Morton Under-19s 1 - 0 Dumbarton Under-19s

Morton Under-19s 1 - MacKay
Dumbarton Under-19s 0

12pm kick-off
Sunday 1st February
Battery Park

by Chris Silver

Morton's eldest youth team got back into the winning groove with a hard fought one goal victory over Dumbarton. However, the victory was hardly deserved on the balance of play.

Morton kicked off but it was Sons who were first out of the traps in terms of goal scoring oppurtunities. A free kick drove to the edge of the box was met by a Dumbarton striker who had time to take a touch and turn but his shot was hastily parried for a corner kick by Ryan McWilliams in the Ton goal. McWilliams - who has been an unused substitute in the first team ten times this season - rightly berated the defence for their slow reactions.

Dumbarton began to assert a bit of dominance and forced a series of corner kicks that put the Morton rearguard under immense pressure. However, the defence managed to scramble clear and survive the onslaught.

We were riding our luck now. Dumbarton attacked down our right side and the resulting cut back was met by an on rushing Sons midfielder whose drive beat McWilliams (pictured, above left) but hit the post and went behind for a goalkick.

Ironically we scored what turned out to be the winner from our first real attack. Ton's number 9 'Limo' (scorer of 2 goals in the last match) took in a nice pass from midfield. After some strong hold up play he found Kenneth MacKay with an angled pass. MacKay tucked the ball into the far corner with a neat finish. 1-0 Morton .

We started to come into the game a little more after the goal but we never really got into our full stride and more often than not Dumbarton managed to pin us back. However, the Sons' strikers just couldn't get the break as they increased the pressure on the Ton defence. McWilliams was proving to be a particular thorn in the side of Dumbarton and their goalscoring aspirations.

The Morton defence looked to be cracking under the pressure but were saved by the bell when the referee blew for half fime. The interval gave our rearguard some much needed respite.

Into the second half and Morton's number 7 made an early driving run that took him to the edge of the Sons area, despite all his endeavour the move fizzled out.

Sadly it wasn't long before Dumbarton were back on the attack. Once again we had McWilliams - and the woodwork - to thank for thwarting Dumbarton's quest for an equaliser.

On a couple of occasions we managed to pass our way through the Sons ranks but these forays were few and far between. The Morton strikers were becoming increasingly isolated and the out ball to relieve the defence became infrequent.

Once again McWilliams came to his teammates rescue when he saved at the feet of a Dumbarton striker .

We rode our luck for most of the contest and apart from a few half chances near the end we were the poorer side on the balance of play. So it came as a welcome relief when he referee blew his whistle for full time. The Morton boys had fought hard for the victory but the Sons Of The Rock will feel aggrieved that they left Greenock with nothing to show for their efforts.

Morton Under-19s Results - Season 2008/09

dumbartonfootballclub.com - Mixed Fortunes For Youth Teams