Sorry if I’m bit late in the week updating you on my footballing
travels through the Irn Bru Division 1 grounds, but I’ve been a bit busy
at work recently what with settling into my new position and
everything. So here’s is my summery of my second trip of the season to
the home of the Ton, Greenock Morton.
Location
Cappielow
is in Greenock along the road that runs along the south bank of the
River Clyde. As a seasider by birth it is closest I get to having the
smells of home whilst watching my football.
Like our
trip to Dunfermline the expected delays beyond Harthill on the M8 failed
to materialise so yet again all our coaches ended up at the ground a
lot earlier than anticipated. But this most have been welcome news to
the Chippie at the NE corner of the stadium who did a roaring trade in
his fine chips at other things to the hungry masses of Livi supporters.
The Ground
The
Livi fans were one again seated in the Main Stand at Cappielow, which
is the southern side of the stadium. Although unlike our Challenge Cup
visit earlier in the season we were allowed less seats based on where
the lines of segregation tape where placed.
Cappielow
is a real throw back stadium maintaining a lot of old features and
attributes missing from modern all-seater venues. The two ends are open
to the elements. The Western End is the Wee Dublin End, and has unbacked
seating formed out of the former terracing. The Eastern end is the
Sinclair Street end where ardent Morton fans stand on the exposed
terracing however on Saturday this was largely empty.
Opposite
the Main Stand is the Cowshed, which is largely terraced but has a
small section of seating at the front on either side of the halfway
lines.
However, the toilets the away fans have to use
are situated down the back of the Wee Dublin end and the gents leave a
lot to be desired and I’ve been in toilets blocks in the Soviet Union
when it still existed that were luxuriant in comparison.
The Atmosphere
Sadly
although Morton have a large support for this level their support were
not very vocal when we visited on Saturday. Although this may have been
down to the way their team performed especially in the latter part of
the match.
The Programme
Cost
£2.50. Is made by the same printers as Livi’s MDP. However, the visiting
team details although slightly altered from our first visit had some
factual inaccuracies due to not being thoroughly checked from the first
time the pen pictures were used. Sadly as if to appease the Old Firm
supporters in their midst both Celtic and Rangers achievements in Europe
featured in the opening pages.
Pie and Bovril
Not
a static servery but a mobile van is located in the corner between the
Main and Wee Dublin stands. Very reasonably priced £1 for a Bovril and a
variety of freshly grilled options available as you would expect from
such a van.
Cost
Admission £13 (excellent and only £4 for juniors)
Programme £2.50
(Bacon Butty) and Bovril £2.40 (Excellent)
Total £17.90
League Table of Cost
Morton £17.90
Dunfermline £21.50
Dundee £21.60
Match Report
I
was confident going into this game on the sweep stake on the Coach over
I had drawn the clubs two leading scorers Graham Dorrans and penalty
taker Dave MacKay. So I was hoping for one of these two to clean up
early so I could relax and enjoy the game. In the end Graham did score
in the first ten minutes but only to equalise 3 minutes after Chris
Miller got on the end of a ball send over from just in front of us from
around the penalty spot. Dorrans a few minutes later made a run on the
Morton goad and got a slight deflection to score from 20 yards.
For
the first 20 minutes or so both teams were doing their best to take the
lead. But with a lot of effort and little to so for it, but slowly Livi
started a domination of the game that was only briefly broken when down
Morton's left Ian Russell found space between youngster Keaghan Jacobs
and Dave MacKay to allow he to swerve one in from all of 25 years that
seemed to confuse Colin Stewart in goal by heading in at the last
minute.
However, once again Livi weren't behind for
long when Dave MacKay sent a cross into the box where Jason Kennedy made
amends for being ruled offside the last time he netted here in August
by equalising again.
The second half was all one way.
Livi's Manager Mark Proctor if he'd brought the kitchen sink would have
thrown it on as every else was being aimed at McGurn in the Morton goal.
On
loan Colin McMenamin still looking for his first goal since his return
to the Lions was clean through on a raking run, beat the keeper only to
see his shot bounce off the outside of the post. Thomas 'Tam' Pesir
scorched one in from all 20 yards which dipped enough to hit the topside
of the crossbar only a moment later. One corner resulted in 4 or five
stops from Morton keeper and defenders. A close range header from Dave
Mackay and shots from Pesir and Dorrans were all somehow kept out by
McGurn who surely should have been Morton's man of the match.
So
we all came away from this trip sad not to have taken all three points.
But if you'd asked us at the beginning we would have taken any result
that earned us at least a point.
Final Score Morton 2 Livingston 2 (Morton: Millar 7, Russell 38. Livingston:
Graham Dorrans 10, Jason Kennedy 42 [ironic looking at today's other post])
Effect
on the relative teams' positions. This week in Division one the top two
teams beat the bottom two while the other six all managed to conjure up
draws meaning the whole table stayed in exactly the same positions
Morton 5th and Livi in 6th.
Next time it's off to Cumbernauld the latest home of Clyde.
Previous Stadia Dens Park, East End Park
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