Morton 0 -Queen Of The South 0 -
Att: 2235
Look on the bright side - two successive clean sheets against one of the best teams in the league after a 5-0 mauling against Airdrie is progress. However, this type of performance is hardly going to halt the steady decline in attendances at Cappielow.
Davie Irons stuck with the 4-5-1 that was so successful at Palmerston last week. There were only two changes from the previous week: Allan Jenkins replaced Stevie Masterton in the starting line up and Troy McKerrell - an Under-19 player - took Jenkins' place on the bench.
Morton didn't offer much in the first forty-five as we spent it camped in our own half with ten men behind the ball. The defence were defending so deep they were practically on top of Kevin Cuthbert whereas the Queens defensive line was so high they were passing the ball about on the half-way line. It was boring to watch and depressing to witness a Morton team playing such a cautious game at home to a team in the same division.
Queen Of The South's best effort on goal came from Stevie Tosh. The former Gretna man hit the post with a great effort and the Morton defence scrambled clear. Stephen Dobbie had a couple of long range shots at goal but they weren't good enough to beat Cuthbert. For all their possession the Dumfries men were finding it hard to get behind the deep lying 'Ton defence.
The second half began the same way the first half had ended but three elements combined to spark Morton into life for the last half hour: Iain Russell started driving at opponents, Stevie Tosh was sent off and Kevin Finlayson came on as a sub. Our best efforts were a Dominic Shimmin header, that went just wide, from a Jim McAlister corner and an Iain Russell shot that skimmed off the top of the bar and over. Russell's strike came at the end of run in which he drove directly at opponents leaving two or three trailing in his wake. Russell appears to be settling into life in the first division. His attacking play has been one of our biggest positives this season. Well done Iain.
Like Queens we couldn't convert our chances and the game finished goalless. It wasn't a bad point in the scheme of things but there is still cause for concern when we have to play so defensively at home. Dougie Rae has asked for us to bring a friend but with this sort of football on show you'd struggle to get people with season tickets to turn up.
Morton (4-5-1):
1. Cuthbert - 7
2. Walker - 6
3. Smith - 6 (12. Weatherson - 81 mins)
4. Shimmin - 7
5. Paartalu - 6
6. Harding (c) - 6
7. McGuffie - 7
8. Jenkins - 6 (14. Finlayson - 58 mins
9. Wake - 7
10. Russell - 8
11. McAlister - 6
Subs Not Used:
Walker Shimmin Harding Smith
Russell McGuffie Paartalu Jenkins McAlister
Wake
Queen Of The South: Bell, Parratt (McGowan 76), Thomson, MacFarlane, Barr, Sives, McQuilken, Tosh, Kean, Dobbie, Burns.
Subs Not Used: Robertson, Weatherston, Simmons, Halliwell.
Booked: Sives, Bell, Tosh, Barr, McGowan
Sent Off: Tosh (69).
My man of the match: Iain Russell
Sponsor's man of the match: Kevin Cuthbert
Matchday Programme (Click to enlarge)
Greenock Telegraph match report
Greenock Telegraph match reaction
BBC match report
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