Peter grabs share of the spoils
Jonathan Mitchell • Published 28 Nov 2011 10:00
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LATE LEVELLER: Peter Weaterson wheels away after netting goal.
Picture: Alex Craig
SUPERSUB Peter Weatherson continued to haunt his former club Queen of the South by grabbing a late equaliser as Morton twice came from behind for a 2-2 draw.
The striker tapped home an 82nd-minute leveller six minutes after entering play, cancelling out Stephen McKenna's wonder strike after Andy Jackson had earlier restored parity following Scott McLaughlin's opener.
The goal brought Weatherson's personal tally against the Doonhamers to an impressive 11 goals in 20 appearances - but more importantly ended a run of three consecutive home league defeats for the hosts.
Ton had secured a 5-1 Scottish Cup victory on home soil against Deveronvale the previous week, but Allan Moore made two changes to his starting 11, handing starts to returning pair Dominic Cervi and Marc Smyth in place of Alistair Deans and Andy Graham respectively.
Torrential rain throughout the day saw referee Willie Collum conduct a short pitch inspection shortly after 2pm, but he quickly deemed the rain-soaked surface playable.
The hosts could have been forgiven for wishing the official had come to a different conclusion when they fell behind after just 64 seconds.
Queens' lively right winger Danny Carmichael advanced unopposed and whipped over a low centre which Tom Brighton flicked on, leaving former Morton midfielder McLaughlin with the simple task of placing the ball into the net from six yards.
Ton struggled to find their rhythm in the early stages, but managed to force an equaliser with their first real threatening foray forward in the 16th minute.
First, Darren McGeouch released David O'Brien with a fantastic first-time pass, and the in-form winger cut in and forced a strong two-handed save from former Cappielow keeper Lee Robinson.
Smyth met O'Brien's resultant flag-kick with a powerful header which thumped off the face of the crossbar.
However, Jackson managed to slide in and force the rebound over the line in the ensuing goalmouth scramble.
The hosts were buoyed by the equaliser, but Queens were next to threaten when Carmichael breezed past Paul Di Giacomo before firing off a low strike which forced Cervi to save.
By the half-hour mark, Ton were completely dominant. After bringing his recent scoring record to three goals in three matches, Jackson was in confident mood, and his terrific dribble and strike from 25 yards forced Robinson into an acrobatic save to flip the ball over.
His strike-partner MacDonald then took up the mantle, first linking up with Derek Young to cut through the Doonhamers' defence and then working space for a shot minutes later.
But on both occasions Ton failed to find the end product as Young's cross was pushed to safety by Robinson, while MacDonald blazed wide.
Ton boss Moore appeared particularly pleased with how his side had ended the first 45, and made a visible demonstration by shaking hands with every one of his players as they walked off the field.
His side started the second period in dominant fashion, with Grant Evans and Smyth expertly marshalling the attacking threat posed by Brighton and Kevin Smith, who bagged a hat-trick the last time the sides met.
However, although they continued to control possession, Ton had little to show for their efforts at the other end besides a searing O'Brien run and cross which caused panic in the Queens box.
Unfortunately for the hosts, there were no takers on this occasion, and Queens punished the profligacy when they took a shock lead against the run of play in the 57th minute.
McKenna, who reneged on an agreement to sign for the Cappielow club in the summer, was given too much time and space to stride forward and unleash a powerful drive from 30 yards which arrowed into the net past Cervi.
And he was almost beaten again in the 64th minute when Allan Johnston latched on to a long ball and lobbed over the advancing Ton keeper, but the effort landed narrowly wide of the upright.
Moore reacted to this scare by changing tack, replacing Kevin McCann with Sean Fitzharris and moving to a
3-5-2 formation.
Then, in the 76th minute, he replaced his tiring front pairing with Weatherson and Archie Campbell. And the switch proved instrumental in securing a draw as the duo combined to great effect.
Weatherson nodded a Thomas O'Ware pass down to Campbell, who fizzed a low centre across the face of goal. The cross proved too hot for Robinson to handle, and Doonhamers old boy Weatherson followed in to slam home and inflict further pain on his former employers.
Fellow sub Fitzharris had a fantastic opportunity to grab the win after Kevin Holt's slip presented him a clear route to goal, but he failed to either shoot or find a team-mate with his pull back.
As a result, Ton would have to be content with a share of the spoils, but they will be hugely disappointed not to have taken all three points at home against the side propping up the division.
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 28 Nov 11
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