And Another One's Gone...

Morton's New Year clash with Partick Thistle is the latest Ton match to be cancelled.

The fixture, set to be played on 2 January, was postponed after several pipes burst at Cappielow, affecting the toilets and other facilities.

A statement posted on the official website earlier today reads: "We have experienced an unprecedented number of burst pipes at the Stadium following the recent cold weather, which has affected various facilities within the ground including the toilets and catering stands.

"Despite repairs having been carried out over the last 48 hours, the situation is such that we have had to take the decision to cancel this weekends match. We would like to apologise for having to postpone, but trust that supporters will understand the reasons for doing so."

The match is the sixth to succumb to the arctic winter we are currently experiencing.

gmfc.net - Morton -v- Partick Thistle (31.12.2010)

Young And Evans Extend Deals

Morton have today announced deals to extend the contracts of Darren Young and Grant Evans.

Evans' loan from Hamilton Accies was due to expire at the start of January and has been extended until the end of the season, while Young, who signed a short-term deal in November after a three-game trial, also extends his stay until the end of the current campaign.

The news that Young has signed a new deal is particularly pleasing. The 32-year-old has been very impressive in his short time with the club, using his know-how and experience to control the middle of the park while aiding the development of his 20-year-old central midfield partner, Michael Tidser.

Evans, meanwhile, has had a few shaky moments in a Ton shirt but demonstrated his potential with a superb showing at right-back in the recent 2-2 draw with Ross County at Victoria Park. Allan Moore will be hoping for more of the same from the 20-year-old, particularly due to the fact that Stewart Greacen's recent departure means that he may have to fill in at centre-back if either of Marc Smyth or Stuart McCaffrey are ruled out through injury or suspension.

gmfc.net - Player News (30.12.2010)

Another One Bites The Dust

Morton's Boxing Day match versus Stirling Albion is the latest fixture to fall foul of the weather.

The First Division clash was postponed after the frost-covered Forthbank (or Doubletree Dunblane Stadium, if you prefer) playing surface failed a pitch inspection earlier today.

Meanwhile, the club also announced that the A.G.M., which was scheduled to be held earlier tonight, was cancelled due to "frozen pipes within the stadium".

gmfc.net - Stirling Albion -v- Morton (23.12.2010)

gmfc.net - A.G.M. Cancelled (23.12.2010)

Greacen Leaves Club

Long-serving Morton defender Stewart Greacen has today parted company with the club by mutual consent.

The centre-back, who has been installed as club captain on two seperate occasions, has only made three starts under Allan Moore this season and appears to have moved on in search of first-team football.

Moore made it clear at the start of the season that he wasn't happy with his defence after a 2-2 draw in a bounce game against Albion Rovers and moved to sign Marc Smyth and later Stuart McCaffrey to strengthen his rearguard.

28-year-old Greacen joined Ton on a season's loan in season 2001-02 and then made the move permanent in the summer of 2003. In his two spells with the club, Greacen made 276 starts, three substitute appearances and scored a respectable 19 goals (which included seven in the 2003/04 season alone).

Stewart is a great professional who always gave everything he had in a Morton shirt. I'd like to take the opportunity to wish him all the best in the future.

gmfc.net - Stewart Greacen (22.12.2010)

Queens Game Off

Morton suffered at the hands of the weather again today as their fixture against Queen of the South was postponed.

The game was called off this morning due to the fact that the Palmerston pitch was frozen and that the weather was not expected to get any better tonight or tomorrow.

A statement on Queens' official club website says: "Due to the pitch at Palmerston being frozen and with further low temperatures forecast for tonight and tomorrow during the day this game has been cancelled."

The BBC's Keir Murray interviewed Allan Moore about the club's alternative training arrangements, and also spoke to Ton groundsman Mark Farrell and chief executive Gillian Donaldson about the effects of the postponements, which you can listen to here:
BBC - Allan Moore Boxing And Pumping Up Morton Team (04.12.2010) and BBC - Morton Face Two Month Home Freeze (06.12.2010).

qosfc.com - Morton Game Is Off (17.12.2010)

Ross County 2-2 Morton

Ross County 2 - Barrowman (23), Boyd (90+5)
Morton 2 - Graham (26), Jenkins (31)

Morton were on the receiving end of a controversial refereeing decision for the second time in two games against Ross County.

With Ton leading 2-1 in injury-time referee Iain Brines is alleged to have told Graeme Holmes there were only five seconds left and earlier told Allan Moore there was one minute left - but played over a minute after that, in which time Scott Boyd headed home a 95th minute equaliser.

I personally thought that Brines looked as if he knew he'd got it wrong and the Tele's excellent photograph (above), which shows Moore berating Brines just after the final whistle, shows, in my opinion, the face of a man who knows he got it wrong.

The visitors had dominated from the first whistle, with David O'Brien flying out of the traps. But they failed to score while they were on top and conceded against the run of play when the criminally unmarked Andrew Barrowman headed home Martin Scott's cross from the right.

However, the Ton demonstrated tremendous character and turned the game on its head in a five-minute spell when Brian Graham pounced on Richard Brittain's shocking back-pass to level. He then turned Gary Miller inside out on the left wing before whipping over a sensational cross for Allan Jenkins to power home minutes later.

County were the better team in the second half but couldn't find a way past the Ton defence until Brines awarded a corner on 94 minutes and 36 seconds.

You can read my full Greenock Telegraph match report and reaction here: Moore: Decision Was Diabolical.

