GREENOCK Morton faced a fork in the road in Fife as they travelled to Dunfermline at the weekend to face the Pars in a critical encounter.
Ian Murray’s Morton side knew their promotion play-off chances were already slim, with Dunfermline Athletic seven points ahead prior to kick-off whilst holding two games in hand, but a win for the visitors would all but ensure Championship status for another season.
Given his side had picked up two wins in a row after a barren run of results, there was growing optimism that the Ton could turn their season around at the last.
However, Neil Lennon had his team purring, winning four and drawing two of their last six games and only conceding in two, and their intent was clear early on when Matty Todd swung a ball in from the right which found Chris Kane on the edge of the box.
The veteran made a good connection with the ball, but it was straight down the throat of Murray Johnson, who gathered comfortably.
But it wasn’t long before Morton fashioned their first presentable chance as Fergus Owens found Nathan Shaw with a long searching ball.
The winger flicked the ball over his opposing defender’s head before sliding Owen Moffat through on goal. His shot forced the goalkeeper into action to deny him but was too close to Aston Oxborough anyway.
Up the other end, the Pars unearthed a golden opportunity after endeavour from Josh Cooper brought the midfielder into the box, where he cut the ball back to Kane, who should have scored if not hit the target from six yards out.
The Pars’ pressure built and they should have found the net from a set-piece when Kieran Ngwenya rose highest from a corner, only to see his header thunder off the bar and be cleared to safety.
And they were punished for their wastefulness, as ten minutes before half-time the Ton took the lead.
A long ball caused havoc in the Dunfermline box as Curtis Main battled to get to it, before a poor clearance from Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen landed at the feet of Cameron Blues.
The midfielder shuffled between two Dunfermline players and shifted the ball onto his right foot before firing his shot across goal into the back of the net.
Early on in the second period a great chance presented itself to Kris Moore, as the ball dropped to the centre-back at the back post, but he fired well over the bar.
But that would be as good as it got for the Ton, as after only three minutes of second-half play Dunfermline were level.
A speculative low cross from Todd on the right made its way to Andy Tod, who lifted his first-time effort into the roof of the net to level the game with a tidy finish.
Todd nearly found the net moments later, bursting a gut to reach the back post in time only to see his shot saved superbly by Johnson on the stretch.
But it only took seven minutes of second-half play for the turnaround to be complete as the Pars kept the ball alive from a corner for Ngwenya to slot home and put the home side in front.
Aiming for a quick response, Moffat stung the palms of Oxborough, but it would soon go from bad to worse as the Pars netted their third.
An unfortunate calamity in the box saw Ian Wilson’s tackle cannon off Zak Delaney and fall at the feet of Matty Todd, who made no mistake in curling his left-footed effort by the hapless Johnson in a tremendous 20-minute turnaround for the Fifers.
And that would signal the end of the day’s scoring as Lennon’s team saw the game out with ease, meaning the Ton plummeted to eighth.
The Greenockians now sit just six points above the relegation play-off place thanks to Airdrie’s emphatic victory at relegation candidates Ross County, and the Lanarkshire side hold a game in hand over the Ton ahead of their final-day meet-up.
But a trip to Kirkcaldy comes first for Morton as they travel to face former manager Dougie Imrie, fresh off winning his first title as manager with Raith Rovers last weekend.
Kick-off is 3pm at Stark’s Park as the run-in gets underway.
