REPORT Alloa 2 Morton 0

But the meek manner in which they surrendered their Championship status with a 2-0 loss away at part-timers Alloa Athletic epitomised one of the worst seasons in the club’s recent history.

They have suffered five relegations over the last 30 campaigns, including one which saw them play in the Third Division for the first time, but this has to go down at the most disappointing of the lot.

A full-time side which at various points included the likes of Dougie Imrie, Nacho Novo, Garry O’Connor and Rowan Vine have failed to finish above three part-time outfits.

Saturday’s opponents included Darren Young, Graeme Holmes, Iain Flannigan: three players who were previously deemed surplus to requirements in inferior incarnations of the Ton team.

And yet they and their uncelebrated Alloa cohorts managed to win all three of their previous meetings with the Cappielow club this term.

They made it a clean sweep at the weekend, coming out on top in their fourth and final meeting of the campaign, over the course of which they did not concede a single goal.

This victory was a symbolic of the season as a whole, with a Morton side tamely slipping to defeat against hungrier and more enthusiastic if less-fancied opponents.

Yet that characterisation was one which they had managed to push to the side in recent outings as they swept aside Dumbarton and Livingston in successive home matches.

They had restored some of their bruised and battered pride with those fine if somewhat surprising 3-0 and 2-0 triumphs.

And it seemed highly likely they would stave off relegation for yet another week, travelling to Recreation Park with spirits soaring while Cowdenbeath faced title hopefuls Dundee at Dens Park.

The Blue Brazil kept to the script, losing heavily to the Dark Blues. Morton, though, reverted to type, taking on the appearance of the side that had massively disappointed for so much of the season.

It was an inexplicable regression. Ten of the 11 players who started against the Sons and Livi also kicked off the match in Clackmannanshire on Saturday.

The only change was enforced, with development squad defender Mark Russell handed his first league start in place of the injured Marc Fitzpatrick.

And the 18-year-old was at the heart of a promising early move which, if converted, could have changed the course of the following 90 minutes.

He exchanged passes with Barrie McKay as he made a thrust down the left and sent over an inviting cross that found Dougie Imrie arriving at the far post.

Club captain Imrie met the delivery with a diving header but was slightly on the stretch and failed to hit the target.

Had the ball nestled in the net, Ton would have had the impetus. As it was, their promising first 10 minutes was rendered moot when they fell behind on the quarter hour.

A simple Darryl Meggatt long ball was misjudged by an out-of-sorts Darren Cole, who allowed the ball to drop in behind him.

The immediate threat appeared to have been neutralised when Andy Kirk collected possession and passed back out wide to Ryan McCord.

But Ton had been unable to recover properly elsewhere as they scrambled to restore order, and the flame-haired midfielder took advantage by quickly flighting a cross into the danger area.

Former Celtic youth forward Kevin Cawley profited from the ensuing disarray by popping up all alone to head across Derek Gaston from just outside the six-yard box.

All 5ft 7in of him.

It was immediately apparent this was a beaten team.

The heads were well and truly down and the overwhelming air of resignation, even at that early stage, that there would be no way back.

The imaginative and incisive football in evidence in their most recent outings was replaced by the ponderous, plodding passing game that had plagued them for so long.

As a group, they were flat.

Their build-up was far too slow and disjointed, with the consequence that everything broke down in the final third.

On the occasions they got that far.

Too often a period of possession ended with a hopeless long ball up to Vine, who grew increasingly exasperated instead of at least making an attempt to make a silk purse of a sow’s ear.

Kenny Shiels was forced into a change on 34 minutes, replacing David Robertson, who had picked up an ankle injury in a tackle, with Joe McKee. It made little discernible difference.

Alloa came within the width of the post of extending their lead on 37 minutes when Russell’s miscued pass gifted the ball to Cawley.

The livewire right midfielder quickly shifted the ball inside to McCord, who pushed forward unopposed and bent a shot around Gaston with the outside of his right foot.

Ton No1 Gaston was left rooted to the spot and watching helplessly as the ball swerved beyond him and fortunately clipped the outside of the left-hand post on its way wide.

At the opposite end, Morton managed their first noteworthy shot on Scott Bain’s goal 43 minutes into the match.

McKay was the creator, slipping McKee in on goal with a cutting slide-rule pass.

But the angle was against the former Bolton kid and his low drive comfortably smothered by the Wasps keeper.

The outcome was put beyond any doubt eight minutes into the second half when McCord added a second, which was richly deserved on a personal level.

Alloa’s flying right full-back Michael Doyle has tormented Morton with his forward forays in each of their four meetings this term.

And he was allowed to advanced unchecked and whip over a cross that Cole, in his second crucial miscalculation of the afternoon, failed to head clear at the near post.

McCord had ghosted in behind him and was the somewhat fortunate beneficiary as the ball appeared to cannon in off the surprised midfielder’s forehead as much as he had guided it home.

Shiels reacted by replacing substitute McKee with a striker in Archie Campbell as he sought a way back into the game.

McKee was furious to be withdrawn and refused to shake his manager’s hand as he trudged down the tunnel.

The 21-year-old has been something of a forgotten man under Shiels’ stewardship, and despite having another year on his contract, this incident will cast some doubt on his Cappielow future.

By this point the travelling support had come to terms with the impending loss and its consequences and began to amuse themselves with self-depreciating, as well as supportive, songs.

One player whose passion at least matched their own was skipper Imrie. He refused to lie down and accept defeat and actually fashioned a fantastic opening on 71 minutes.

He charged onto a Fouad Bachirou through ball and found Campbell in space four yards.

The sub took too long to get the ball under control and saw his eventual effort blocked on the line.

Alloa finished much the stronger side, however, and passed up three excellent opportunities to score a third in the final quarter hour.

A third lapse in concentration from Cole saw him caught out by a simple McCord pass over his head which presented Ross Caldwell with a gilt-edged opportunity The talented Hibs loanee let Cole off the hook, though, sclaffing across the face of Gaston’s goal and wide.

Sponsors’ man of the match McCord saw a close range toe-poke superbly flipped round the post and then somehow smashed wide with the goal gaping in the final minute.

It would not have flattered his side had he managed to convert either of them on what was a dismal day for the visitors.

Relegation has been inevitable for a long time, but to finally slide into League One without as much as a whimper was not befitting of Greenock Morton Football Club.