MORTON will be wondering how they walked away from today’s match at Stenhousemuir empty handed.

Despite a decidedly poor first half display in which they never really got going, Jim Duffy’s men went in at the break on level terms.

They took the lead against the run of play on the half-hour mark when Declan McManus turned home from close range following a Joe McKee corner.

But they surrendered their advantage just two minutes later, with a quick Stenny counter attack involving Gary Oliver and Sean Dickson ending with Martin Grehan sweeping under Derek Gaston.

Impressive attacking midfielder Dickson turned the game on its head three minutes after the restart by finding the net with a firm header from an Oliver cross.

Ton had conceded two poor goals and were not at the races until they were seemingly spurred on by a sense of injustice engendered by some controversial officiating.

Over the course of the final 40 minutes, referee Alan Muir waved away four strong penalty claims, two of which video and photographic evidence have suggested were stonewallers.

The man in the middle waved away appeals when Warriors goalkeeper Greg Fleming felled McManus after the hitman had knocked the ball round him.

He also ignored two separate handball incidents, including one from a Robbie Crawford cross which appeared to strike both of the Stenny player’s unnaturally positioned arms.

Then, on 74 minutes, right-back Lee Kilday was booked for an alleged dive as he brushed between two defenders on his way into the box.

Ton created chance after chance but Kilday, Mark Russell, Jon Scullion, Andy Barrowman, Jamie McCluskey, Thomas O’Ware and McKee all failed to find the net from reasonable openings.

Stenny, meanwhile, defended for their lives, with goalkeeper Fleming and central defenders Ross McMillan and Stewart Greacen giving every ounce as they battled to keep Ton out.

Their brave efforts proved successful, but the hosts rode their luck to the fullest - with some questionable refereeing calls and the lack of a clinical cutting edge proving costly for the visitors.

Morton (4-4-2): Gaston; Kilday, Crighton ©, O’Ware, Lamie (Russell, 64); J. McCluskey McKee, Pepper, Crawford (Scullion, 73); McManus, Barrowman.

Subs not used: Milojevic, McNeil, Hands, Allan, Caraux (gk).

Booked: Kilday (74).

Stenhousemuir (4-4-1-1): Fleming; Meechan, Greacen, McMillan ©, Summers; Oliver, Faulds, Millar, Reid (Watt, 68); Dickson (Fotheringam, 83); Grehan (McMenamin, 68) Subs not used: Lithgow, Duncan, Sludden, Shaw (gk).

Booked: Faulds (36).

Attendance: 692 Referee: Alan Muir