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Year off to flying start

Jonathan Mitchell • Published 3 Jan 2012 12:00 Mobiles Print Comments 7 Comments

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Morton 3, Ayr United 1

MORTON rung in 2012 in style by defeating first foots Ayr United 3-1 to secure back-to-back league wins - and their first three points at Cappielow in over three months.

In their last home triumph, Allan Moore's men came from 2-1 down to defeat Falkirk 3-2 on 24 September.

And they were forced to mount another comeback yesterday after Michael Moffat fired the visitors into an early lead.

David O'Brien sparked the fight back with a crucially-timed counter one minute before the break, and Archie Campbell fired Ton into the lead with a superbly-taken strike. Substitute Paul Di Giacomo rammed home in the dying seconds to wrap up the win and ensure his side made the best possible start to the New Year by breaking their worrying home hoodoo.

Morton had ended 2011 on a high by defeating Dundee 1-0 at Dens Park, and Moore decided to keep faith with the side which achieved that success, deploying them in an identical 4-1-2-1-2 formation.

However, despite fielding the same personnel, the Ton boss would have been forgiven for thinking he had sent out an entirely different side as they struggled against a resilient Ayr side for much of the first half.

Yet, despite some shaky defending, the opening quarter hour largely belonged to the hosts as they threatened to pick up where they left off in the City of Discovery.

In the first five minutes, Ton forced three successive corners, one of which Andy Graham met with a powerful downwards header, but former Ton youth Alan Trouten deflected wide from his position on the right post.

It was then Michael Tidser's turn to go close with a header of his own in the 17th minute when he sent the ball looping up over Kevin Cuthbert and onto the roof of the net.

But Ayr's Moffat would make no mistake two minutes later when he pounced on Graham and then Grant Evans' failure to deal with Michael McGowan's low cross from the right and slammed past the rooted Dominic Cervi to give his side the lead.

Ton continued to see a lot of the ball afterwards but lacked direction as they were either forced back towards their own goal or to send the ball long after struggling to find a way through the centre of a heavily congested midfield.

The increasingly sluggish display forced Moore to adapt, and just after 30-minute mark he issued a directive for Tidser and David O'Brien to switch positions for 10 minutes.

Despite an impressive outing in the hole behind the strikers at Dundee, O'Brien instantly appeared more comfortable on the flank.

And it was from a starting position on the left that he darted into the six-yard box to slide ahead of his marker to force Campbell's low cross from the right into the net via the left post.

The equaliser came seconds before the half-time break, and as well as providing a galvanising effect for Ton, it also served the visitors with a significant psychological blow.

Morton built on the platform provided by the goal by ramping up their performance in the second half, and in doing so they began providing Campbell with the passes into space which utilise his electric pace.

The diminutive striker, in turn, began doing what he has threatened to do since he moved to Greenock in the summer by terrorising Ton's opponents by continuously getting in behind the Ayr backline.

Tidser, McGeouch and O'Brien all released Campbell with precise passes, and he fizzed over a series of low centres which caused panic in the Ayr rearguard.

One effort flashed just wide of Cuthbert's left-post, another, from the right, was just too far ahead of the inrushing Andy Jackson, while Chris Smith awkwardly sliced a third cross up into the air and just over his own bar.

Ton weren't having it all their own way, though, and McGowan tested Dominic Cervi when he weaved his way into the Ton box and fired off a powerful drive which the towering keeper did well to smother low to his left.

But it was at this stage that Fouad Bachirou began to use his, at times, logic-effacing ability to wield an increasing influence in the centre of the park.

In the 64th minute, he supplied Tidser with a perfect return pass as they worked an incisive one-two to pierce the Ayr defence, but just as the skipper looked to pull the trigger, Campbell took the ball off his toes and hooked towards goal but saw the shot expertly saved by Cuthbert.

Seconds later, Bachirou threaded another neat pass through the visitors' defence, and on this occasion, Campbell made no mistake as he fired across Cuthbert and into his the top right-hand corner with a shot that seemed to gather pace as it arrowed into the net with laser-beam precision.

Campbell almost returned the favour seven minutes later when his cross broke to Bachirou seven yards from goal. The Frenchman, who is yet to score for the club, looked certain to find the net, but Cuthbert, as he had done several times previously, sprung from his line to make a stunning block.

The need for a third goal was put into perspective by the effulgent McGowan, who whipped a menacing ball across the six yard box and then stung Cervi's palms with a shot from 20 yards.

And if further emphasis were required, former Ton trialist Eddie Malone provided it when he unleashed a thunderous 25-yard drive which seemed destined for the net until Cervi flipped the ball wide with a magnificent fingertip save.

To give his side fresh impetus, Moore replaced McGeouch with Di Giacomo in the 82nd minute, and then Campbell and Jackson with Peter MacDonald and Peter Weatherson three minutes later.

And the changes proved decisive as MacDonald latched onto Bachirou's perfect slide-rule pass and crashed a shot at goal which Cuthbert saved but only succeeded in parrying into the centre of his box.

Fellow sub Di Giacomo had followed in and completed the simple task of side-footing home the rebound to score his eighth goal of the season - but his first in four months - and extend Ton's New Year celebrations.

This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 03 Jan 12

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