Morton 0 - 3 Oxford United

Morton 0 -
Oxford United 3 - Midson (46), Deering (65), Constable (90)

Att: 859

by Russell Gordon


Photos courtesy of Stephanie Fachau

Oh dear. In the last week that I've volunteered to report on the friendly games, I've tried to be objective, constructive with any criticisms I've had, whilst looking at the positives. I'm really scratching my head after this abject display. This was the sort of game that could get football stopped. True, the goals came in the second half and it tends to be the case that friendly matches open up later on once there's been a few substitutions, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Morton were absolutely dire. The defence that was impregnable for long spells last season seemed to be completely at sixes and sevens, very often clearances were barely even getting out the box and we were punished by a far more clinical side who weren't really made to work for their victory.



In a timid opening, Oxford created the majority of chances, Cuthbert managing to block the first effort ten minutes in, sending it out for a corner before, four minutes later, Neil MacFarlane was caught in possession but the chance went a begging.

MacFarlane was the hero a few minutes after that however, getting back to block an Oxford striker just as he was ready to pull the trigger having been put through on goal.



Twenty minutes in, Morton began to realise there was a game going on as Masterton floated a free kick into the Oxford box which was duly knocked out by a defender. From the resultant corner, Masterton swung the ball onto Peter Weatherson's head at the near post, but his header was easily collected by Ryan Clarke, who was making his debut in goal Oxford.

Easily the best piece of play from Morton all day came five minutes later as Jim McAlister spread an excellent ball wide to Brian Graham on the left hand side. His square ball allowed Allan Jenkins to force a brilliant save out of Clarke in the Oxford goal. Jenkins and Masterton both had chances well saved by Clarke during Morton's best spell.



The second half saw the introduction of Colin Stewart in goal and ex-Celtic star Simon Donnelly, who was playing as a trialist. Sadly, the first of the two called into action was Stewart, and that was to pick the ball out of the net after Oxford's Jack Midson's magnificent 25 yard chip had him looking on helplessly as the ball drifted into the net.

After a flurry of Oxford substitutions, they controversially added a second. Substitute Deering rounded Stewart only to have his shot blocked on the line by Allan McManus. However, the ball rebounded back to him (via his arm in the opinion of most of the home support) and he converted at the second attempt.

Twelve minutes from time, with the game dead and buried, Morton made their only really positive contribution to the second half; Paartalu playing a good ball to Wake whose cross Grady narrowly failed to connect with at the back post. David MacGregor than made his long awaited return to top team action replacing McGuffie late on before Paartalu brought out a comfortable save from substitute keeper Turley late on.



A miserable day at the office was completed in the last minute when Erik Paartalu was far too easily dispossessed on the half way line. The ease that Oxford then passed the ball up the park before James Constable finished things exemplified our frailties.

I said in my report for the Crawley Town game that one positive was that I really didn't expect to see Morton come up against a better team than Crawley in the Scottish First Division next season. Given how easily Oxford won, the same could be argued. However, I really don't know how good a side Oxford are after this game, given that they weren't really made to work for their win. Pre-season games can be misleading... let's hope so.


Morton (4-3-3):

1. Cuthbert (20. Stewart - 46 mins)
2. McGuffie (21. MacGregor - 81 mins)
3. Monti
4. McManus
5. Greacen
6. Masterton (18. Finlayson - 76 mins)
7. Jenkins (15. Simon Donnelly [Trialist] - 46 mins)
8. MacFarlane (16. Paartalu - 69 mins)
9. Weatherson (19. Grady - 69 mins)
10. Graham (15. Wake - 54 mins)
11. McAlister

Oxford United: Clarke (Turley 46), Foster (Killock 58), Day, Creighton, Sandwith, Kelly (Rhodes 60), Clist, Bulman, Potter (Deering 60), Midson (Murray 60), Green (Constable 60).

My man of the match:

Sponsor's man of the match:


Matchday Programme (Click to enlarge)

Greenock Telegraph match report

oufc.co.uk- match report

oufc.co.uk - match pics

Oxford Mail - match report

Grady Signs New Deal

Veteran striker James Grady has signed a new contract that will take him up to the 'beginning of 2010' according to a snippet in the Soccer Shorts section of today's Daily Record.

I haven't been able to find another source confirming the deal but the 38-year-old striker (pictured, above left: with fist clenched) has been involved in all of our pre-season friendlies and was taken on the trip to Austria so it seems likely there is truth in the story.

