REPORT: Morton 2 Peterhead 1

On Saturday it was finally his turn to take centre stage after he hit a dramatic, stoppage-time winner to fire Morton to a priceless three points away at Peterhead.

The goal sparked wild scenes of celebration involving a wide-eyed O’Ware, his team-mates, and a delirious travelling support that swarmed towards the goalscorer.

Their appreciation and acclaim did not end there, though. A band of fans even delayed their four-and-a-bit hour journey to wait behind outside the main entrance and show their gratitude.

Part of the recognition was surely due to the circumstances surrounding his goal: picking up three points at Balmoor will be no mean feat for any team in League One this term.

And to snatch them with virtually the last kick of the ball is always going to make a hero of the player who made the crucial contribution.

But the fact central defender O’Ware has been giving his all for the cause as a makeshift striker since Andy Barrowman suffered a hamstring strain also earned him extra kudos.

It was his fourth appearance as a striker in Ton’s six competitive matches so far this season, and he has now scored two in his last two matches.

Aberdeen loanee Declan McManus has also thrived working off O’Ware’s efforts to occupy the opposition defence with his physicality, netting five goals in two appearances beside him.

Peterhead, too, have an effective partnership in Rory McAllister and Andy Rodgers, with McAllister one of the most feared frontmen in the lower leagues.

Last year’s League Two Player of the Year was also the leading marksman with 33 goals and already has two strikes to his name this term.

With just two minutes of Saturday’s encounter played, he had already registered his intent by pouncing on a mix up between Derek Gaston and Ricki Lamie.

Collecting the ball at an awkward angle wide on the right after Gaston’s clearance had been blocked, the striker instinctively swept over the retreating goalkeeper.

The ball was set to float into the open goal until Ton central defender Sean Crighton popped up on the line to head clear.

McManus was also looking threatening at the opposite end, working quick give and gos with Jamie McCluskey and then Conor Pepper to work the space for a shot on the left of the hosts’ box.

He failed to get anything behind his left-footed strike, however, and Peterhead keeper Graeme Smith smothered comfortably.

Back at the other end, a similar exchange between McAllister and Andy Rodgers presented the former with another opportunity on 12 minutes.

After powering through the centre, the former Inverness Caley frontman elected to let fly early, perhaps in an attempt to catch out Gaston, but pulled his shot wide of the left-hand upright.

McManus and McAllister seemed to be taking it in turns to have a go at breaking the deadlock, and the Ton No9 really should have done so on 19 minutes.

Pepper came in field from his starting position out on the left and threaded a pass through the eye of a needle for McManus to run on to.

The hitman is quicker than a hiccup and left Reece Donaldson in knots as he burst beyond him and closed in on goal.

With his confidence sky-high it seemed a certainty that the net would billow, but Smith blocked his initial attempt to bend the ball beyond him and then dived on the rebound.

Prior to the match, former Elgin City defender Crighton had predicted a very physical encounter in which the hosts would look to go long at every opportunity.

He wasn’t wrong, and stood up to the barrage well, particularly in the first half as he dominated McAllister aerially.

Although they were the side more likely to pass through the midfield with the likes of Jamie McCluskey, Joe McKee and Pepper there, Ton were not adverse to taking the direct route either.

And that became more pronounced after McCluskey was forced off with a hamstring injury after just half an hour to be replaced by brother Stefan.

Jim McInally also made a change, sacrificing defender Donaldson to introduce wideman David Cox in order to match up with Morton by moving from a 5-3-2 to a 4-4-2 formation.

There was little flowing football played, and it was from a set-piece that the deadlock looked most likely to be broken.

Former Ton midfielder Jamie Stevenson’s deliveries were a cause for concern for his former club, although Crighton and Stefan Milojevic coped well.

Joe McKee was responsible for the visitors’ deadballs, and he picked out Crighton with a corner from the right which the centre half hooked over the top after attacking the near post.

McKee then went directly for goal with a free-kick 20 yards out after McManus was cynically scythed down by Scott Ross, who was quite rightly cautioned. The midfielder did well to get the ball up over the wall and back down again quickly – but just too late as it flashed over the crossbar.

So it was no surprise when, two minutes after the restart, Morton edged ahead as a result of a McKee corner.

His outswinging flag-kick found Milojevic ghosting in unmarked at far post, and the Serb did superbly well to stretch and guide a controlled half-volley back across goal into the postage stamp top corner.

Ton were looking assured at this stage. Crighton was handling McAllister; Michael Miller and McKee were competitive in the middle of the park and O’Ware was proving a handful.

And if McManus had converted the opportunity fashioned by O’Ware on 54 minutes, it would have been difficult to see any outcome other than a Morton win.

Turning on the half-way line, the defender-turned-striker pushed a measured through ball ahead of his strike partner.

McManus outstripped and outmuscled Ross Smith, but after easing in he was forced to a tight angle and shot at an ideal height for Smith to beat clear.

It was perhaps the wake-up call Peterhead needed as they began to establish themselves as an attacking force from then on. They were firmly on the front foot and began to test the visitors with a series of high balls in behind that got the Ton defenders turning and chasing towards their own goal.

On more than one occasion, the action ended in a goalmouth scramble from which Ton were fortunate to emerge unscathed.

But they were eventually punished on 65 minutes when McAllister rolled Crighton and fed Rodgers on the left flank.

Milojevic had covered across to stand him up but was well-beaten by a quick shuffle and dangled a lazy left leg to trip the striker as he headed past him into the box.

Referee Euan Anderson pointed straight to the spot to ensure the centre-half went from saint to sinner in the space of 18 minutes.

It was a borderline decision, with the contact occurring right on the line or just outside the box. Even slow motion replays prove inconclusive.

Lethal lower league hitman McAllister took the kick and nonchalantly rolled the ball into the bottom left-hand corner as Gaston dived the wrong way.

But like Milojevic before him, McAllister blotted his copy book. In this instance, the striker left his team-mates with 10 men after he was shown a second yellow card for a late foul on Gaston.

He had picked up his first caution just eight minutes earlier when he aimed a verbal volley at the whistler for failing to award a penalty even though he had clearly hauled Milojevic to the ground. Such was his foolishness, several home supporters turned on the striker as he left the field of play, resulting in a frank exchange of words between the player and a disgruntled fan.

Until then it had been McInally’s side that were pushing for a winner, with the man in question and sub Cox proving hard to handle.

From the outside looking in and on this fleeting evidence, it appeared that McAllister is intent on being the centre of attention; the big fish in a small pond.

On this occasion it cost his team dearly. Even though there were only two minutes left when he was given his marching orders, the dismissal caused a psychological shift in momentum that proved pivotal.

Ton were back on the front foot and forcing the issue when a Pepper shot broke kindly for O’Ware inside the box in the second minute of stoppage time.

Showing the composure of a seasoned striker, he controlled under pressure and rifled past a static Smith to snatch the win and ensure he would be the one making the headlines this time.