Hot on the pitch if game goes ahead

Roger Graham • Published 5 Mar 2010 14:00 0 Comments

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QUALITY DEFENDER: Dominic Shimmin showed again last Saturday that he can be a top centre-back.

IT'S becoming akin to a stuck record for those of you old enough to remember the old vinyl, but here goes.

WEATHER PERMITTING, Morton make the trip down the coast to Ayr tomorrow for what is ostensibly a good old basement battle in the First Division.

The renewal of the big freeze means that once again there has to be serious doubt about play taking place at all. By Ayr's admission, any sort of frost tonight would put the fixture in jeapordy.

If play is enabled, then there should be enough heat on the pitch tomorrow to ensure plenty of action for the fans of both sides.

Morton may believe they should be looking up the table; that they are in a false position and are better than their third bottom placing. The fact remains that, at the moment, they are where they deserve to be. And if Ayr win tomorrow it could get a serious degree worse.

The Honest Men have begun their own wee revival, beating Dunfermline at East End Park, then drawing 3-3 at Inverness last Saturday. These are results worthy of respect, and Ayr boss Brian Reid believes it should have been better, his men being denied a win at Inverness by a controversial goal in added-on time.

Reid's men are sensing an opportunity to put real pressure on Morton, and a victory tomorrow would accomplish just that. They would close the gap between the pair to just two points, with a game in hand.

For Morton the need to win, or at least not lose, is just as important. Another mini revival of two away wins was quickly followed by one of their most disappointing performances of the season at Cappielow last Saturday when Dunfermline were well worth a 2-1 win.

Cappielow boss James Grady later spoke of another 'false dawn', something all too familiar with supporters of the blue and white hoops.

I don't subscribe to the view that players don't try, but I do believe that there are probably not enough natural leaders, fighters, call it what you will, on the pitch on any given match day.

James Grady has spoken of mental strength and game awareness often enough, but it is these qualities which invariably have been found wanting on Morton's poorer afternoons.

I recall an observation by former Celtic, Hibs and Morton man Jackie McNamara that on the days when you aren't doing particularly well, you have to dig in and make sure the guy playing opposite you doesn't do well either. It's fairly basic, but very true. Mind you, sometimes Jackie dug in to the extent that he was removed from the park. But the point remains valid.

Morton travel with virtually a full squad, only Kevin McKinlay absent due to the final game of a two-match suspension. Kevin Finlayson seems likely to come straight back in on the right flank of midfield. Further change could be almost anywhere else. Barring one mistake when he failed to clear the danger in one lengthy pursuit of the ball along the byeline, goalkeeper Colin Stewart did well last Saturday, while centre-back Dominic Shimmin also showed yet again that he has all the ability necessary to be a quality defender.

Elsewhere it was a struggle for almost everybody. Neil MacFarlane has dropped right out of the picture recently, while Michael Tidser also failed to make the bench last week. They may be considered, but everyone who played last week will know that a similar display tomorrow will, at best, lead to being droppped and, at worse, could herald the demise of a personal career at Cappielow. That should be incentive enough.

In the early part of the season, Morton left Somerset Park with three points in the bag, Peter Weatherson notching a double to end a long, unbeaten home run by the newly promoted team.

It will probably be a lot harder tomorrow.

This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 05 Mar 10

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