MORTON arrested an alarming run of four defeats with a battling 0-0 draw against last season’s Scottish Cup finalists Ross County.

Entertainment was at a premium in a turgid first half, but young Sean Fitzharris had the Cappielow crowd buzzing in anticipation every time he touched the ball as he took centre stage in an encouraging second 45.

New signing Jonathan Toto partnered Stewart Kean up front as Allan Moore reverted to 4-4-2 after using a more conservative 4-5-1 at Falkirk last week.

Toto took the place of Allan Jenkins in the side and a trialist, confirmed as former Hibs midfielder Patrick Cregg, occupied the central-midfield berth vacated by the injured Graeme Holmes.

The match kicked off in front of a disappointing crowd of just 1,632 fans and in an understandably subdued atmosphere after the recent run of defeats.

The mood almost dipped further with just five minutes gone as Mark Corcoran raced to the by-line and lofted a cross towards Darren Smith at the far post.

But the ex-Motherwell wide man snatched at the effort and his volley bounced wide.

Irishman Cregg was particularly influential in the opening exchanges and also demonstrated a touch of craft when he dinked a ball over the top for Stewart Kean, who chested down and drove a low shot towards goal, but Michael McGovern smothered the ball at the near post.

Michael Gardyne was off-target with a couple of efforts, while Toto fired a wild volley high into the Wee Dublin End in the only other moments of note in an instantly-forgettable first half.

The game sprang to life after the break and Colin Stewart was called into action just two minutes in when he used his legs to block Garry Wood’s low strike.

Morton responded in the 48th minute when Fitzharris whizzed past Scott Morrison and whipped an inch-perfect centre towards Kean. The Ton striker angled his header back across goal but McGovern acrobatically flipped the ball away to safety.

Then, two minutes later, the 18-year-old Celtic loanee charged forward to meet David O’Brien’s cross but McGovern caught his volley with relative ease.

There was a major let-off for the home side when Marc Smyth appeared to haul ex-Ton forward Gardyne to the ground inside the box, but referee Thomas Robertson waved play on, to the fury of County boss Derek Adams.

Brian Graham replaced the ineffectual Toto just before the hour mark and almost made an immediate impact when he darted to the near post to meet a low cross from Fitzharris, but his hooked effort crashed into the side netting.

Morton were the grateful recipients of another controversial refereeing decision in the 69th minute when Robertson adjudged Gary Miller’s miskick to be a deliberate back-pass.

McGovern was proving unbeatable, however, and sprung to his left to push Tidser’s low drive wide of goal after Kean had touched the indirect free-kick into his path.

Back came County, and only the post came between them and a goal when Paul Di Giacomo met Morrison’s teasing cross with a first-time volley which had Stewart beaten but glanced off the woodwork and behind for a goal kick.

The final piece of action saw Fitzharris turn Morrison inside out before whipping over another sumptuous cross, but there were no takers and the match ended goalless.