Morton party turns into a wake as future uncertain

Morton geared up for the biggest battle in their 127-year history with a comfortable 3-0 victory over fellow relegation victims Alloa.

With the fate of the club now resting in the hands of administrators and an apparent acceptance that there is no clear future for the Cappielow outfit in their present form, the victory will be small comfort for those who made the trip to support.

Indeed, even the pitch invasion at the final whistle seemed more like a wake than a party and soon evaporated into memory.

And yet the result combined with a recent but ultimately mistimed run of good form would, in any other season, promise much. Morton were ahead within 72 seconds when Paul McDonald's shot from David Murie's pass took a deflection off the ribs of the flying Allan McManus to whistle past a flat footed Guido van de Kamp on the home goal line and from that point on, the result rarely looked in doubt.

On the quarter hour, van de Kamp was left embarrassed as Stephen Aitkin spotted the big Dutchman out of position and sent his 25-yard free kick fizzing inside the near post to put the visitors 2-0 up and end the tie as a contest.

Alloa were a team with one eye on their end of season bash and lacked the one thing that has merited their place in the division: determination.

Manager Terry Christie will rightly be proud of the effort that his men have put in and the fact that relegation only arrived on the second last Saturday of the season is to their credit.

However, he would have been raging as Murie's goal on the stroke of half time extended the visitors lead and even more angry at the lack of response from his side.

Only twice in the second period was Morton keeper Stuart Webster called upon to make saves and with nine minutes left, home striker Chris Wood capped a miserable day with a red card which he earned for a vicious head butt on Aitkin out at the touchline.

It looks like being a dark summer in Greenock but at least there is a little sliver of light to hold on to.

Copyright 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.