MORTON defender Jack Iredale says his last-minute winner against Dumbarton fulfilled a boyhood dream.

Danny Handling had put the visitors in front at Cappielow before Gary Fraser and John Baird gave the home side a 2-1 lead.

The game looked like it was heading for a draw after Liam Burt’s deflected strike on 88 minutes made it 2-2.

But the 21-year-old managed to slot in the winner in the fourth minute of added time to send the Ton crowd into raptures, with the left-back sprinting over to the supporters to celebrate the winner.

He told the Tele: “It’s something you dream of as a kid growing up, scoring the winner in the final minute.

“The result is the most important thing, but it puts the cherry on top of the cake to get that last-minute goal.

“The only thing on my mind was to run to the crowd to celebrate. I enjoyed it a lot.”

After conceding late on to Livingston last week to lose 3-2, a big reaction was required for the Greenock side.

And Iredale believes Morton showed their mental strength to bounce back against the Sons.

He added: “We had gone behind early in the second half and that was disappointing.

“But the boys kicked it up a few gears after that and we got two goals in quick succession, and it’s always disappointing with a relatively late equaliser.

“But I was proud of how we picked ourselves up again, and we didn’t just settle for the point.

“It was a strong team performance, especially mentally, to get that last-minute goal.”

The left-back was far away from his natural position to grab the winner, and joked that after scoring his fourth goal of the season, he’s ready for a crack up front.

He said: “When I came over here I was a centre-half, and now I’m playing as a left-back, I might end up playing up front at some point in the future! 

“We were chasing the game and the gaffer was screaming in my ear to go forward.

“I was absolutely knackered, but there was only one minute to go and I just got myself into the box and if I didn’t get it, John Baird was there right next to me as well, it just shows how important getting that winning goal was.”

The strike proved crucial for Morton’s play-off hopes, with Dundee United beating league leaders St Mirren on Tuesday night to remain in fourth place.

Jim Duffy’s side are now two points behind Dunfermline and United with three games to go, with the latter having a game in hand.

Iredale wants his side to build on Tuesday night’s dramatic victory and secure the points against Queen of the South on Saturday.

The left-back said: “We’ve got our minds set on the play-off spots and every result counts, we’re pushing for a win in every game.

“During the games we obviously don’t know the other teams’ results, we just have to go out and look after ourselves.

“It makes it a bit more difficult with Dundee United winning, but we’ve just got to keep winning and that’s all we can do.”