MORTON manager Jonatan Johansson has demanded an improved performance tomorrow from his side after a ‘criminal’ 15 minutes cost them last week.

Ayr United inflicted the Ton’s heaviest home defeat in almost five years last Saturday, thrashing them 5-1.

Johansson, who has two draws and a loss so far in his time as Cappielow boss, was most disappointed at the manner his team appeared to throw in the towel, with United dominant towards the end of the game.

He has warned there can be no repeat of that display, as they prepare for a tough trip up to the Highlands to take on Inverness Caley Thistle.

He told the Tele: “You can only improve by working hard on the pitch, learning from your mistakes and that’s what we’ve been doing this week.

“It’s very important to see it visually and to go through it and then take it from there.

“But we needed to find the positives as well because there were positives and to bring them through to next week. But we all agreed the last 15 minutes we really need to cut out of our game and quickly.

“It was probably down to the mentality, the disappointment when we lost the second when our heads went down, which unfortunately shouldn’t happen.

“At 2-1 you’re always in the game but to lose another goal 15 seconds was criminal in that way, and it escalated from there and it was unacceptable.

“They were disappointed and the game went totally out of the window and that can’t happen in professional football.”

The Caley Jags will be a difficult test for Morton today and are the only side unbeaten in the Championship after seven games.

But they have drawn three of their four home matches, winning the other against Partick Thistle last month.
John Robertson’s side have the joint best defensive record in the division, conceding only four times, keeping five clean sheets in the process.

If Morton are to inflict Inverness’s first loss this season, Johansson says they will have to match their physicality across the park.

He added: “It’s a tough game, especially as it’s a long trip away from home.

“But every game is tough in this league and we can see the quality in all the squads we play against.

“This week is about all of us getting things right and making ourselves hard to beat, and we’ve been fairly good at that until the last 15 minutes against Ayr.

“They have some really good experienced players, they’re really good going forward, they’re good at set plays, they’re a strong, physical side and good in the air.

“It’s something in this league which is very important and we need to compete with that, if you play against physical players and strikers you need to be able to compete with them.

“They’re well organised and play with quite a well settled team and system. 

“They haven’t lost many goals and they’re quick on the transitions as well.”