Grady had earlier indicated to the Greenock Telegraph that he was hopeful of securing a new deal, he said: "Ive not spoken to the manager, Im away for three or four days and hopefully I will be able to speak to him after that.

"When I signed, we were still in a mire. Even though from October we got closer to the pack, we were still near to the foot of the table. So he couldn't give me that extra year as he could not guarantee his own position. But we spoke about how if it improved then it shouldn't be a problem.

"We have not spoken more about it, but I don't envisage any real problems, at least I would like to think not. I have had so many years with Davie Irons in the past and we have been at clubs where we have had to stand shoulder to shoulder, such as previous regimes at Gretna with things people don't know about. But I want the contract because I think I can do a job for Morton on and off the pitch. It's not because I'm pals with Davie Irons."


Greenock Telegraph - Age No Barrier (06.06.2009)

Morton Arrange Friendly Against Romanian Champions

Morton have arranged a last minute friendly against Romanian champions FC Unirea Urziceni. The match will be played at Cappielow on Monday the 20th of July with a 7.30pm kick-off.

Unirea Urziceni are managed by former Chelsea and Romania right-back Dan Petrescu (pictured, below) who guided them to their first ever Romanian Championship, and consequently their first Champions League qualification, last season. Petrescu's acheivement is so significant - Unirea come from a town with a population of only 20,000 people - that it has been recognised by football magazine World Soccer. They list Petrescu as one of three heroes in their regular 'Heroes... & Villians' article. It says:

• Dan Petrescu The former Chelsea defender pulled off a major coup by leading rank outsiders Unirea Urziceni - whose home ground has a capacity of just 7,000 - to the first Romanian championship in their history.
  

The Romanians are currently on a tour of Scotland and have already beaten first division new boys Ayr United 2-1 at Somerset Park (pictured, below).



The club have taken the fans' wishes into consideration and have fixed prices at £5 for everyone except under-16s who will be charged £3. In addition the club have decided to open the Cowshed ; something that may encourage more fans to come along.

However, a decent crowd could be guaranteed if there is truth in the suggestion that Unirea have managed to sign former Juventus, Ajax, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Spurs midfielder Edgar Davids. The story on gmfc.net suggests that the Dutch international has signed but that it isn't definite that he will play: "The team are very ambitious and they have acquired the services of Edgar Davids, the well known Dutch Internationalist. Whether he plays for the visitors on Monday night is not yet known, but what we do know is that Unirea Urziceni will play their strongest team against us according to a statement given out by the visitors."

gmfc.net - Champions League Team to play at Cappielow! (17.07.2009)

1562 Allocation For Renfrewshire Cup Final

St. Mirren have announced that the Renfrewshire Cup final will be an all ticket match and that Morton have been allocated 1562 tickets for the 8,006 capacity stadium.

The match - set to be played on Tuesday the 28th of July - will be Morton's first visit to our rivals new St. Mirren Park stadium (pictured).

According to Morton's official website tickets will be £10 for adults and £5 for concessions. Tickets will go on sale to season ticket holders from Thursday 16th July and will be available from Cappielow (between 9am and 5pm) and from the Morton Shop at Smiths in West Blackhall Street. They will then go on general sale from Saturday 18th July from Smiths and will also be available from Cappielow following Saturday's match against Oxford United.

gmfc.net - Renfrewshire Cup Final (14.07.2009)

saintmirren.premiumtv.co.uk - Renfrewshire Cup Tickets: On Sale! (13.07.2009)

Morton 2 - 3 Crawley Town

Morton 2 - McAlister (30, 47)
Crawley Town 3 - Killeen (60), Ademeno (62, 76)

Att: 407

by Russell Gordon


Photos courtesy of Stephanie Fachau

Morton managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in this game, but in all honesty the only surprise was that they managed to find themselves in the position of holding a 2-0 lead at one point against an impressive Blue Square Premier side.

'Ton lined up with an unfamiliar 3-4-3 formation, including the lightweight Monti on the left hand side of the defensive trio and Jim McAlister playing a more forward role than usual [Ed - there seems to have been some confusion about which formation Morton actually used. I listened to the match on the webcast and it sounded to me like it was a variation of 4-4-2 while others, like Russell, have argued it was a 3-4-3, click here for the debate]. However, it was Crawley who came out the blocks quickest, forcing a corner in the first minute which was headed past Stewart's right hand post. A few minutes later McAlister drove wide but it was the visitors who were turning the screw, and striker Pinault should've scored 10 minutes in when played through only for Monti to recover well.



