parking fine. Pre-Match The East Port (7 East Port, Dunfermline, KY12 7JG) is the best bet for pre-match refreshments, offering the usual amenities. You may struggle around the stadium, with the Elizabethan not welcoming football fans, and the stadium bars typically not admitting away fans. Photo - WhatPub

Craig & Stu discuss Morton's 3-0 win over Arbroath, the statement about supporter arrangements for the Motherwell game and transfer business.

Morton v Arbroath – Match Preview by Russell Gordon Having recently disposed Montrose in the fourth round of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup, Morton welcome the Gable Endies’ local rivals Arbroath to Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology this weekend as they return to league business and look to push towards a place in the promotion play-offs. Having frustratingly dropped points in their previous outing against Partick, Dougie Imrie’s side will be looking for maximum points in a fixture that has proved notoriously tough in recent years. Match tickets are available at the below link: Fanbase | Select Ticket (fanbaseclub.com) Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News The only real injury concern appears to be over vice-captain Jack Baird, who again sat out the cup tie against Montrose. With Dougie Imrie having a general rule of keeping his cards close to his chest when discussing injuries and player availability, it’s unclear as to when the commanding centre back will likely return. One man who should come back into the team is Tyler French, who was left out of the Montrose match. While Dundee have confirmed that French will remain at Morton until the season’s conclusion, his omission was likely in the event of them having to recall him before the month’s end in the event of an injury at Dens. Providing that doesn’t happen at this late stage will of course be available for the next round of the Scottish Cup, as the transfer window will be closed, and Dundee have already exited the competition. With Imrie making a couple of changes last week, I’d expect Lewis Strapp to return to the starting line-up in the place of Calum Waters, while the Morton boss could have his usual dilemma between Grant Gillespie and Alan Power. Michael Garrity and Lewis McGrattan will also be eying Jai Quitongo’s jersey, with the winger not quite up to speed after his lengthy lay-off. Current Connections There’s only one player in either squad who has represented their opponents. Unfortunately though, the popular Arbroath custodian has missed their last two games and is likely to miss the trip to Cappielow. Now in his fifth season at Gayfield, he’s made the number one jersey his own in his time on the east coast, having previously served Morton with distinction for seven seasons, playing a vital role in winning the 2015 League One title and returning the club to the Championship at the first attempt. Tale of the Tape FINALLY! After thirteen unsuccessful attempts, the Morton fans could finally leave a fixture against the Red Lichties with a smile on their faces when the clubs met on December 9th. It looked as though David Gold’s second half equaliser would give the hosts a share of the spoils against then bottom-of-the-league Morton, following Lewis McGrattan’s first half opener, but on Lewis Strapp’s Morton return, it was his long throw that fell at the feet of George Oakley, who rifled the ball into the roof of Derek Gaston’s net to send the Cowshed faithful home in fine fettle as their charge up the table began. Arbroath’s previous visit to Cappielow wasn’t such a happy occasion, with the visitors registering a comfortable 3-0 victory thanks to a Michael McKenna penalty, an Iain Wilson own goal and a last-minute Joao Balde strike, making for a miserable afternoon for Dougie Imrie’s troops as any pre-season optimism was smashed to pieces by a ruthless performance from the impressive visitors. I needn’t discuss any meetings previous to that other than to say Arbroath have won on each of their last three visits to Cappielow and are unbeaten in their last six visits, with Morton’s last home victory being a 1-0 success in November 2019, thanks to an early Reece Lyon goal. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis There’s no hiding from it- Arbroath are in serious bother. Tuesday night’s 0-2 defeat against fellow strugglers Ayr United was not what the doctor ordered, and with an injury list that is increasing with every passing day, it would be fair to say that if they didn’t have bad luck, they’d have no luck at all. With long-serving manager Dick Campbell leaving the building after their shock Scottish Cup exit to SPFL new-boys Spartans, Arbroath’s form hasn’t really improved since the appointment of former Dunfermline, Queen of the South, Ross County and Cove boss, Jim McIntyre. McIntyre’s nine games thus far has seen five defeats, three draws and a single win in Inverness. Sitting bottom of the table, two points below second bottom Queen’s Park, the need to get points on the board is a desperate one. I spoke to our usual port of call for all things Arbroath, Ewan Smith (@ewansmithpr), who wasn’t his usual optimistic self when discussing his side’s troubles. “It was unlucky thirteen for Arbroath the last time we faced Morton as our incredible unbeaten run came to a halt in December. That was the start of a Jim McIntyre era that has been overshadowed by injuries. It sounds like a well-worn excuse, but it’s hard to argue that the overcrowded treatment room at Arbroath, that has left our squad ravaged, has had a huge impact on the park. In recent games, we’ve been without an entire starting XI of first team regulars such as Derek Gaston, Tam O’Brien, Ricky Little and Michael McKenna. We’ve brought in five new players in Innes Murray, Zak Delaney, Adam MacKinnon, Kyle Robinson and Max Boruc to compensate- only for Murray and Delaney to both get injured themselves. The horrific crock list led to THAT iconic moment that saw our sub keeper Ali Adams score from thirty yards against Raith Rovers whilst playing as a makeshift striker. It also exposed the fact that we were only able to list three outfield players on our bench. The bench has been so bare in the games that followed that Adams has threatened a re-run. And it doesn’t look like getting much better soon. In our defeat to Ayr on Tuesday, we ended the game with a striker at right back, a left wing-back and right midfielder in the centre of our defence and a midfielder at left back. Against a gale force wind for the entire second half, there was only going to be one winner as we made it six without a victory. I’m normally a glass-half-full kind of guy and would always back us- particularly against Morton- but I’m not feeling it right now. It doesn’t help that Morton are in the midst of a ten-match unbeaten run and recently stunned Dundee United at Tannadice. That’s why I’d settle for a draw here and a welcome two week break from games to allow some of our injured players to get back and bolster our bid to stay in the Championship.” What’s Happening Elsewhere? There’s a full card of Saturday fixtures this weekend, as Partick Thistle visit Airdrie in a fixture that those of a Morton persuasion will be hoping that Brian Graham and the lads can do their pals from Greenock a wee favour in our bid to snatch the final play-off place, which is currently occupied by the Diamonds. Heaven forbid, Dunfermline may actually have to play a football match this weekend, as Dundee United are more likely to be able to stage a game at Tannadice- something East End Park has struggled to do in recent times with fixtures postponed with frozen and waterlogged pitches- coincidentally in the midst of an injury crisis for the Pars. There’s a basement battle of the division’s two newest managers at Hampden, as Callum Davidson takes charge of his first “home” match with Queen’s Park against An Ayr United side looking to build on Tuesday’s win over Arbroath as Scott Brown makes his bow in the Honest Mens’ dugout. In the final game, big-spending Raith Rovers will be looking to make it nine points from nine against Inverness- a team they had previously failed to beat since 2000. Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 9pm on 25th January 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Morton are overwhelming favourites going into the match, priced at 4/7, with the draw at 3/1 and Arbroath priced at 15/4. Our two hat trick heroes of recent weeks, George Oakley and Robbie Muirhead, are 16/1 and 22/1 respectively to notch trebles this time around. Match Officials Referee- Duncan Williams makes a swift return to Cappielow, having been in the middle of Morton’s 3-0 victory over Ayr United on the second of January, an afternoon in which he didn’t cover himself in glory. AR 1- Jonathan Bell AR 2- Ross Anderson

