Cappielow might have all the old-world atmosphere that football traditionalists cherish, but in scenic terms the best you could say is that it is a good place to grind out an ugly win.

Which, in a nutshell, was pretty much what Morton did on Saturday.

The Greenock side looked rudderless in the first half, and, if there was a greater sense of purpose about them in the second, their victory still came down to the single moment of inspiration, eight minutes after the break, when Michael Tidser lashed home a shot from just outside the box.

By then, Morton manager Allan Moore had altered his strategy, sending new signing Colin McMenamin on to partner Peter MacDonald, who had been ploughing a lone and rather barren furrow up front. McMenamin began to cause problems for Raith Rovers immediately – although you could say he had been doing that even before the game got underway.

In a moment of rich comedy, Douglas Rae, the Morton chairman, had introduced the former Ross County striker as Alan McMenamin when he presented the new man to the crowd. Rae corrected himself quickly, but the damage had been done. "The boys are calling me Aldo now," sighed McMenamin. "I've been here a day-and-a-half and I've got a nickname already."

Having already pouched first division winners' medals with Gretna and Ross County during his career, the striker's experience could be vital to Morton, who hold a five-point lead over Partick Thistle at the top as the season enters its home straight. He slotted comfortably into the Morton line-up, although he revealed that experience can play its part on that front, too.

"When you've had many clubs as I have, you kind of know everybody," he said with a laugh. "I knew all the boys so it has not taken me long to settle in.

"It is a team packed full winners, boys who have won titles two or three times, at three different clubs, as well. That can be important in the run-in. I think there are 14 games to go and if we can grind out 14 1-0 victories we will be delighted."

McMenamin thought he had made a dream start with a headed goal early in the second half, but the ball went narrowly wide of the target. "When I realised that nobody was celebrating, I worked out that it wasn't," he added, no doubt drawing on all that experience yet again in forming his conclusion.

Overall, though, Lady Luck clearly had less time for Raith, who created more chances than their hosts but managed to butcher the lot of them. "You have to take your chances when you come to places like this," said Raith manager Grant Murray. "You know you are in for a hard game when you play the league leaders."