In the tail o’ the bank there was a twist in this footballing tale. With a spirited, defiant display, Morton underlined their robust credentials as they conjured a terrific second-half turnaround to elbow Ross County off the top of the Championship and maintain their own unbeaten start to the league campaign.
Things looked ominous for the hosts when Don Cowie edged the visitors ahead just before the hour. But Morton are as sturdy as the Titan crane in the dock and Michael Tidser put his old club’s gas at a peep with a spectacular equaliser within a couple of minutes before Bob McHugh plonked in a 78th minute winner.
“County are a very, very good side but we matched the physical side of them and we battled,” said the Morton manager, Ray McKinnon. “This was a hard fought game and the players can take a lot of credit.”
There was plenty of industry in the keenly contested early skirmishes but County perhaps had a tad more invention. They came close to stealing a march on 14 minutes when Tom Dingwall’s cross was headed onto the bar by the diving Ross Draper.
The admirable endeavour was certainly more prevalent than any real excitement as clear cut opportunities were few and far between. One or two rousing roars were generated by a couple of Morton penalty appeals, the loudest coming as half-time loomed when Ross MacLean’s surging run into the box ended with him toppling to the floor under a challenge from Draper. Despite the howls and pleas, referee Greg Aitken was having none of it.
Draper was getting himself involved at both ends of the pitch and, just a couple of minutes after the resumption, he almost made a telling intervention. From Sean Kelly’s whipped free-kick, Draper got something on it but his effort was hacked off the line by the alert Jack Iredale.
Following that scare, Morton made a counter offensive in a lively start to the second period and MacLean’s low drive rattled into the side-netting. It was to be his last contribution as he hirpled off injured. Within seconds of his departure, County compounded Morton’s woes. Iain Vigurs picked out the scampering Cowie with a classy pass and the veteran prodded in a tidy finish to open his account for his new club. Cowie and County were swiftly brought down to earth with a dunt, though. Just two minutes after falling behind Morton levelled in cracking fashion as Tidser unleashed a superbly executed drive from distance which soared into the net. The host were galvanised and their efforts were rewarded with a winner with 12 minutes left when Denny Johnstone’s flick was pounced upon by McHugh who hooked in a finish of authority.
A bus transporting County fans to Greenock had been involved in a grim accident on the A9 earlier in the day and returned north. "There are more important things than a football game," said County co-manager Steven Ferguson after a trying day.
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