Ton have cause to feel confident

Roger Graham • Published 19 Feb 2010 14:00 0 Comments

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RULED OUT: Kevin Finlayson's red card last week means he will have to sit out tomorrow's match

MORTON have their first home Saturday match since 12 December at Cappielow tomorrow when they take on second top Ross County.

It will be a cautiously optimistic squad who enter the lists after two consecutive away wins, at Raith Rovers and Queen of the South.

Last week Ton boss James Grady was none too keen to attach the label hoodoo to his side's apparent stranglehold over Queens on their own Palmerston Park ground. He pointed out, correctly, that every game, every performance, has to be judged on its own merits, that results are not won by some mystical jinx.

But there is a definite psychological advantage going to a place where you know you do consistently well.

Some day, Morton will travel to Palmerston and lose, but at the moment there is a definite spring to their step when they run out at the Dumfries ground.

One or two of the players have spoken of the feel-good factor of travelling down to Dumfries.

And that is what Morton will have to combat from the other perspective tomorrow against a Ross County team who have an excellent record against Morton, wherever they play.

County are a good football team and, while Dundee's greater resources and quality in key positions still make them favourites for the title, the Highlanders can push them all the way.

Their target must be the old cliché of taking each game as it comes and seeing where it gets them.

They fought back last week to grab a vital point against Dunfermline, who had taken a 2-0 lead, showing that they have the necessary battling qualities.

Morton, of course, have displayed similar commitment in their last two wins. Having played some good football in the first half last week to go two goals up, they then offered real fighting spirit in a second half in which grit was the dominant factor.

It was a true team display in which every single competitor played his part, though none did better than midfield man Stevie Masterton, recalled from the wilderness, and striker Iain Russell. They both grabbed their opportunity.

After being told he could find another club by his manager, Masterton's frank self-assessment, acknowledging his shortcomings, showed a commendable professional attitude. He has buckled down to some hard graft and Saturday's performance was the result.

As Grady said afterwards, if he plays like that he makes the decision for management on whether or not to play him an easy one. The problem has never been one of ability, more of work-rate, and there was no questioning that last Saturday. If the penny has dropped it can only benefit player and club.

Russell's pace and movement up front were key factors too in the win, but it was, in truth, a genuine team effort. There were good performances throughout.

Tomorrow is a different task and Morton are minus suspended pair Kevin Finlayson and Kevin McKinlay, the latter absent for two games. Finlayson's sending-off came as a result of two bookings, the second being rather harsh.

The most obvious solution would be to move Allan Jenkins to the right of midfield and bring in either Neil MacFarlane, Michael Tidser or Erik Paartalu to the centre. If a defensive partner is sought to accompany Masterton, then MacFarlane and Paartalu are the likelier candidates. If not, Tidser could get the nod.

Whatever the selection, it should be an intriguing 90 minutes, with Morton keen to prove that they have turned a definite corner in their season.

This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 19 Feb 10

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