Davie Irons praised his players’ mettle after coping with travel fatigue and a gruelling 90 minutes in Dingwall before snatching a draw at the death.
The Morton manager wanted a show of steel from his men after two bitterly disappointing previous trips to the
In terms of spirit and determination, they certainly answered his call — albeit with a terrible blunder allowing them to seize a point in the final seconds.
Sub Iain Russell’s last-gasp leveller leaves the Cappielow men in fifth place in the table and more importantly nine points above the dreaded drop zone with six games to play.
The significance was not lost on Irons; he admitted: “We left it late and you are obviously just relieved to get a point by that stage.
Irons was particularly satisfied to preserve his team’s unbeaten run.
He said: “We’re unbeaten in six games and, after a terrible start, have only lost four times since the end of the first quarter. We’ve put a decent run together since failing to win a single game from the first nine.
“The boys have worked hard to turn that around.
Irons’ close friend Craig Brewster was surprisingly axed as one of six changes made by home boss Derek Adams.
Even late in the game, when County might have tried to close the game down, Brewster’s experience was not called upon.
Irons admitted: “I was happy to see Craig there on the bench — and a wee bit surprised he stayed there.
“I have the utmost respect for him. He’s a good friend and a really good guy, and a top player in his time — he still is a good player. I thought if they’d put Craig on he might have held the ball up for them and given them a wee bit more composure up there. But that’s not for me, it’s Derek’s [
At the end of the afternoon this was a more comfortable win than might have been expected before the match began.
A
It was a key victory for Morton whose priority was to make sure they remain in this division. Statistically, they may not be safe, but in reality it would take a revival of Lazarus proportions from both Clyde and Airdrie to overtake the
It was
The opening goal, when it came, did so with surprising simplicity and excellent execution. Ryan McGuffie slipped a neat pass left to Allan Jenkins and the big fellow smashed home a perfectly struck left foot drive from
He has become a very important player for Morton in the last few games and he was at the forefront again, in 29 minutes, when his drive from
Morton were now dominant and, when a Masterton drive was blocked, James Grady got on the end of it to stab a shot from an angle inside the box just wide of the right post.
Another top drawer Masterton free kick from wide on the left bent just over the crossbar, then a wicked delivery from the right this time caused panicinthe visitors’ box before flying past the goal for a byekick.
After the break,
In 58 minutes there was joy in the home stands and terraces when Ton skipper Stewart Greacen appeared to give them a second goal which their play deserved. Masterton struck a free kick from deep on the right, Greacen timed his run forward perfectly between two defenders and powered a header low into the right side of the goal.
Unfortunately for him, the linesman’s flag went up for offside, presumably against someone other than the Morton captain who had run from behind at least two defenders. The suggestion was that Paartalu may have been in an offside position to Greacen’s left, though how he could have been interfering with play is a mystery.
In any event, it was no goal. Five minutes later Hutton was called on again to to deny Masterton from yet another free kick. This time the midfielder bent a superb strike round the defensive wall from
The goalkeeper was then booked for a foul on Grady who was almost immediately replaced by Brian Wake.
A minute later, the 67th of the game, came the decisive moment of the match. Peter Weatherson was facing away from goal, and some
It was a clear penalty, and also earned the goalkeeper a second yellow card, quickly followed by the mandatory red.
There was some delay before
Morton were not finished yet and the irrepressible Jenkins sent in another high velocity shot which was diverted just wide of the left post.
With just over 10 minutes to go Stewart Greacen almost brought the house down when his acrobatic attempt at an overhead kick from a Masterton delivery soared just over the crossbar. Had that gone in he may as well have picked up the Player of the Year trophy there and then.
A minute later Erik Paartalu’s header from a Masterton left wing corner struck the woodwork, and there was only one team in the game.
Weatherson then neatly came off his marker at the near post only to head over from the inevitable Masterton corner.
It almost came in the final minute of play. Jim McAlister did the hard work in creating space for himself with a determined run, but his attempted chip was struck too firmly and the ball past over the target.
For Morton it was a win which all but ensured their place in the divisionand carried them up to fifth place.
It was also three points which ought to allow them to play freely in the weeks to come, even given the incredible competitiveness of this league.
Morton were denied the chance to go third top of the first division as a dour Diamonds side shut-up-shop at Cappielow.
In a game of few real chances, home skipper Stewart Greacen reckoned he had finally breached the Airdrie defence with a thundering second half header that looked destined for the net.
But man-of-the-match Stephen Robertson had other ideas and the Diamonds keeper somehow managed to push Greacen’s effort over the bar.
