Ton are out, but not down
Jonathan Mitchell • Published 24 Aug 2011 12:00
4 Comments
DESPITE treating a near 5,000 crowd to a thrilling Cappielow cup tie, Morton exited the League Cup last night after a 4-3 loss at the hands of bitter rivals St Mirren.
In a pulsating 90 minutes, Ton came from behind to lead 2-1 before shipping three goals in 10 second-half minutes.
Substitute Andy Jackson brought the tie back to life with a late strike, but Ton could not find the crucial fourth goal needed to take the tie to extra-time.
But the level of performance - particularly when compared to that which saw a chastening Renfrewshire Cup reverse a month ago - ensured Allan Moore and his men would walk away from the evening with their heads held high.
The Ton boss, who admitted in yesterday's Tele he would have to reassess his formation, attempted to prevent St Mirren's fluid three-man midfield from swamping his side by employing defender Marc Smyth in midfield and going with one man up front.
The ploy seemed to work in the very early stages, with the Northern Irishman snapping at Paul McGowan's heels to ensure the former Ton loan star would not have the space which he exploited so effectively back in July.
But even their best-laid plans could not have prevented St Mirren from taking the lead when, in the eighth minute, referee Calum Murray decided, to the Ton fans' understandable fury, that Smyth had intentionally used his hand to block Jim Goodwin's shot.
Former Scotland cap Gary Teale made no mistake, firing the free-kick directly into the top right-hand corner of the net with laser-beam precision.
The goal settled Saints and they began stroking the ball about with the poise and panache that characterised the expansive playing style witnessed at St Mirren Park.
But, in the first dramatic twist of the evening, Ton turned the game on its head with two goals in 10 minutes.
In the 17th minute, Michael Tidser worked a neat one-two with Peter MacDonald and ghosted through the St Mirren rearguard before nonchalantly slotting under Samson.
The goalscorer then turned provider 10 minutes later by first demonstrating tremendous determination to keep the ball in play on the touchline before driving forward and whipping an angled pass in to MacDonald.
The former St Johnstone man waltzed inside Lee Mair's weak challenge and curled a sublime effort beyond Samson to spark scenes of bedlam in the Cowshed.
Confidence surged through Ton like a current of electricity. Tidser, in particular, was now strutting around the field demanding the ball and operating on a plane above everyone around him.
St Mirren, on the other hand, looked rattled as their opponents got in their faces at every opportunity.
If Ton had scored a third at this stage, it might have been they who now find themselves in the draw for the third round.
The fact is, however, that they did not. Paul Di Giacomo fired a swirling shot wide of the upright seconds before the break, and MacDonald saw a glancing header held by Samson early in the second half.
But Steven Thompson restored parity in the 55th minute by darting in front of Grant Evans to flick Nigel Hasselbaink's cut-back beyond Stewart.
The game swung entirely in the visitors' favour four minutes later when referee Murray made his second controversial call of the evening by giving a penalty for an Evans trip on Hasselbaink. The Dutchman took the kick, stroking home with consummate ease.
Saints were now playing with a renewed sense of vigour, so it was no surprise when they completed a stunning 10-minute spell by scoring their fourth goal of the night.
Jeroen Tesselaar swept a high cross into the box from deep on the left, and Thompson, who was criminally unmarked, powered home a header to give his side a two-goal cushion.
But it wasn't over, and, after Ton rode their luck when sub Jon McShane and Thompson both passed up glorious one-on-one opportunities, Jackson accepted a Ross Forsyth pass and fired into the net to put the cat among the pigeons.
Morton surged forward in the final 10 minutes, and came closest to grabbing a dramatic equaliser in the final minute.
But MacDonald's side-footed effort had the sting taken out of it by Goodwin, and with that went Ton's final chance, leaving them still searching for that elusive first derby victory since winning 5-1 at Love Street back in 1999.
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 24 Aug 11
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
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jessiejames
10 posts
Aug 24, 13:19
Report commentGreat game!
Ton won 17-8 in goal scoring chances.
Some dodgy decisions made by the ref and assistant refs cost Morton the result they deserved.
Looking forward to the rest of the season.
Recommend?
Yes 8
No 2
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ronnie cowan
88 posts
Aug 24, 13:36
Report commentBest game I have seen at Cappielow in years. Hope we can produce that sort of performance in the league. Come on the Ton.
Recommend? Yes 9
No 0
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dougieadam
4 posts
Aug 24, 17:18
Report commentTalking of dodgy refereeing decisions: 1) Nigel Hasselbaink was kicked in the face (when standing up!) and no free kick or booking followed. 2) Morton's first goal was offside 3) Before referee Callum Murray made his second (ahem, ahem) controversial call of the night, he overlooked Stephen Thompson being blatantly bundled over on the 6 yard box by Morton's last defender: under normal rules that's a penalty and a red card. 4) The linesman in front of the Cowshed flagged for no offsides in the first half (even when Morton's first goal was offside by yards) but in the second half any time the Cowshed shouted for offside he suddenly had discovered how to raise his flag (even when it was merited).
Recommend? Yes 3
No 14
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dougieadam
4 posts
Aug 24, 17:31
Report commentGreat game!
Saints won won 4-3 in actual goals scored and should have been 7-2 ahead by the time Morton scored their 3rd after St Mirren began resting some of their players.
Some dodgy decisions made by the ref and assistant refs cost St Mirren the even easier result they deserved.
Looking forward to the rest of the season.
Recommend? Yes 3
No 12
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