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

Morton v Partick – Match Preview by Russell Gordon Dougie Imrie’s task going into this weekend is to pull his players down from Cloud Nine after last Saturday’s enthralling win at Tannadice in time for the visit of their fellow promotion hopefuls, Partick Thistle to Cappielow Park Supported by Dalrada Technology. While last weekend’s task looked the most daunting test of Morton’s ever increasing unbeaten run, the visit of a side that have had their number thus far in the campaign will doubtless prove a difficult challenge for Imrie’s men. Tickets for the match are available at the below link: Fanbase | Select Ticket (fanbaseclub.com) Photo - GBR Photographs. Squad News I don’t think I’ve said this at any point this season, but the Morton boss could well have a clean bill of health heading into a match which could go a long way towards establishing Morton as play-off contenders against a team who must already have the dates pencilled into their diary even at this early stage of the campaign. Robbie Muirhead returns from his enforced absence after serving a one-match ban at Tannadice last weekend and will likely slot back in in the place of Michael Garrity, despite the youngster excelling in the victory on Tayside, notably providing a wonderful cross for the first of George Oakley’s magnificent hat-trick. Vice-captain Jack Baird sat out of the Tannadice visit and could return to the side, but with Darragh O’Connor putting in another fine ninety minutes, there is at least the luxury of cover available to allow Baird time to fully recover. I’d expect Jai Quitongo to start on the bench as Imrie nurses him back to full fitness, and the return of Calum Waters last weekend was another welcome bonus, but with the left back not quite at full fitness and Lewis Strapp’s imperious form on his return to the club, Waters will more-than-likely join Quitongo on the bench. Current Connections Partick manager Kris Doolan’s playing career peaked with a 12-minute cameo in a Morton jersey in a 2-2 draw against Queen of the South in February 2020, his time at Morton curtailed by the outbreak of the COVID pandemic which saw the season stopped a month later. His captain, Brain Gaham started his career at Morton, scoring fourteen goals in all competitions across 73 appearances, most of which were from the bench. In his time at Morton, he enjoyed a prolific loan spell at East Stirlingshire, then of the old Third Division, before moving onto Raith Rovers. Since his departure, Graham has made no secret of the pleasure he takes in putting his old club to the sword at the various clubs he’s represented. He’s certainly got a love-hate relationship with the Morton fans- he loves to hate us, and the feeling is very much mutual! Another ex-player, but on the other side of the fence, who doesn’t endear himself to the fans of his former employees is Robbie Muirhead, who had a short loan spell at Firhill in 2016, scoring twice in eight appearances. Robbie Crawford was slightly more popular with the Partick support than Muirhead, enjoying a season in Glasgow before joining up at Cappielow at the start of last season. Jai Quitongo joined up at Partick after his first spell at Cappielow, enduring a pretty miserable time in Glasgow before moving over to Machine Sazi in Iran and coming back to Scotland with Dumbarton and subsequently Queen’s Park before returning to Cappielow. Tale of the Tape Anyone of a Morton persuasion may want to look away now. Partick came to Cappielow in August and fell behind early to a terrific Robbie Muirhead free kick before Robbie Crawford was forced off after only 21 minutes and Morton’s afternoon soon unravelled. Steven Lawless restored parity for Partick before half time, and the last twenty minutes proved a chastening experience for the Morton fans, with pantomime villain Graham scoring twice in a couple of minutes to put the game beyond the home side’s reach. There was still time for Partick full back Harry Milne to walk for a second yellow and for substitute Tomi Adeloye to put the cherry on the visitors’ cake on an afternoon we’d all rather forget. In the return match just over two months ago, Morton suffered their most recent league defeat, falling behind to an early Kerr McInroy strike before levelling the affair half an hour later through a Grant Gillespie penalty. The second half proved to be tight, with the main talking