SHIRE 0 MORTON 3

There was disappointment at Shire’s exit from the Alba Challenge Cup, but there was also pride in a decent performance, despite the 3-0 final scoreline in Morton’s favour.

The team was undone by three long-range strikes that no-one could realistically have done much to defend, while there were individual performances that bode well for the future.

Shire coach Jim McInally had Saturday’s trip to Annan on his mind when he named his team for the match. David Nicholls, Andy Rodgers and Michael Bolochoweckyj were all carrying slight knocks and none were risked with the important league match coming up at the weekend.

Craig Donaldson and David Dunn were dropped to the substitutes bench, while Colin Cramb returned after his weekend suspension and Paul Hay was a surprise inclusion at right-back for what was his Shire debut.

Hay filled one place in a back four with Dean Richardson recalled at left back and Craig Tully and Eddie Forrest filling in the central defensive roles. Cramb was left on his own up front with only Derek Ure and Marc McKenzie breaking forward to offer any support.

The home team started well and after 10 minutes a long ball from Gary Kelly put Cramb in behind the Morton defence but the Shire striker’s shot went across the face of goal and wide. Ten minutes later Jimmy Gibson sent McKenzie clear down the right flank but his cross-cum-shot went behind for a goal kick.

Morton were powerful and pacy but were hardly a threat to John Hillcoat in the opening 20 minutes. But that changes on the 22nd minute mark when Stevie Massterton picked up the ball 25 yards from goal wide on the left and fired a shot high into the top corner of the net that the Shire keeper simply never saw.

That signalled the start of a period of Morton pressure. On 24 minutes a Masterton corner was headed toward goal by Eric Paartalu and scrambled to safety by Hillcoat.

After 27 minutes Iain Russell was prevented from getting a netbound effort on target by a powerful block from Tuly and it was clear Shire were feeling the pace. Five minutes later Richardson’s weak clearing header from a Masterton corner fell at Russell’s feet and he made it 2-0 with another superb drive. Masterton then hit a 25 yard free-kick that Hillcoat did well to push away .

But Shire came out of the storm around their own goal and after Derek Ure’s shot from the edge of the box was knocked down by a Morton hand Cramb hit a fantastic free-kick which unluckily came back off the near post.

In the 42nd minute Ure’s free-kick was charged down and cleared and a minute later Tully headed a Gibson free-kick towards goal but Cuthbert saved.

Craig Donaldson replaced Gibson and that initially brightened up the Shire midfield passing but there was nothing in the way of a cutting edge to their play.

Eight minutes after the break Morton went 3-0 ahead in similar style to their second goal. Another Masterton corner kick was poorly cleared by the home defence and McGuffie picked up the loose ball to shoot home low through a ruck of players from the eighteen yard line.

Shire plugged away with the game lost and Gary Kelly and Colin Cramb went close with shots from the edge of the box. but Morton could always move up a gear at will. And they showed that with a closing fifteen minutes that gave the home back line more problems.

They came closer on 78 minutes when a right-wing cross found John Newby at the back post but his effort was deflected for a fruitless corner by Gordon Moffat.

The game finished with a flurry of Morton corner kicks and in injury time Jenkins, who had just replaced Paartalu, could have made it 4-0 but his powerful  20 yarder was brilliantly saved by Hillcoat.

SHIRE ; Hillcoat, Hay(Moffat 61), Richardson, Anderson, Tully, Forrest, McKenzie, Gibson(Donaldson 46), Cramb(Dunn 83), Kelly, Ure.

MORTON : Cuthbert, Shimmon(Weatherson 52), Harding, McManus, Paartalu(Jenkins 89), Masterton(Finlayson 77), McGuffie, Russell, Wake, Newby, McAllister.

REFEREE : S. O’Reilly.

ATTENDANCE : 753.