It was as close as Ton came to securing the points in a hard-fought clash which had plenty graft, but too little craft. What scoring opportunities there were almost all fell for the home side, but Robertson proved equal to them all.
Afterwards a frustrated Greacen admitted: “I thought I had won it and couldn’t really have done much more with the header.
“It was a reaction save from the keeper and he’s just managed to put up his hand and get enough on it to put it over. A yard either side of him and it’s in the back of the net. We are bitterly disappointed not to have taken three points and moved further up the league. We didn’t create that many chances to be fair, but I never thought we were in any danger of losing the game.”
A lively contest looked in prospect as the visitors briefly threatened to carry the attack to their in-form hosts.
Indeed, Greacen’s first action of the night was to hook away a dangerous ball from his own box while lying flat on the ground.
The Diamonds, though, failed to build any sustained pressure and were instead content on playing a spoiling game in midfield while always alert to any counter-attacking possibilities.
Morton responded to Airdrie’s early raid when Jim McAlister’s inswinging free kick was clawed over the bar by Robertson.
From the corner, Ryan McGuffie’s rasping drive forced a spectacular save as the Airdrie keeper gave a hint of the frustrations to follow for home fans.
At the other end, Kevin Cuthbert looked less secure than his opposite number when he flapped at Willie McLachlan’s flighted free kick and saw the ball dribbling towards the net.
However, the keeper was bailed out by the back-tracking Dom Shimmin who produced a vital goal-line clearance.
Chances were at a premium as play became bogged down in a crowded midfield, but twice in as many minutes Peter Weatherson’s shoot-on-sight policy almost paid dividends.
The striker first tried his luck from an acute angle and Robertson’s parried save was hooked clear by Stephen McKenna.
Moments later, Weatherson produced another firm effort from the edge of the box and again Roberston had to be alert.
The loose ball was quickly played upfield where Paul Di Giacomo’s snapshot drew a diving save from Cuthbert.
Di Giacomo then broke free on the left but, with John Baird screaming for a cross, over-hit his delivery into the box.
Weatherson, the most direct striker on the park, threatened again in 51 minutes when he surged into the box, jinked passed Bobby Donnelly, and saw his near-post shot brilliantly blocked by Robertson.
The Airdrie keeper continued to grow in stature and produced further heartache with that astonishing block to deny Greacen in 70 minutes.
Morton’s centre-half met Stevie Masterton’s free kick with a powerful header which was destined for the net until Robertson’s reflexes saw the ball deflected over the bar.
With time almost up, Allan Jenkins had Morton’s final chance with an
Cappielow boss Davie Irons admitted his side had failed to hit top gear against a typically battling Airdrie outfit.
He said: “We knew it would be hard against Airdrie as it always is. They are hard to break down and their keeper had three or four great saves. We didn’t play as we can and lacked a bit of quality when we needed it. The boys have worked hard and put in a decent shift, but it wasn’t enough. There was a bit of anxiety, a few poor touches and occasions where we’ve rushed things but we’ve got to be able to deal with that. We wanted to improve our position tonight, but we’ve got eight games left and we’ve got to treat each one like a cup final and see where we finish.”
Airdrie counterpart Kenny Black said: “I thought on effort alone we merited a point, but we’ve got to thank our goalie again.”
On a dreich day in
In five meetings between the sides there — four in the league and one Challenge Cup tie — the
It was a measure of their current form and upbeat mood following two successive, key league victories, that they left Palmerston feeling a sense of disappointment with one point instead of three.
Over the piece, both sides had their chances but, at one up with 17 minutes to go, the balance of power was with the visitors, Queen of the South boss Gordon Chisholm later admitting that he couldn’t see an equaliser coming at that stage.
Come it did, however, and after that the game really opened up, each side creating opportunities in an entertaining finale in which play flowed from end to end. In the conditions it was a more than decent contest.
Morton again had several big performances, Stewart Greacen and Allan McManus stalwarts at the back, Kevin Cuthbert stoic in goal, Allan Jenkins again a powerhouse in midfield, wee James Grady popping up to head the opener and Peter Weatherson holding the ball up well.
Again, though, it was a team effort.Everyone had his moments and, with Dunfermline on cup duty, Morton crept up another place in the table to fourth spot, albeit only one win ahead of third bottom Queens.
That just sums up this league, as did second bottom
Morton showed their positive intent in the opening minute when Allan Jenkins’ drive was deflected for a corner. But
MacFarlane replaced the injured Burns for the hosts who provided the game’s next threat in 24 minutes. Kean set up Tosh whose excellent run took him into the box only for Cuthbert to come to the rescue with a good block.
Morton countered when Erik Paartalu’s pass was beautifully knocked on by Jim McAlister, taking him clear on the left, but his angled drive flew narrowly wide of the left post.
