PREVIEW: Morton v Peterhead

Following a season’s worth of remarkable ups and downs — sometimes within the same match — everything has been distilled into a straight shootout between Ton and Forfar for the silverware, with Stranraer needing both of them to lose to have any hope.

Ton and Forfar are locked together on 66 points after Morton’s terrific victory at Stair Park last Saturday and the Loons’ comprehensive win at Dunfermline; all that separates them is goal difference.

While Jim Duffy’s side face Peterhead at Cappielow, Dick Campbell will send his troops out against Ayr United 115 miles away, hoping that one more twist in the story can see them overhaul the new league leaders.

It promises to be a tension-filled afternoon and a large crowd is expected at Cappielow, hoping to enjoy a promotion party.

Whether it will get anywhere close to the huge 8,000-plus who packed into the old ground to watch Ton and the Blue Toon’s memorable 2003 showdown is maybe doubtful.

But this group of Ton players certainly deserve as much backing as possible for the impressive way they have hauled themselves to the summit with just one fixture remaining.

They were in a spot of bother, to put it mildly, just a few weeks ago after losing three games in quick succession.

At times they seemed to be constantly firefighting just to stay in touch and they were under attack from some quarters with four games of the season remaining.

The pressure got even greater when they were trailing 2-0 at home to lowly Stenhousemuir a few weeks ago, and looked down and out.

But they stormed back with three goals inside the last 15 minutes to clinch a stunning turnaround that served as the catalyst for a victory at Stirling before last Saturday’s vital head-to-head.

It was a stern challenge which they passed with flying colours, both individually and collectively.

A comparatively young side, they showed considerable bottle to win what was a really tough match at a difficult venue.

They were under the cosh somewhat in the opening stages as the hosts flew out of the blocks, but the defence stood firm, aided by a breathtaking early save from Derek Gaston — who has been in superb form of late.

Once the visitors got themselves a platform to build on they began to create openings at the other end of the pitch. One of them yielded a penalty which Declan McManus stroked home with consummate ease, and minutes later he notched a second with a wonderfully taken header from Ross Forbes’ perfectly clipped ball into the box.

Not for the first time, the Scotland Under-21 man had made the telling contribution — he has been the team’s key man throughout the entire season and his capture from Aberdeen turned out to be masterstroke.

McManus’ second goal was like a dagger to the heart of Stevie Aitken and his side — they toiled manfully in the second half but their opponents, who could have added to their tally, comfortably saw the game out.

The only fly in the ointment was the late red card for Ricki Lamie which means he is now suspended for tomorrow.

While the big man did dive in for a slightly rash challenge at pace, the way the Stranraer bench immediately leapt up right in front of the referee smacked of manufactured outrage and certainly did him no favours.

Leaving all that aside, Duffy will now have to do without Lamie, with Thomas O’Ware, right, set to be pushed back from midfield to partner Sean Crighton — another player who had a solid game last Saturday — in the centre of defence. The rest of the selection should not be too taxing — after such an impressive showing from the team last Saturday it would be difficult to envisage too much tinkering.

A bigger consideration for the management team this week may have been ensuring that the players are calm but also fully mentally prepared for tomorrow’s encounter.

These type of games do not come around very often and this particular 90 minutes will bring its own set of unique demands which they will have to handle.

The Cappielow crowd, notorious for being easily agitated, will be nervous and likely desperate for an early goal to take the edge off things.

But the do-or-die nature of the game and expected increase in attendance should also create a more positive atmosphere inside the ground than has often been the case this season, and that can be an important help to the players.

The team’s opponents may not have any league issues to play for, having been previously ruled out of the playoffs, but they cannot be taken lightly.

The Peterhead players will be competing for future contracts, be it with their current club or elsewhere, and will relish the fact that they are taking part in a meaningful fixture in front of a decent crowd, rather than a low-key end of season affair. They have also advertised the fact that they are a good side, courtesy of a 1-0 win at Cappielow earlier in the campaign — so the home side can be under no illusion about the challenge ahead.

Just to add extra spice to the occasion, former Ton boss Jim McInally will be the man directing operations in the away dugout.

He could end up plotting the downfall of the club he steered to the Second Division title under his friend Douglas Rae just eight years ago, while the dangerous presence of one of his Ton old boys, Jamie Stevenson, is another intriguing sub-plot.

It’s been a bumpy road at times but Morton are so close now to what they’ve worked hard for all season long.

They have one more hurdle to clear, and a final big push can get them over the line.

TEAM LATEST LONG-TERM crock Stefan Milojevic is out with a ruptured cruciate, as is goalkeeper Nicolas Caraux (ankle).

Centre-half Ricki Lamie is suspended following his straight red card at Stranraer last week.

However, Conor Pepper is expected to make his return to the matchday squad after five weeks out.

The Irish midfielder, who received an injection to his knee last week, has upped the intensity of his training and looks set to be involved.

No1 Derek Gaston has recovered from a throat infection and will take his place between the sticks.