Morton v Dunfermline Preview

Believe it or not but Morton are actually playing a match at Cappielow tomorrow. Dunfermline Athletic - and not Real Madrid as the advertising billboard just off Sinclair Street was claiming - are our guests as we play our first competitive match at home since the last day of last season when we lost 2-0 to Ross County.

4-5-1 or not 4-5-1, that is the question. Some fans are saying we have been playing 4-5-1 in every game so far, Davie Irons has claimed in yesterday's and today's editions of the Greenock Telegraph that it has always been a 4-3-3, I say it's been a mixture of the two. I believe that we set up with a 4-3-3 in the matches against Dumbarton and Cowdenbeath and 4-5-1 against Dundee and St. Mirren. The reasons are pretty obvious, the first two were against teams in lower leagues so it's easier to attack them while in the other two matches we were away to an SPL team and the favourites for the league so it made more sense to get men behind the ball and frustrate superior opponents rather than attack them with three dedicated front men.

In today's Tele' Irons has indicated that he might make an attacking alteration tomorrow, he said: "I don't imagine there will be many changes, if any. I might tweek [sic] it a bit to give us another attacking option." On that basis I have a wee feeling we might go with a 4-4-2 because we are at home and because the 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 has left Peter Weatherson very isolated up front and for him to be effective he really needs someone up with him. Brian Graham was quite impressive when he came on at Dundee last week but if he decides to go with two up front I can't see past him looking to Brian Wake's experience to try and unsettle the Pars defence. I'd also like to think that Allan Jenkins would be back in the starting line up after he was inexplicably dropped, this would probably mean Stevie Masterton would start on the bench. The only other thing I can think that Irons meant by adding another attacking option is that he's maybe considering playing someone more attacking on the right of a front three instead of Kevin Finlayson, possibly Graham or Iain Russell.

Dominic Shimmin and Kevin Cuthbert are still absent but everyone else is deemed fit to start. Although the Tele' does mention that Colin Stewart is recovering from a broken finger.

According to the Dunfermline Press Greg Ross and Andy Dowie have returned to training after injury so Pars manager Jim McIntyre has a fully fit squad from which to choose for the game. It's hard to ascertain whether or not Dunfermline will be a weaker or stronger team than last season. On one hand they have lost experienced professionals like goalkeeper Paul Gallacher, defenders Scott Thomson and Scott Wilson and have replaced them with younger players in Andy Dowie and former Clyde duo Neil McGregor and Chris Higgins. They have also signed former Gretna goalkeeper Greg Fleming on loan from Oldham. However, I'd say that their best signing of the summer was that of Kilmarnock winger Willie Gibson. I went to a Kilmarnock v Hibs match last season and, although Gibson wasn't brilliant, you could see he had potential and certainly looked like he'd be a very good player in the first division.

As always Andy Kirk will be their main threat and to have any chance of success tomorrow Stewart Greacen and Allan McManus will need to put the shackles on the Northern Irish international. However, I think he will score but that it will be a late equaliser to cancel out a Spoonsy opener to make the final score 1-1.


Admisson Prices*

MAIN STAND

Adult - £17
Concession - £11
Parent & Child - £20
Additional Child (12 - 16 years) - £5
Additional Child (Under 12 years) - Free

TERRACING

Adult - £15
Concession - £10
Parent & Child - £18
Child (12 - 16 years) - £5
Child (Under 12 years) - Free

*from gmfc.net: here


Last Meeting

05.05.2009 - Scottish 1st Division
Dunfermline 2 - 1 Morton


Possible line up

Halliwell
McGuffie Greacen McManus Monti
Finlayson MacFarlane Jenkins McAlister
Weatherson Wake

Betting (high street prices)

Morton are best priced at 7/5 with .
Dunfermline are 8/5 with .
The Draw is 11/4 with .


My Predicition

Morton 1 - 1 Dunfermline
6/1 with , and .


dafc.premiumtv.co.uk - Morton preview

Dunfermline Press - Manager Thanks Fans For Backing (13.08.2009)

oddschecker.com - Morton v Dunfermline