Cowdenbeath 1 Morton 1: Lofty ambitions suffer as Morton fail to hit the heights again

Sunday 6 January 2013

Morton's failure to again secure three points from a match they were expected to win cost them their place at the summit of the First Division after they could earn only a draw against third-bottom Cowdenbeath.

Morton's Kevin Rutkiewicz sees his header savedPhotograph: SNS

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Iain Collin

Having brought in the New Year by succumbing to a shock 3-0 defeat at home to bottom side Dumbarton, following victories against promotion rivals Partick Thistle and Dunfermline, Allan Moore's team were profligate again and the East End Park side benefited by leapfrogging them back to the top of the table. Cowdenbeath had drawn their previous three outings and had not won in their last 13 league games but, boosted by the inclusion of three on-loan signings, they took the lead through Liam Caddis, drafted in from St Johnstone.

However, despite giving themselves the chance to go on and take all three points after equalising shortly after half-time through Peter MacDonald's volley, Morton once more fell below the standards required to hold on to the top spot.Moore said: "We can't keep giving teams a lead because no matter who you are playing in this division it's difficult to get back. Everybody expected us to win and if we had gone 1-0 up it would have been a different game. But that was a harder game than we got against Thistle or Dunfermline. When you are top of the league everybody wants to shoot you down."In addition to Caddis, Hibs youngster Sam Stanton and Rangers striker Kane Hemmings were prominent in the opening exchanges after signing on loan, but it was a familiar face in the Morton ranks who enjoyed the first chance of the match. MacDonald hooked the ball back into the danger area as the Fifers failed to clear a Morton free-kick, but Peter Weatherson's header looped too high and finished on the roof of the net. The Cappielow outfit, without the experienced pair of Martin Hardie and Mark McLaughlin, looked uncertain as Hemmings was allowed space to engineer a header and a deflected shot, neither of which seriously troubled Derek Gaston in the Morton goal, and also when Caddis chipped just wide.David O'Brien then saw his shot held by Thomas Flynn and, given the opportunity to test the home keeper moments later, the Morton winger refused to pull the trigger and his cutback drifted behind his supporting team-mates.The pattern of play was enough to suggest the scoreline would not remain blank and the goal finally came nine minutes from the interval. A touch of class from veteran player-manager Colin Cameron played in Caddis with a magnificent pass that the St Johnstone youngster took in his stride to bullet low past Gaston. Whatever was said in the away dressing-room during the interval had the desired effect as Morton, booed off at the break, equalised within five minutes of the restart.Tony Wallace's cross-cum-shot had moments earlier crashed back off the crossbar but the Greenock men kept up the pressure. When another ball was launched into the Cowdenbeath box, Rutkiewicz's head-flick fell perfectly for MacDonald, who powered his volley past the despairing dive of Flynn.The goal inspired Morton to press hard for the winner, but both sides squandered opportunities to snatch the three points. Cameron was philosophical about the result. He said: "I don't think it would have been undeserved if we had taken 12 points from the last four matches, but we've only got four. But if my lads keep giving me performances like that, we'll turn draws into victories."

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Cowdenbeath 1 Morton 1: Lofty ambitions suffer as Morton fail to hit the heights again

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