Published: Monday, 22nd September, 2008 12:30pm
Ton are stung
by Roger GrahamPartick Thistle 2 Morton 1
CONSOLATION STRIKE: Iain Russell slams home Morton’s equaliser at Firhill. But it was Thistle who provided the sting in the tail with a later winner.
Pic by: James McFadden/David Bell
FOR Ton boss Davie Irons there was intense disappointment after his side"s defeat at Firhill on Saturday against a Partick team who ultimately deserved the three points.
After going in at the interval on level terms and having contributed well to the match, Morton were pushed onto the back foot by a more enterprising, sharper Thistle.
Irons said: 'I thought we were very comfortable in the first half. In the second half we never started. That was the disappointing thing. It took us about three or four minutes to get out of our own half. That"s not acceptable.
'I thought the goals we lost were poor. We allocate again individuals for pick-ups at set pieces and they don"t do it. It"s very frustrating.
'It"s something we have just had a long chat about - responsibilities. You can"t keep passing the buck to other people. If you are allocated a job to do, don"t look for somebody else when you"ve not done your job. That"s the really frustrating thing.
'Again, I don"t think there was anything between the sides today, but Thistle go away with the three points.'
Morton, playing 4-5-1 for the third consecutive game, eased their way into the first half and Irons commented: 'I thought we were in control and looked secure and quite composed.
'The first goal was slack. Mark Roberts took three or four touches in the wide area and got his cross in and Harkins got a free header.
'But then we scored a good goal and at half-time I thought we were looking okay. But then in the second half we didn"t start right and struggled to get a foothold, but Thistle didn"t really cause us any problems.
'I thought Shimmin and young Chris Smith were excellent for us today. Kevin Cuthbertson never really had a save to make, but then, as I say, we lose a goal from a set piece which is criminal.'
'One of our players has been allocated to pick up their scorer Maxwell. He [the Morton player] gives me excuse that he"s dragged to the ball. I say, that"s not your job; your job is to ensure Maxwell does not get a head to it. He"s not done it.
'After that we"re chasing it again. We change it and try and go 3-4-3. Stevie Masterton"s had a free kick and Tuffey"s saved it.
'After that we huffed and puffed without really causing any real anxiety in the Thistle box.'
Asked if he still had confidence to turn things round, the Ton manager replied: 'Absolutely. It"s early in the season. I know it maybe starts to look a wee bit desperate, but the spirit"s fine.
'They [the players] are down, despondent, they know they are letting themselves down, the fans down. We went two games not conceding and I thought we looked really compact and hard to break down.
'When your best players are defenders it puts a lot of pressure on the back four.
'But in front of that we"re being let down because we"re not being positive enough in the final third.'
Partick manager Ian McCall was satisfied with the victory and said: 'I"ll take any type of win.'
Like Irons, he was unhappy at the goal his men conceded, believing his team had not reorganised sufficiently when Storey went off for treatment. 'It was bad defending from us,' he summed up.
He then said: 'Morton play a certain way and I"ve got absolutely no problems with that. We try and play a certain way and it was important we stood up physically.
'In the second half I thought we were the better team. Simon Donnelly gave us a new dimension when he came on.
'It"s a great three points. It takes us second top and who would have thought that at the start of the season?
'We toughed it out. At times in the second half we knocked it about well but they"re always a threat with long throws and set plays because they"ve got some big boys.'
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