point as usual involving Partick’s former Morton striker, Graham. Enduring a difficult afternoon, Graham was withdrawn to be replaced by Adeloye with eighteen minutes remaining. With the visiting support enjoying watching Graham’s frustrations, he made his feelings clear by gesticulating to the Morton support, an act that was spotted by the stand side linesman, who alerted referee Alan Muir. Graham saw a straight red card for his troubles, but Partick weren’t reduced to ten men as he’d already been replaced. Three minutes later, Graham had the last laugh, as Blair Alston back heeled the winner past Jamie MacDonald to keep all the points in Maryhill, sparking wild celebrations from the banished striker, who goaded the visiting fans at a time he should have been sitting in the dressing room with his head in his hands. It’s fair to say we owe them one. Photo - GBR Photographs. Opposition Analysis Our pals from Glasgow have had a strange season. After narrowly missing out on promotion in that dramatic and not-at-all-funny play-off final in Dingwall, there was notable panic about how the books would be balanced with Partick’s trip to Ibrox in the cup last season being the only saving grace from a season in which there were a lot of eggs thrown into the promotion basket. They find themselves sitting in third- a sort of no man’s land between the two title challengers and those pushing for a play-off place. Having endured a slow start to the season, wins against Queen’s Park and Morton were followed up by yet another Friday night Somerset Park rout of Ayr before they suffered a surprise drubbing by Arbroath. After beating Dunfermline the following week, Partick went on runs of four without a win, then four wins in a row, before losing a thrilling TV game 3-4 at Stark’s Park. The Christmas period proved difficult, with dropped points at home to Inverness and a 0-3 mauling at Tannadice, but victories over Queen’s Park and Arbroath in the new year have seen Partick return to form ahead of the visit to Greenock. Despite their apparent financial woes, they’ve managed to find a few quid down the back of the sofa to sign Raith defender Dan O’Reilly on an 18-month deal in a surprise move after his short-term deal at the big-spending league leaders came to an end. What’s Happening Elsewhere? I don’t think it’s too arrogant of me to say that after last weekend’s heroics, even the most pessimistic of Morton fans are now looking at the permutations for the teams looking towards the play-offs at the top end of the table rather than the bottom end. With the weather in the Highlands expected to take a turn for the worse, we may well see the Friday night BBC Scotland game falling foul as, after all, it’s only Morton who are required to make the journey up and down the A9 when driving conditions are treacherous. Should it go ahead, Dundee United getting back to winning ways would go down well, with the Highlanders currently four points behind our favourites. On Saturday, there’s unlikely to be much of a feelgood factor at Gayfield as bottom dogs Arbroath host an Ayr United side in freefall, with Lee Bullen under increasing pressure from a support that’s losing patience with every passing week. The two promoted sides, Dunfermline and Airdrie, meet at East End Park in the game that most Morton fans will have their eyes on, hoping both can cancel each other out as we march to victory. Big-spending Raith Rovers host a Queen’s Park side who dragged themselves off the foot of the table with last weekend’s victory over injury-ravaged Dunfermline and appointed former St. Johnstone cup-winning boss Callum Davidson as their new manager during the week. Davidson knows a thing or two about winning at an empty Hampden, so the Spiders’ support will be hoping he can draw from those experiences! Photo - GBR Photographs. Betting Guide All odds are supplied by McBookie. All odds correct as of 7am on 12th January 2024 and are subject to change. Please only bet within your means and visit BeGambleAware if you are struggling. Morton to score in both halves comes in at 21/10, and George Oakley to continue on from last weekend by scoring at least twice is 9/2. Match Officials Referee- Craig Napier takes charge of his third Morton game of the season, having been in the middle of our 0-0 draw against Queen’s Park at Hampden and the 4-0 Scottish Cup victory over Bo’ness United. AR 1- Ross MacLeod AR 2- Scott Anderson

