DISASTER for Morton!

In a week that the incomparable broadcaster and famous Ton fan Arthur Montford sadly passed away, an adapted version of one of his most enduring exclamations was regrettably appropriate.

For the first time in the club’s 121 years as a football league member, they were eliminated from the Scottish Cup by a non-league outfit.

In what is undoubtedly the biggest shock of this season’s competition, the Lowland League champions came from behind to send the Ton crashing out of the competition in the fourth round.

For hosts Spartans it was a sensational giant-killing that captured the imagination of the media and neutrals around the country.

The Morton perspective, on the other hand, is rather different. It is a result the staff and players involved will struggle to live down.

Spartans do have a pedigree for cup shocks having disposed of league opposition in Annan Athletic, Elgin City, Berwick Rangers, Queen’s Park, Alloa Athletic and Arbroath over the last 11 years.

And the Cappielow club did only manage a narrow 1-0 win over the Lowland League champions in a Petrofac Cup first round tie back in July.

But there can be no doubt this was an ignominious and indefensible cup exit — one that left Ton fans incensed and vehemently venting their frustrations amid ugly scenes at full-time.

The shock was accentuated by the fact Jim Duffy’s side lead League One and came into the match in a rich vein of form, having won their last four matches as well as being unbeaten in six.

And there was an upbeat mood amongst the large travelling support prior to kick-off as they jovially filtered into a stadium they were visiting for the first time.

That atmosphere changed to sombre reverence as the crowd observed a minute’s silence for lifelong Ton fan Mr Montford.

But they were quickly lifted again by the familiar Scotsport theme played over the tannoy in tribute to the broadcasting great.

Within 20 seconds of the first whistle the emotional rollercoaster took a dip when Spartans defender Michael Bruce completely cleaned Jamie McCluskey out with a wild slide tackle.

The visitors’ frustration was exacerbated on 10 minutes when referee Euan Anderson cautioned Ricki Lamie for a less severe challenge.

Lamie was restored to the starting line-up by manager Duffy — with Mark Russell pushed on one into midfield — and it was the left-back who helped carve out Ton’s first chance.

Charging forward down the left, he exchanged passes with Stefan McCluskey as he advanced deep into the Spartans half before pulling back for the Ton No 10.

The younger McCluskey sibling, who replaced the ineligible Declan McManus in the starting line-up, unleashed a rising drive that forced Kevin Swain to acrobatically push the ball over the bar.

Last week, right-back Lee Kilday bagged a brace against Stenhousemuir, the first of which was a stunning curling finish with his left foot.

He modestly admitted the finish was a fluke, and his attempt to recreate that goal on 14 minutes suggested that was close to the truth as he swept well over the top with his weaker foot.

With Conor Pepper picking up an injury late in the week, Joe McKee was restored to the starting line-up and he was next to have a go at goal.

His hopeful 35-yard effort took a massive deflection and bounced awkwardly in front of panicked Spartans goalkeeper Swain who clumsily fumbled onto the roof of his own net.

Although they weren’t as fluent as in last week’s first half against Stenhousemuir, Morton were comfortably controlling proceedings and took the lead their dominance merited on 25 minutes Teenager Russell was the architect, beating right-back Jack Nixon with ease as he knocked the ball one side and effortlessly glided round the other before driving on and firing off a low drive.

His angled effort was spilled by Swain and Andy Barrowman was on hand to crash the ball into the net via the crossbar to score his sixth goal of the season.

McKee forced Swain to parry low to his right three minutes later and it looked for all the world as though Ton would push on and run up a comfortable winning margin.

The hosts were wobbling and they had a lucky escape when Swain took a fresh-air swipe at John Grant’s overhit backpass and the ball skidded just wide of the right-hand upright.

Ton continued to probe, and goalscorer Barrowman lashed a volley just wide of the opposite post after connecting sweetly with a ball as it dropped out of the air on 35 minutes.

But the momentum went out of the game in the final 10 minutes of the half as Bruce and Grant both received treatment for lengthy periods after suffering injuries.

Defender Bruce was forced off and Spartans gaffer Dougie Samuel reacted by replacing him with Alan Brown and rejigging his team to shore things up by moving from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1 formation. Ton threatened first in the second half when a Jamie McCluskey corner broke to Lamie inside the box and he neatly lifted the ball over a defender’s head to perfectly tee himself up for a go at goal.

The thunderous volley would almost certainly have crashed into the net but for a home defender bravely throwing himself in front of the ball to make the block.

But it was quickly apparent that the hosts had regrouped at the interval and emerged from their shell, pressing aggressively and attempting to take the game to their opponents.

On 58 minutes, 17-year-old goalkeeper Jamie McGowan was left rooted to the spot as William Bremner’s glancing header from a dangerous Gary Cennerazzo delivery flashed wide.

Left-back Cennerazzo was getting forward to excellent effect in this period, and keeper McGowan did well to hold onto another fizzed cross as it threatened to flash past him at his midriff.

While Ton seemed stuck in reverse, with Pepper’s energy and effervescence proving a big miss as they struggled to get motoring in the engine room, Spartans were going up through the gears.

A back four that had recently gone four games without conceding was creaking, and only a last-ditch block from Stefan Milojevic prevented Bremner from opening the scoring on 69 minutes.

But just two minutes later a comedy of errors presented the same player with a gift-wrapped opportunity to level the scores, and he gleefully accepted.

Veteran striker Keith McLeod was allowed to bundle his way into the box too easily after Crighton had failed to clear his lines and Kilday fudged his attempt to come across and cut out the danger. The right-back stumbled over the ball and inadvertently knocked it along the face of the box for the alert Bremner to break past a static Lamie before rifling under McGowan.

Ton were stung into action but failed to properly threaten the home goal as O’Ware choked a shot wide before Barrowman miscued an attempt to connect with a teasing Russell cross.

Spartans were by no means settling for a replay, though, and sub Errol Douglas should have given them the lead on 80 minutes but amazingly headed well over from inside the six-yard box.

Their chances of springing a major upset were boosted 30 seconds later when Stefan McCluskey was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a high challenge on Bremner.

The forward was originally cautioned for an excessive celebration — burying himself in the middle of a group of away fans behind the goal — at Barrowman’s opener.

His second yellow looked harsh in real-time but video replays were more incriminating and made Anderson’s call appear more like a correct one.

Despite being down to 10 men, the pre-match favourites made a desperate push for a winner, with teenage sub Thomas Orr seeing a half-volley agonisingly blocked on the line.

Yet it always felt as though the game would go the other way. And, with any semblance of a defensive shape absent, Ton were punished on the counter-attack in the final minute.

Douglas fed fellow sub Jack Breacher in acres of space down the left and he charged forward before delivering a low cross that found Jack Beesley arriving criminally unattended.

The midfielder, who doubles up as the club’s football development officer, took a touch and calmly slotted under McGowan to dump Ton out of the cup. As the ball crashed into the net to spark wild scenes of celebration, those three famous words and the staccato delivery immediately sprang to mind.