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Priceless three points for Ton

Jonathan Mitchell • Published 27 Dec 2011 12:00 Mobiles Print Comments 5 Comments

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JACK IN THE BOX: Andy Jackson bundles home the winner at Dens Park.

Morton waited 14 years to pick up three points at Dens Park - and then made it two 1-0 wins there inside four months with a brilliant Boxing Day victory.

Andy Jackson was the Cappielow club's Christmas saviour, bundling home the winning goal to secure their first ever away double over the Dens Park club since sides began playing each other four times a season.

But Ton's new top scorer was far from alone in the hero stakes as goalkeeper Dominic Cervi saved a second-half penalty from Matt Lockwood, while the defence and midfield put in resilient displays in the face of relentless pressure.

Prior to the match, a Ton triumph would have been viewed as something of a Christmas miracle, as the hosts went into the match as firm favourites, having won five of their last six games.

Allan Moore's men, on the other hand, had picked up three points just once in nine games - a one-goal win at Ayr United on 5 November.

Yet this victory was, perhaps, not entirely surprising for Ton followers who were well aware that their side's fall from grace was intrinsically linked with the injuries to Michael Tidser, Fouad Bachirou and Stuart McCaffrey.

And while the club captain remains sidelined, the simultaneous return to the starting line-up of the two talismanic midfielders meant that the chances of a repeat victory were not as slim as they appeared.

Moore utilised their availability by deploying them in a midfield diamond, with Bachirou at the base, Darren McGeouch and Tidser on the right and left, and David O'Brien at the apex in a 4-1-2-1-2 formation.

There was also an unexpected start for Archie Campbell, who partnered Jackson up front, and the midfield and strikers made an electric start as the visitors took the game to Dundee in the opening 20 minutes. Their first threatening foray came with eight minutes on the clock when Campbell raced clear down the left and cut back for Jackson, whose snapshot was blocked by Rab Douglas.

Campbell passed up a chance of his own shortly afterwards when he tamely headed Thomas O'Ware's pin-point cross wide.

Dundee were not without their chances, and Cervi was forced to back-pedal to pluck a Jake Hyde chip out of the air, and then to spring to his right to parry Gavin Rae's powerful downward header.

But despite these close shaves, Ton were clearly in the ascendancy, with the midfield, prompted by Tidser and his cultured left foot, playing some neat and incisive exchanges.

And it was captain for the day Tidser who played an integral part in Morton's goal in the 21st minute when he dispossessed Nicky Riley and instantly released Campbell with a perfectly-weighted pass down the left flank.

As he had 13 minutes earlier, Campbell showed Gary Irvine a clean pair of heels and fired over a low centre which Jackson, rather fortunately, stabbed into the ground and over the outrushing Douglas to give his side a well-deserved lead.

Tidser then took it upon himself to directly craft the next goalscoring opportunity by advancing down the left and fizzing the ball into the danger area. Rhys Weston's sclaffed clearance teed up McGeouch for a shot at goal, but the midfielder's crisp strike arrowed just wide of Douglas's right-hand post.

The tide began to turn in Barry Smith's side's favour around the half-hour mark as they began to focus their attacks down the flanks.

While one Ross Chisholm cross from the left was met by Hyde who flicked up over Cervi and onto the roof of the net, and Ryan Conroy and Riley cut in off their respective wings and fired off shots, neither of which troubled the Ton custodian - Dundee were finding it tough to create any clear goalscoring opportunities.

Centre-backs Andy Graham and Marc Smyth were particularly dominant as they continually won their aerial duels against Dark Blues frontmen Hyde and Steven Milne.

And it was fellow defender Grant Evans who almost snatched a second goal two minutes before the break when a Tidser corner eventually broke to him on the edge of the box, but he was off balance when he attempted to curl beyond Douglas, and the former Scotland goalkeeper caught with ease.

It would be the visitors' last attempt on goal as Dundee put them under the cosh for virtually the entire second half.

They were almost given instant reward for their dominance when, in the 50th minute, O'Ware scythed Irvine to the ground as he burst into the box and referee John Beaton pointed to the spot.

However, Cervi, who had a short spell on loan with the Dark Blues last season, read Lockwood's intentions and flung himself to his right to expertly push the placed spot-kick around the post.

Player and assistant manager Lockwood was keen to make up for his miss and began bombing forward at every opportunity. Six minutes after his penalty pain, the left-back surged into space and unleashed a rising drive which flashed just over.

Hyde went even closer less than 60 seconds later when his thunderous strike from 30 yards whistled past Cervi's left-hand post, taking a layer of paint off the frame of the goal on its way behind.

The Ton defence has not been known for its parsimony of late, having kept just one clean sheet in the 14 matches since their last victory at Dens.

Yet they showed an unseen resilience as they limited Dundee to a series of speculative shots from the edge of the box, all of which failed to trouble Cervi until the dying embers of the encounter.

With three minutes remaining, the American almost undid his earlier penalty heroics when he failed to gather Chisholm's 25-yarder as the ball hit his chest as he attempted to collect.

But he was quickly given an opportunity to redeem himself when substitute Callum Elliot curled towards goal, and he did so in spectacular style, catapulting himself to his left to claw the ball away to safety and earn his side an historic and morale-boosting three points.

This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 27 Dec 11

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