Let's rain on Queen's parade

Russell Steele • Published 27 Jan 2012 12:00

AFTER the frustration of a wasted journey to the Highlands last weekend, Morton are ready to return to action - and they will be back on the road once again tomorrow afternoon.

The Greenock men will travel in the opposite direction this time, bound for Dumfries and a date with Queen of the South.

Ahead of the game, it's fair to say that manager Allan Moore will be hoping his players can show they have learned a lesson from their last visit to Palmerston in September.

That afternoon became a washout in more ways than one, when a pre-match monsoon drenched the park and left the manager rightly urging a straightforward approach in tricky circumstances.

His players did not heed the warning though, and their attempts to move the ball around the pitch soon got bogged down.

Their unwise approach was compounded by lax defending and a number of individual mistakes which allowed the Doonhamers to run riot, racing into a 4-0 half-time lead.

Conditions, or more accurately Morton's inability to adapt to them, proved a crucial factor and they won't want to find themselves shell-shocked again.

Unfortunately, it's highly likely they will face the same sodden surface which is likely to put passing football at a premium.

Skipper turned spy-in-the-stand Stuart McCaffrey has his colleagues well warned about what to expect, and if the pitch is as bad as reports suggest, then we're probably set for a no-quarter-asked-or-given affair.

It might be unkind to the hosts to say it, but the environment is likely to suit their uncompromising approach much more than the visitors. Queens are unlikely to stand on ceremony - they'll want to get the ball forward quickly and pressurise as they desperately try to battle their way from the foot of the table.

Gus MacPherson's outfit showed commendable spirit last Saturday as they claimed a share of the spoils at Livingston courtesy of Ryan McGuffie's last gasp penalty, and it's not the first time they've struck late on in games during recent weeks.

While they were securing that valuable 2-2 draw, Morton were contemplating the long trip back from Dingwall, after Victoria Park succumbed to a series of torrential downpours.

The postponement of the match was a particularly painful kick in the teeth after club chairman Douglas Rae had sanctioned a Friday night stay so that the players could have the best preparation possible before facing the league leaders.

Aside from that ultimately ill-fated expenditure, more transport cash will now have to be found for a marathon midweek trip north and it's a situation the club, like everyone else, can ill afford in the current climate.

In terms of impact on the field, Ton will have to hope that being idle from competitive action for a fortnight will not put them at too much of a disadvantage.

The game could well become a war of attrition and Ton will have to roll their sleeves up and mix it - Queens may be propping up the rest, but they're unbeaten in three and it says something that Derek Adams declared himself well pleased with the point Ross County gained in Dumfries a couple of weeks back.

Ton's opponents also have a pretty decent home record to their name, with current league woes largely caused by their diabolical away form.

The addition of former St Johnstone striker Sam Parkin, signed by MacPherson this week on a short-term deal until the end of the season, will also give the home side an additional physical presence and a powerful aerial threat to hit up front.

Morton's players will have to win their individual contests against the likes of Parkin and unpopular ex-Cappielow man Scott McLaughlin, who always seems to thrive on playing against his old club.

But Ton are on a good run of their own at the moment and this is a game they can win if the approach and mentality is correct.

They should feel like they have a point to prove after the aforementioned humbling at this venue earlier in the campaign, while they had to make do with a 2-2 draw in the return fixture, which only arrived thanks to a late Peter Weatherson equaliser.

Securing three points would also keep the unbeaten run going and put the Greenock men in a position of relative strength, with games in hand on the clubs immediately above them.

Add in the fact that we're just a week away from a last-16 Scottish Cup tie against SPL opposition, with one or two places maybe still up for grabs, and there's plenty to play for.

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This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 27 Jan 12

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