Ten minutes later the ball fell to Masterton 20 yards out after good work by Jenkins on the right but his effort flew high and wide.

The opening goal came against the run of play on the half hour, with good work between Jenkins and McGuffie providing an easy finish for Jim McAlister from 8 yards. A couple of minutes later, it could've been two, McGuffie just failing to connect with an excellent delivery from a Masterton corner.



Morton's best spell came just after half time, Masterton having a go from 20 yards before Jim McAlister made it two, again from close range after the Crawley defence failed to deal with Brian Graham's cross.

It was all downhill from there however, substitute Killeen converting from an excellent cross on the right on the hour before Crawley's star of the show Ademendo equalised 2 minutes later, although provider Rents looked about 3 yards offside before delivering the final ball.

Morton had a few efforts, notably a free kick from Masterton and a Paartalau effort that was punched away, but the inevitable Crawley winner arrived 15 minutes from time, again it was Ademeno who scored after the defence failed to deal properly with a free kick.

One positive from the game was the performance of Brian Graham, who certainly looked like he could make a contribution this season, although alot of his good work was done on the right hand side rather than through the middle. Morton's best chance of an equaliser came when he squared for Jenkins to screw wide.



Biggest applause of the day from the Morton support came for Ademeno when he was replaced late on after his excellent performance. The Blue Square, and Crawley in particular, have been happy hunting grounds for Irons before with last summer's acquisition of Dominic Shimmin. One wonders how far out of our price range guys like Ademeno actually are, as with the collapse of Setanta, surely the clubs have taken a financial hit.

Final point of note was possibly the worst decision from an official I've seen since Les Mottram disallowed Paddy Connolly's goal for Dundee United at Firhill (or at least since my own refereeing performance at this years' supporters' clubs tournament!) as the hapless linesman decided that after the ball crashed off the main stand roof that it was still in play!

Not the most encouraging performance, but I really don't expect anyone in the First Division, Dundee included, to be as good a side as Crawley were.


Morton (4-4-2 or 3-4-3):

1. Stewart
2. McGuffie (18. Finlayson - 70 mins)
3. Monti (16. Trialist - 70 mins)
4. McManus
5. Greacen
6. Masterton
7. Jenkins (14. Trialist - 80 mins)
8. MacFarlane (17. Paartalu - 70 mins)
9. Weatherson (12. Wake - 46 mins)
10. Grady (15. Graham - 57 mins)
11. McAlister

Subs Not Used:

20. Cuthbert

Crawley Town: 1. Rayner, 2. Wilson, 3. Rents, 4. Hutchison, 5. Giles, 6. Wright, 7. Rusk, 8. Ademeno, 9. Lewis, 10. Pinault, 11. Cook.

Substitutes: 12. Mills, 14. Killeen, 15. Malcolm, 17. Cogan, 18. Napper, 19. Macrae, 20. Nayee, 22. Jordan

My man of the match: Charlie Ademeno (Crawley)

Sponsor's man of the match:


Matchday Programme (Click to enlarge)

crawleytownfc.com - match report

Annan Athletic 1 - 1 Morton

Annan Athletic 1 - Cox (74)
Morton 1 - Masterton (37 pen)

Att: 525

by Russell Gordon

Photos courtesy of Stephanie Fachau

It had been nine long weeks since we last saw Morton in action (some might say longer given the way the season fizzled out), but when they eventually returned on Saturday, it turned out to be a bit of an anti climax in the Annan sunshine.

As the team took the field it certainly looked on paper too be far too strong a line up for the 3rd Division side- only Shimmin, MacGregor, Russell and Walker were absent from a starting line-up that looked pretty close to full strength. And so it proved to be the case, with Morton enjoying the majority of possession, whilst clearly playing within themselves.



'Ton were first to threaten as early as the third minute, Brian Wake heading tamely over from a Jenkins cross. Whilst it was pleasing on the eye to see how comfortably the team were passing the ball around, most chances tended to come in the form of shots from distance - Masterton and Weatherson both tested the Annan keeper from 30 yards although he dealt comfortably with their efforts.



Immediately after Weatherson's 15th minute effort, Annan nearly scored themselves with a shot that just escaped Cuthbert's left hand post.

