MORTON bosses remain hopeful that they will fulfil tomorrow’s Premier Sports Cup tie against East Kilbride after the start of their campaign was thrown into disarray by a coronavirus outbreak.

The Tele understands that five players were unavailable for the curtain-raiser at Stair Park after testing positive, with a number of other squad members ruled out after being deemed to be close contacts.

The League Two outfit were awarded a 3-0 victory after Ton were forced to forfeit the tie just hours before kick-off on Saturday morning. 

Morton manager Gus MacPherson hopes to welcome back players who have completed their self-isolation period in time for tomorrow’s clash.

It’s also understood the club are awaiting PCR test results to determine which players will be permitted to play. 

If the tie goes ahead as scheduled, up to 1,500 fans will be allowed to attend at Cappielow after the club were granted an increased capacity by Inverclyde Council. 

A club spokesperson told the Tele: “The club are taking all the necessary measures and precautions required to try and ensure the outbreak is contained by continuing to work closely with the SPFL and the Scottish Government medical authorities.

“With these measures in place, it is our hope that the home tie against East Kilbride on Tuesday night will still go ahead as planned.

“We would like to apologise to supporters who were left understandably disappointed by this development and would have been looking forward to tuning into Stranraer’s stream to see the squad return to competitive action.”

Two other League Cup ties were cancelled due to Covid-19 issues at the weekend.

St Mirren were awarded a 3-0 victory after opponents Dumbarton couldn’t field a team and Ross County were forced to forfeit their fixture against Forfar.