MORTON beat Dumbarton 2-0 at Cappielow today to record their first Championship victory in three months.

Since beating Queen of the South by the same scoreline in Greenock on November 14 last year, Ton have managed three Scottish Cup successes to set up a quarter-final tie with Celtic.

A league win had proved elusive, though, with matches against St Mirren, twice, Rangers, twice, Raith Rovers, Hibs and Alloa Athletic passing without taking maximum points.

But the Ton ended that seven-game wait with a hard-fought win against Stevie Aitken’s Sons on a bitterly cold day on Sinclair Street.

Jim Duffy’s men, with debutant Andy McNeil between the sticks, made a strong start and hit the post twice in the first 10 minutes through Joe McKee and Declan McManus.

Striker Denny Johnstone scored both goals when Ton defeated the Doonhamers in the aforementioned match, and he broke the deadlock in the second half this afternoon.

Bobby Barr slipped a pass inside to McManus and he shifted the ball in again to the Birmingham loanee in space inside the box, and he made no mistake as he swept a side-footed finish into the net.

That was on 64 minutes and a second goal was needed to settle the nerves as eighth-placed Dumbarton pushed for an equaliser.

And it arrived two minutes from time when McKee got on the end of a McManus cross after Michael Tidser had sent the strike racing clear with a precise pass down the line.

The victory kept the Ton within three points of the promotion play-off spot as well as moving them four ahead of St Mirren immediately beneath them in seventh place.

Morton (4-4-2): McNeil; Pepper, Kilday ©, Lamie, Russell; Barr (Tidser, 86), McKee, O’Ware, McCluskey (Forbes, 83); Johnstone (Samuel, 90), McManus.

Subs not used: Miller, Scullion, McGowan (gk).

Booked: Russell (27), Barr (79), McKee (81).

Dumbarton (4-4-2): Ewings; Saunders, Buchanan, Wright, Docherty; Cawley (Heh, 69), Routledge, Barr ©, Walsh; Nade (Gallagher, 31), Fleming (McCallum, 65).

Subs not used: Taggart, Kirkpatrick, Waters (gk).

Booked: Routedge (18), Buchanan (63), Wright (79), Barr (89).

Attendance: 1,595 Referee: George Salmond