What was most surprising was the length of time it took Morton to get their goal, which arrived via the penalty spot, Masterton converting with ease after Jenkins was fouled in the box on 37 minutes.



The second half was greeted with a flurry of substitutions, as tends to be commonplace with pre-season friendlies. Irons decided to put on 5 players at half time, and these wholesale changes disrupted the team's play to the extent that when Annan eventually equalised in the 74th minute, it was no surprise. By that point we had already seen players swapping jerseys as there were Morton players wearing identical numbers, adding to the feeling that this was more a kick about than a football match between two professional sides. There weren't many chances for Morton in the second period, perhaps the best falling to Finlayson who should've converted McAlister's excellent cross at the back post late on.



Whilst many were concerned with the second half performance, it's important to stress that we won't see a Morton team like the one who lined up for that second half in competetive action this term, but it does raise concerns about the strength in depth of the squad when injuries and suspensions eventually arise.




Morton (3-5-2):

1. Cuthbert
2. McGuffie
3. Trialist (15. Finlayson - 46 mins)
4. McManus (15. Harding - 46 mins)
5. Greacen
6. MacFarlane (12. Paartalu - 46 mins)
7. Jenkins (14. Trialist - 46 mins)
8. Masterton
9. Wake (16. Grady - 46 mins)
10. Weatherson (16. Trialist - 57 mins)
11. McAlister

Annan Athletic: Summersgill, Macbeth, Inglis (Hoolickin, 62), Muirhead, Neilson, Jack (Trialist, 64), S Sloan, Trialist (Jardine, 62), Cox, Bell (Storey, 62), L Sloan (Steele, 62)

My man of the match:

Sponsor's man of the match: David Cox (Annan)


Matchday Programme (Click to enlarge)

n/a

Greenock Telegraph match report

annanathleticfc.com - match report and stats

The Daily Record match report

The Scottish Sun match report

We, Hate, Jimmy Hill...

by Russell Gordon

This month's FourFourTwo magazine has another Morton-related story - this time one that may upset the most hardened Scotland and Morton supporters... Jimmy Hill in a Ton kit! As part of their celebrations for the magazine's fifteenth birthday they took a trip down memory lane and had a look back at the first 4 issues. Issue 1 went on sale in September 1994 and included Jimmy discussing the virtues of the new kits of the day, and modelling the red tartan away shirt from the 1994/95 season.

True to form, he was less than complimentary of the attire he donned, quoted as saying;

"I'm accused of being anti-Scottish; I'm not, but I hate this. The circular white stripes on the shorts and socks don't match the tartan. It's not a football strip, more like a set of pyjamas. I wouldn't like to play in it. It'd delay my comeback, but maybe that's a good thing."

Harsh words indeed from the Scotland fans' favourite joke figure but rest assured, rumours that he described Peter Cormack's strike at Love Street - whilst wearing that very kit - as a "toe poke" remain unfounded!


greenockmortonfc.blogspot.com -Tartan Strips Sickening? (19.10.2007)

Ton Win Big

Morton have recorded big wins in their two most recent pre-season friendlies. In their second and final game in Obertraun they beat Austrian fourth division side Salzburg Sport Club 1914 (known as SAK1914 in their homeland) 8-1. The goals were scored by Ryan McGuffie (4), Brian Wake (2), Stevie Masterton and Brian Graham (who scored a penalty).

Acccording to the Greenock Telegraph the team lined up as follows: Cuthbert, Walker, Greacen, McManus, Paartalu, Masterton, MacFarlane, McGuffie, Wake, Weatherson, McAlister. The substitutes were: Stewart, Graham, Monti, Strachan, Finlayson.

It has been widely reported that SAK 1914 play in the equivalent of the Austrian 3rd division. However, after a bit of research I've found they play in the 1. Salzburger Bundesliga - a Salzburg regional league that along with two other leagues filters into the broader regional league central above. It is, in effect, one of nine divisions which all operate at the fourth level of Austrian football.

More recently we beat third division Stranraer 10-0 in a bounce match played in Glasgow last night. greenockmorton.org poster and occasional greenockmortonfc.blogspot.com contributor Toby posted on the unofficial messageboard to say that the goalscorers were Graham (2), Weatherson (2), Monti, McAlister, Wake and 3 goals from trialists.

Greenock Telegraph - Ton Scoring Spree (06.07.2009)

stranraer-fc.co.uk - Bounce Game Today