Then Grady’s glancing header from Paartalu’s cross was just too near ex-Morton goalkeeper Lee Robinson.
Queen of the South responded and, from a McCann corner on the left, Kean’s effort was blocked and rebounded to Cuthbert.
Peter Weatherson received a yellow card for a foul on Thomson, only to rob the big fellow a minute later. He was slightly off-balance as his attempted lob was hit off target.
James Grady’s controlled shot curled wide and over the target before the home side ought to have taken the lead in 40 minutes. An excellent pass by Harris put Robertson through in the inside left channel only for his shot to slide narrowly wide of the right post.
Morton made the most of that piece of good fortune a minute later. Peter Weatherson struck an audacious free kick from fully
That was how it stayed at the break. Seven minutes into the new half a strong Jenkins run allowed McAlister the chance to cross from the left. The ball was partially cleared to Grady whose shot was blocked.
Iain Russell had not long replaced Grady when Kevin Finlayson’s long ball from the right switched the play to the substitute. The pass was struck just too long, allowing Robinson to block the striker’s effort.
With time ticking by, Morton were closer to a third consecutive win. But then,
It was quickly taken and was a triumph of aerial combat, ‘Bomber’ Harris playing the ball in from near the left corner of the box to Lancaster who flew in at the back post to squeeze the ball home.
An excellent turn and shot by the dangerous Dobbie produced an equally good save by Cuthbert at full stretch as both sides battled for a winner.
A McAlister cross was headed on by Weatherson towards Russell, Robinson just pinching the ball from the substitute.
Back came
Then an excellent run by Harris produced a shot blocked near the penalty spot by Smith and the final whistle soon signalled the division of the points.
It was probably a fair enough result over the 90 minutes, each manager believing their side deserved more from the match.
For Morton, the most pleasing aspect was again their determination to play adventurous football whenever possible. A win at Cappielow over bottom club Airdrie tomorrow night would surely virtually assure their First Division status for another season.
Morton showed no shortage of perspiration last night at Broadwood, but the inspiration came from manager Davie Irons’ second half substitutions.
The introduction of Iain Russell and Brian Wake proved vital in snatching all three points as the relegation dog-fight took another twist.
Morton had not lost away to
But the half-time withdrawal of James Grady for Wake and the second half switch to go three up front with Russell being thrown on for Ryan McGuffie proved the decisive factor in Clyde’s 16-year dismal home run against Ton continuing.
Russell, beaming with delight, said afterwards: “I was just delighted to be playing as I’ve not had the chance too often. The team have been doing well so it was great to be able to get on and make a contribution.
“We were pretty nervous because there was a lot riding on the game and it was three massive points.”
Commitment from both sides was too robust from the outset when
With just 10 minutes gone Morton’s Allan Jenkins also saw yellow for a late tackle on Scott Gemmill. It showed just how vital the outcome was to both sides and nerves were apparent.
When Morton finally got the opener in 32 minutes, not only was it of the stunning variety, it was no more than they deserved.
Grady rolled the ball from the right into the path of Erik Paartalu, who ran in and let fly with a sensational 25-yard screamer which flew high into the net.
Russell said of the strike: “Erik will never score a better goal than that this season — it was an amazing strike.To be fair he does it quite a lot in training. I was delighted for him.”
Morton did not know what hit them when
Thirty seconds later Gregory Tade whipped in a superb cross to the near post and Gemmill managed to glance the ball with his head into the net to give the Bully Wee an astonishing lead.
Russell added: “We were warming up at the time behind the goals and just couldn’t believe it having played so well in the first half and didn’t deserve to be 2-1 down.”
Clyde were reduced to 10 men in 61 minutes after Gibson paid the price for his early booking, when he was shown red for lunge at Jenkins.
Morton capitalised almost immediately when Stuart Kettlewell made a hash of a clearance in 70 minutes, Jenkins drilled the ball across and substitute Russell turned it in from close range.
A double late on sealed victory for Morton. Four minutes from time Stevie Masterton’s 18-yard shot took a wicked deflection off Wake and flew past the helpless Hutton.
Then, deep into stoppage time, the front man drilled home his second and Ton’s fourth from a narrow angle.
Russell said of the goals: “It was great for myself and Brian to get on and score. All I can do is my best when I get the chance.”
Manager Davie Irons said: “We showed great character after going behind having dominated the first half and having had so much of the play, but that’s just typical of my players. They showed they are up for the fight and that was a huge win for us in what is a huge week for us with games against Queen of the South and Airdrie coming up. We showed a positive attitude throughout and got out of the match exactly what we deserved.”
