Saturday 08 April 2006
Morton 1 - 0 Thistle
| Written by Neil Martin | |
| Saturday, 08 April 2006 | |
| Thistle’s play-off hopes took another serious blow at Cappielow today as a Jason Walker goal gave Morton victory in a poor game, during which Thistle failed to manage so much as a solitary shot on target.In what was possibly a first for the old stadium, the teams ran out in bright sunshine that prompted comparisons between Cappielow and Cancun (it has been a long season). Dick Campbell was boosted by the return of captain Marc Smyth who assumed his place in the centre of the defence alongside David Craig. Steven Nicholas dropped onto the bench with Sandy Hodge lining up in left midfield – a decision which baffled many of the travelling fans and unfortunately said everything about the manager’s attitude to this game.
There was very little goalmouth action during the opening stages as Thistle played towards the traditional Wee Dublin away end in the first half. Jim McAllister broke forward for the home team, but his shot from distance was always rising and comfortably cleared Kenny Arthur’s crossbar. Neither team was able to gain control of the midfield, with Darren Brady and Billy Gibson for Thistle unable to exert any influence on proceedings and the ball spending more time in the air than on the ground. It was bad defending from Thistle that led to the first clear chance after 10 minutes, an error from Sandy Hodge resulted in the ball dropping into Walker’s path, and he really should have done better than drag his left-foot shot wide from a good position. Thistle offered absolutely no goal threat until shortly before half-time, and before then Walker – who impressed for Morton with his movement and willingness to shoot – had two chances to score. The first was a near post header from a corner which needed an excellent save from Arthur to prevent the opener, with the Jags keeper seeming to end up sitting on the ball after saving with his legs. Walker’s next effort was more speculative, with his long-range volley easily held. Thistle then created their only genuine chance of the match, and it was the result of their best move. Possession was well maintained in midfield, before Mark Roberts did extremely well to reach a through ball he was probably not the favourite to win. His cut back found Brady arriving in the box, but his shot from 10 yards went over the bar. Adam Strachan arrived at half-time as a replacement for Hodge, who had been ineffective on the left of midfield through no fault of his own; he is a defender and you really have to wonder what prompted Campbell to field him there. It sadly summed up what I found to be the most depressing aspect of today’s game, which was the complete lack of ambition shown by Thistle. The team lined up and played as if instructed to aim for a goalless draw, a tactic that is rarely successful for teams who are better organised and with better players. It also made for extremely dispiriting viewing for the much-reduced Thistle support. The second half continued in a familiar fashion, with Thistle rarely venturing forward and Morton unable to create many clear chances. The crowd were entertained by a flock of seagulls competing for a piece of Morton pie, with the winning bird having a strong case for the man of the match award. Walker again threatened the Thistle rearguard, latching on to a ball over the top, but the onrushing Arthur did enough to distract the striker who was only able to lob both the keeper and the top of the bar. Ricky Gillies, ever popular with the home fans due to his Paisley past, collected an injury and was replaced by Nicholas. A shocking foul on Brady near the edge of the Morton box created some anticipation with Scott McCulloch’s record from set-pieces this season, but his effort was disappointing and trundled wide. At around 70 minutes, this was the end of Thistle as an attacking force. Unfortunately, Morton stepped up a gear and took the lead after 73 minutes. Chris Millar did very well at the by-line to find space and backheel the ball across the six-yard box, and of the two Morton players waiting, Walker took his chance to score past both Arthur and Will Snowdon (a substitute for Smyth) on the goal-line, finally scoring the goal that his performance deserved. It may or may not be a coincidence that the goal arrived almost immediately after the departure of Smyth, whose return to the first team had been made without any reserve football to improve his match fitness. James McPake, another substitute, could have doubled Morton’s lead shortly afterwards, but his low left-foot shot was well tipped round the post by Kenny Arthur. With time running out, Morton began time-wasting at the corner flag, in a somewhat farcical situation that saw a succession of free kicks being taken short only for the charging Jags defenders to commit another foul. Another McCulloch free kick failed to threaten McGurn in the Morton goal, and as referee Mike McCurry ended the game the fans departed with some applause for Kenny Arthur and shouts for a change of manager. As has so often been the case this season, it was not merely the result that was disappointing in this case but the nature of the performance. Morton were under-strength through the absence of Derek Lilley, Peter Weatherston and Stewart Greacen, yet Thistle appeared content to defend and hope to scrape a goal on the counter attack or from a set piece. Long balls to small and isolated strikers McConalogue and Roberts unsurprisingly did not work. This is simply not good enough, although Morton did play much better in the closing stages, and next weeks game at Forthbank now assumes the sort of importance that should have been unthinkable. Man of the match:
STATS Attendance: 3,025
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