A GARGANTUAN fixture awaited Ian Murray’s side at Cappielow last weekend as Queen’s Park came to town, with a victory for either side all but confirming Championship status for another year.
With the bottom two to come in the final two fixtures, Greenock Morton knew the importance of a positive result to prevent a nervy season end.
You would be forgiven for thinking it was a pre-season game, though, as within a minute of kick-off they should have found themselves behind.
A misjudged header from the returning Rueben Lopata-White looped over the top of his central-defensive partner, Iain Wilson, allowing Aidan Connolly through on goal down the right.
The winger sized up James Storer before squaring to Callum Smith who had an open goal to aim at, but the midfielder had his bearings all wrong and skied his shot into the Sinclair Street End from no more than 12 yards out.
Soon after Morton created their first opportunity of the afternoon as Nathan Shaw’s cross was only cleared as far as Curtis Main, whose volley from the edge of the box fizzed by the post.
But Smith gained another opportunity when some shoddy defending from a corner-kick allowed him to volley the ball past Storer from an acute angle.
If not for the foresight of Jackson Longridge, the Spiders would have gone ahead, but the makeshift left-back was in the right place at the right time to head clear.
Longridge then had the chance to put his side ahead at the other end, as a sweeping move from right to left ended with the defender blasting his shot well over the bar.
Both sides would’ve disapproved of their defensive displays in the first-half, as neither team seemed capable of stopping their opponents, exemplified when Main jinked into the box past a couple Queen’s defenders only to seemingly try to dink the ball over Callum Ferrie from a tight angle when a chip wasn’t on.
Up the other end Queen’s forced Storer into action as a counter-attack eventually found Jamie Bradley, who stung the palms of the on-loan goalie form the edge of the box.
But as it neared half-time, Morton looked the most likely to take the lead, with Main at the centre of every attack.
After he met a looping cross well at the back post which was gathered well by Ferrie, the striker then found himself bursting down the left wing.
Main rode the challenge of Ricki Lamie and teed up the onrushing Nathan Shaw who looked set to fire home first time, however he took two touches inside – sitting the defenders down in the process – and with the goal at his mercy failed to pass the ball past Ferrie in the net despite the odds being in his favour.
And there was time for an even more guilt-edged chance before the interval as a short corner was eventually whipped into the back post where Michael Garrity and Curtis Main were as free as a bird.
It was the winger who attacked the cross from four yards out and conspired to lift his header over the bar despite having the space and time to possibly even bring the ball down before shooting.
Queen’s Park’s own danger man of the day, Smith, also then came close before the break with a looping header which had Storer scrambling across his line, only to gratefully see it drop wide of the post.
After a blood and thunder first-half, Murray’s men came out for the second period aiming to control more possession and almost immediately cut through the Glaswegian’s defence.
Some neat link-up play from Main and Garrity allowed Owen Moffat through on goal on the right but, in keeping with the first-half, he was unable to keep his shot down and sent his effort into the Sinclair Street End.
Blues was the next to try his luck, as he recycled the ball on the edge of the box and looked to have found the bottom corner if not for the heroics of Ferrie to deny him.
Blues was involved minutes later when Scott Martin was sent off for a second bookable offence.
The on-loan Partick Thistle midfielder was caught the wrong side of Ton’s number eight and in his attempt to make amends wiped Blues out, leaving the referee in no doubt that he had to walk.
With the opposition down to ten men, Morton took the impetus and should’ve taken the lead through Jackson Longridge.
The defender got free in the middle of the six yard box but was unable to keep his header down from an inswinging corner as yet another chance found the terracing in the Sinclair Street End.
Queen’s camped in, desperate to gain a point that would secure their Championship status for another season if results stayed the same, and Morton started to throw bodies forward in search of the winner.
Cammy Ballantyne came close to prodding the ball home after reacting quickest to a snapshot from Longridge, but despite doing well to react quickest he was unable to get the crucial touch on the ball to divert it into the net.
It wasn’t long before he was involved again after Main failed to convert from six yards out, but as the ball rolled across the line Ballantyne flung himself at it, only to be beaten to the ball by the covering Queen’s Park defender.
Somehow the home side’s main goal threat became the bullish right-back, who nearly scored a wonderful goal minutes later after his first-time strike from the edge of the box came crashing off the underside of the bar, but the ball seemed to bounce on the line and the officials were unmoved.
Two themes dominated the closing exchanges: Ballantyne’s attacking nous and Ferrie’s keeping credentials.
Both came to the fore when Ballantyne again found himself on the end of a ball into the middle of the six yard box and, when he thought he’d prodded it into the net, Ferrie produced an instinctive reflex save to push the ball over the ball and out of play – much to the disbelief of all within the ground.
Morton continued to push, with potshots from Iain Wilson, Fergus Owens and Cameron Blues forcing Ferrie into action, but no one was able to find a way past the impenetrable Ferrie in goal.
Ballantyne must have been sick of the sight of the Englishman after another one of his efforts was saved, this time a glancing header which had Ferrie stretching to tip wide.
But finally, in the dying embers of the game, the fullback flung himself at a ball into the back post and poked the ball over the line, sparking wild celebrations from the Morton players and support.
That was until they realised the linesman had raised his flag for offside, meaning the last gasp winner had been ruled out.
With Airdrieonians and Ross County both getting results at the weekend, it means Morton must match the Diamonds’ result on Saturday, April 25, to avoid a nervy final day at Cappielow when Airdrie come to town.
Although unlikely due to goal difference, should Ross County beat Morton convincingly on the weekend it’s not outwith the realms of possibility that they could also overtake the Ton on the last day of the season, making the next two fixtures some of the biggest in the club’s recent history.