Craig, Darren, Gordon & Chris discuss Morton's dramatic 3-2 win at Tannadice.

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

Away Day Guide – Dundee United (6th January) Photo - Pintrest Ticketing Click here to purchase matchday tickets. Prices are as follows; Adult - £25, Concession - £15, U12s - £5. Disabled Supporters Information Visually impaired supporters can be accommodated in the lower tier of the George Fox Stand where they receive access to match commentary through headphones. This service is provided by the Dundee Blind and Partially Sighted Society (tel 01382 227101) and supporters should liaise with this organisation in the first instance Wheelchair capacity: there are 16 wheelchair spaces in the George Fox Stand Lower stand and 11 in the Eddie Thompson Stand. Wheelchair users accommodated in the George Fox Stand enter from the appropriately manned doors at either end of the stand. There is a facility for non-bookable disabled parking (12 spaces) at the east side of North Isla Street (between Tannadice Street and Fairbairn Street) or at the south kerb of Sandeman Street (between the east end of the George Fox Stand and Arklay Street). Disabled Away Supporters at Tannadice: For smaller games, there is a facility for four wheelchair spaces situated between the Fair Play and West Stand. Please contact moira.hughes@dundeeunitedfc.co.uk for further information. Supporters Buses The Gourock Morton Supporters bus will depart from The Old Wherry Tavern at 11.30am. The price will be decided on the day. Message their page on Facebook or contact Shaun on 07983 600945 to book a space. The Port Glasgow Morton Travel Club bus will leave The Caledonian Bar at 12noon. The cost will be decided on the day. Message their page on Facebook or contact Mark on 07903065204 to book a space. By Train Travel to Glasgow Central and transfer to Glasgow Queen Street. From Queen Street, services to Dundee operate regularly on the Glasgow-Aberdeen line. If not purchasing advanced tickets, then purchasing tickets from Glasgow-Perth and Perth-Dundee works out cheaper than a direct ticket. Electronic ticket barriers are in operation at Dundee. All information taken from the ScotRail website By Car Use postcode DD3 7JY for the stadium. The approximate journey time from Cappielow via the M8, M80 and A9 is 1hr 52 mins. Please be aware that there is very limited street parking around the vicinity of the stadium. One of the best options is to park at Fairmuir FC’s football pitches (DD4 9BG), which are around a 10 minute (0.5 mile) walk from Tannadice. Street parking is limited around the stadium area, as can be seen in the diagram below. Pre-Match Photo - Trip Advisor If you are arriving in Dundee city center then Trades House Bar (40 Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4ET) is a few minutes walk from Dundee Station, serving food and drinks and showing live sport. If arriving at the stadium, The Ellenbank Bar (128 Alexander St, Dundee DD3 7DE) has all the usual pre-match requirements and is only a few minutes walk from the turnstiles.