NO, it’s not a cruel late April Fools’ joke. The scoreline at the top of the report is entirely accurate: Morton really did win at Cappielow last night whilst scoring three goals in the process.

Not only did the victory over sixth-placed Dumbarton end a run of six successive defeats, it also provided rock-bottom Ton with their first three points since defeating Livingston on 18 January.

For the long suffering Morton supporters, it was, quite astonishingly, the first win they had witnessed on home soil in almost FIVE months.

Coincidentally, it was also the Sons who were on the receiving end of a rare Ton triumph that day, one which caused hugely relieved manager Allan Moore to indulge in a group hug with the press.

There was no such emotion from current boss Kenny Shiels, who knows that although this result staved off relegation for at least one more match, his side are doomed to the drop.

The match was played at the end of a day in which club chairman Douglas Rae revealed via an exclusive interview with the Tele that he had made no definitive decision on Shiels’ future.

But if the under-pressure Northern Irishman can oversee more performances like this one between now and the end of the season then it is likely he will be given a crack at League One next term.

In front of 826 diehards, the lowest Cappielow crowd of the season so far, a fired up Ton side took the game to Dumbarton from the first whistle.

Skipper Dougie Imrie caused problems with his corners in the opening 10 minutes, with one headed over by the aerially dominant Thomas O’Ware, who started at right-back in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Another cleverly disguised flag-kick found Fouad Bachirou lurking on the edge of the box, but the Comoros internationalist saw his powerful strike deflected wide.

And Ton, decked out in their white third kit, took a much-merited lead on 13 minutes when David Robertson charged to the byline and stood up an inviting cross.

Rowan Vine expertly pulled off ex-Ton central defenders Andy Graham and Mark McLaughlin to find space seven yards out, enabling him to guide a controlled header beyond Jamie Ewings.

This was the Englishman’s third goal in his last four matches and the perfect response after his irresponsible red card at Cowdenbeath saw him miss the trip to Queen of the South on Saturday.

It was also the first time the Greenock side had taken the lead in a match since Vine had fired them in front with a stunning strike against Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park four matches ago.

The outcome that afternoon hinged on a controversial refereeing decision when whistler Craig Charleston awarded Raith a hotly-contested spot-kick.

That penalty changed the course of the game —and you had a feeling it might just be Morton’s night this time when a pivotal decision quite correctly went in their favour.

On 22 minutes, Jordan Kirkpatrick picked out McLaughlin with a free-kick which the former Ton skipper sent over Derek Gaston with a looping header.

The ball seemed destined to drop into the net but Chris Kane applied a finishing touch on the line to make 100 per cent sure.

A crucial contribution for all the wrong reasons, as it turned out. The St Johnstone loanee was in an offside position and was flagged after he turned home, leaving McLaughlin seething.

And the hosts took full advantage of the break by extending their lead on 38 minutes with a very similar set-piece.

Rangers loanee Barrie McKay fired a flat free-kick into the box from deep on the left, a perfect delivery which O’Ware expertly guided into the bottom right-corner with a glancing header.

It was the 21-year-old’s first ever senior goal for Morton, and the manner in which he found the net would come as no surprise to those who have watched him play for the reserves in recent seasons.

The versatile defender is developing into a real menace in the opposition box at set-pieces and could yet become a centre-half who weighs in with more than his fair share of goals in future.

This header sent his side in at the break with a two-goal advantage, and a well-deserved lead it was too. Ton were, to a man, working their socks off.

They were playing a passing game at a high tempo with purpose and poise, while restricting Dumbarton to speculative long-range efforts at the opposite end.

The Sons started in the second period with a flourish, however, and both Kirkpatrick and Kane tested Gaston’s concentration with fierce, if uncomplicated, angled drives. He saved both comfortably.

By the 50th minute Morton were back in control and carving out chances. It may be hard to believe for those not in attendance, but the Greenock men looked capable of scoring with every attack.

Only a Michael Miller goal-line clearance prevented Vine from scoring his second after he exchanged passes with Robertson and slipped a cute dink past Sons keeper Ewings.

But the former Hibs frontman would play his part in Morton’s killer third goal with an intelligent flick that sent McKay scampering clear down the inside-left channel in the 57th minute.

While Ibrox kid McKay’s desire and fight has been called into question since coming to Cappielow, his technique is beyond reproach.

He showcased that ability — and a cool head too — by calmly sliding the ball under the advancing Ewings to score his second goal in Ton colours and end this game as a contest.

While the scoreline would finish 3-0, it could well have been five or six as the hosts continued to create opportunities. Firstly, Imrie whipped a curled finish narrowly over the top.

O’Ware then saw a bullet header superbly saved, Vine went close with an audacious scooped lob on the run and should have finished off an excellent counter-attack on 81 minutes.

Bachirou sparked the move with a wonderfully executed hooked pass which sent McKay clear down the right in a two-on-one break with Vine up in the support on the left.

The teenager unselfishly found his team-mate with a precise angled pass, but the 31-year-old steered a side-footed effort inches wide of the right-hand post.

When the final whistle sounded 10 minutes later, most fans stayed behind to show their appreciation for a fine victory which saw their club’s Championship status given a stay of execution.

But it will be a source of regret that a similar result and performance hadn’t come a month or two earlier.