Morton (4-4-2):

1. Colin Stewart - 6
2. Grant Evans - 7
3. David MacGregor - 7
4. Marc Smyth - 5
5. Stuart McCaffrey - 5
6. Michael Tidser - 7
7. Allan Jenkins - 7
8. Darren Young - 6 (15. Graeme Holmes, 75 - 3)
9. Brian Graham - 8 (14. Kevin Kelbie, 76 - 2)
10. Stewart Kean - 6
11. David O'Brien - 8 (12. Carlo Monti, 90+1 - 1)

Subs not used:

16. Fouad Bachirou
20. Kevin Cuthbert

Stewart
Evans Smyth McCaffrey MacGregor
Jenkins Young Tidser O'Brien
Graham Kean

Ross County (4-2-3-1): McGovern (7); Miller (5), Boyd (7), McCormack (6), Morrison (7); Lawson (6), Vigurs (6) (Corcoran 61, 3); Brittain (5) (Craig 69, 3),Gardyne (6), Scott (6) (Wood 85, 2); Barrowman (7).

Subs not used: Flynn, Malin (gk).


Morton bookings: Tidser (81).


Referee: Iain Brines

Attendance: 1,759

My man of the match: Brian Graham



View from the other side:

rosscountyfootballclub.co.uk - match report

Morton 0-1 Dundee

Morton 0 -
Dundee 1 - Lockwood (62 pen)

This was a match Morton really should have won, never mind lost.

In-form striker Brian Graham appeared to have left his shooting boots at home for this one, as he passed up two glorious chances after Rab Douglas had parried two long-range efforts into his path.

Ton were punished for their profligacy when Dark Blues player/assistant manager Matt Lockwood slotted home a cool 62nd minute penalty - his second of the season against Allan Moore's men - after Kevin McKinlay had fouled Stephen O'Donnell in the box.

The home side thought they'd grabbed a well deserved equaliser in the 80th minute when Stewart Kean bulleted a diving header past Douglas, but the Cowshed linesman had (wrongly, in my opinion - watch the YouTube video, below, and make up your own mind) raised his flag for offside.



It was substitute Sean Fitzharris, playing in the last game of his emergency loan from Celtic, who whipped over the cross for Kean's 'goal', and he provided another teasing centre in injury-time. This time Dundee defender Rhys Weston swiped at the ball in an attempt to clear and only succeeded in sending the ball looping up behind him towards his own goal. It just wasn't to be Ton's day, though, as the ball crashed off the top of the crossbar and behind for a goalkick.

You can read my full Greenock Telegraph match report here: Ton Paying The Penalty.

And match reaction from Stewart Kean and manager Allan Moore here: Goal Should Have Stood.

Morton (4-4-2):

1. Colin Stewart - 6
2. David MacGregor - 6
3. Kevin McKinlay - 5
4. Marc Smyth - 7
5. Stuart McCaffrey - 5
6. Michael Tidser - 7
7. Allan Jenkins - 7 (14. Sean Fitzharris, 73 - 7)
8. Darren Young - 7
9. Brian Graham - 5
10. Stewart Kean - 6 (12. Kevin Kelbie, 82 - 1)
11. David O'Brien - 5 (16. Carlo Monti, 78 - 4)

Subs not used:

15. Fouad Bachirou
20. Kevin Cuthbert

Stewart
MacGregor Smyth McCaffrey McKinlay
Jenkins Young Tidser O'Brien
Graham Kean

Dundee (4-4-2): Douglas (7); Irvine (6), McKeown (6), Weston (7), Lockwood (7); Riley (5), O’Donnell (6), Harkins (6), Forsyth (6); Higgins (5) (McIntosh 84, 1), Griffiths (5).

Subs not used: Benedictus, Stewart, Tulleth, Cervi (gk).


Morton bookings: McCaffrey (81), MacGregor (85),

Dundee bookings: Riley (43), McKeown (44), Griffiths (88)


Referee: Eddie Smith

Attendance: 1,568

My man of the match: Darren Young



View from the other side:

dundeefc.co.uk - match report

Falkirk Match Postponed

Morton's match with Falkirk on Tuesday night has been postponed for a second time.

The First Division match, originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, 27 December, had to be cancelled again today due to the continued cold weather.

A statement on the club website reads: "Taking into account the current condition of the pitch, together with the fact that temperatures are set to drop again over the next 48 hours, an early decision was taken to provide as much notice to supporters as possible."

gmfc.net - Morton -v- Falkirk (05.12.2010)

Ross County Game Off!

As usual, Morton will be forced into a midweek trip to face Ross County at Dingwall, after Saturday's First Division fixture was postponed.

According to the County website, "the safety of those travelling to the game and the severity of the weather it was simply an impossibility to get the game on."

The game has been rescheduled to be played on Tuesday, 14 December - but I have my doubts about that going ahead either.

I am actually in Inverness at the moment and had major difficulties travelling up here via train during the week. It was announced that Scotrail could not guarantee safe passage beyond Perth and that travellers attempted the journey at their own risk.

I risked it and had to change into a freezing, old school train at Perth as the new, modern trains freeze up in certain low temperatures.

I eventually got here a few hours late, but conditions have worsened today and all trains from or to Inverness have been cancelled.

It might be a good while before we see the Ton in action again.

rosscountyfootballclub.co.uk - Morton Match Postponed (02.12.2010)

Greenock Telegraph - Ton v Ross County Game Is Off (02.12.2010)