Greenock Morton F.C.

Greenock Morton

File:Mortonlogo.png
Full name	Greenock Morton Football Club
Nickname(s)	Morton, The 'Ton
Founded	1874 (as Morton)
Ground	Cappielow Park Sinclair Street Greenock PA15 2TY
Capacity	11,612 (5,741 seated)
Chairman	Douglas Rae
Manager	James Grady
League	Scottish First Division
2008–09	Scottish First Division, 6th
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Greenock Morton Football Club are a Scottish professional football club, who currently play in the Scottish Football League First Division. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs.

Morton were renamed as Greenock Morton in 1994 to celebrate the links with its home town of Greenock.

The club has a traditional local rivalry with St. Mirren.

Morton won the Scottish Cup in 1922, and achieved their highest league finish in 1916-17, finishing as runners-up to champions Celtic.

History

19th century

Morton Football Club was established by Robert Aitken, John Barrie, James Farrell, Matthew Park and Alexander Ramsay in 1874. In the early 1870's the popularity of football was growing, with many clubs being established around Scotland. At the club's inaugural meeting, the first recorded words were "that this club be called Morton Football Club". The true reason for the name 'Morton' remains unclear, though the general consensus is that the club was named after the 'Morton Terrace', a row of houses next to the original playing field, where some of the players lived. The name would be altered in 1994 to read 'Greenock Morton Football Club', to celebrate the club's links with its hometown.

Morton were one of the founding members of the old Second Division, formed in 1893. They finished 8th in their first season. Morton first gained promotion to the old First Division in 1899-1900, and finished 4th in their first season there.

20th century

Morton's greatest success came in April 1922 when they defeated Rangers 1–0 in the Scottish Cup Final. Jimmy Gourlay scoring the winning goal, direct from a free kick in the 11th minute. Strangely the Greenock public were denied the chance to celebrate with their triumphant heroes as straight after the match Morton boarded a train for Hartlepool to play the local side in a pre-arranged friendly match. The celebrations were delayed until the Wednesday when 10,000 locals turned out at Cappielow Park to celebrate.

Morton have made two other major cup final appearances. On Saturday 17 April 1948 Morton drew 1–1 with Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final. Morton's goal was a free kick scored by Jimmy White. The match was replayed on Wednesday 21 April. This time Rangers won 1–0 after extra time. The goal was said to be highly controversial because it was claimed that Morton goalkeeper Jimmy Cowan was blinded by the flash of a camera. These matches were significant because of the huge crowds they attracted. The first match was played in front of 131,629; the replay in front of 133,629, which was, at the time a British record attendance for a midweek match. It has been said that Greenock was empty on these two days.

Morton's third and final major cup final to date was in the League Cup and this was played on Saturday 26 October 1963 when Rangers (who Morton have faced in all three final appearances) won by 5 goals to nil (HT: 0–0) in front of 103,000 supporters. However this was no disgrace as Morton were then a Second Division Club (The predecessor to today's First Division).

During the Second World War 'guest' players were common at clubs throughout Great Britain. Morton were particularly fortunate in this respect in that two of English football's greatest ever players turned out at Cappielow. Sir Stanley Matthews and Tommy Lawton made several guest appearances for Morton. When Morton reached the 1948 Scottish Cup Final both players sent telegrams wishing good luck to their former club. Matthews simply said 'I am delighted to see Morton reach the final of the Scottish Cup'. Lawton's was more expressive, he said 'Memories of happy days during the war at Cappielow compel me to wish the Morton manager & the boys all the best of luck in their cup final at Hampden'.

To date Morton have only played in a European Club Competition once. After finishing 6th in Scotland's top division in 1967–68 Morton qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (now the UEFA Cup). They were drawn to play Chelsea but were eliminated at the first hurdle after a 5–0 defeat at Stamford Bridge and a 4–3 defeat at Cappielow.

In 1992–93 (13 December 1992) Morton lost 3–2 to Hamilton Academical in the B & Q Cup Final (now the Scottish Challenge Cup) in front of 7,391 fans. This cup final appearance is not as prestigious as the aforementioned Cup final appearances because this competition is only competed for by league clubs outwith the top flight. The final was played at Love Street, the home of Morton's arch rivals St. Mirren.

21st century

The club hit a terrible period of financial distress in 2001. This culminated in the team being relegated from the First Division at the end of the 2000–01 season after a 6-year stay. Furthermore, the club slid into administration. The club's financial problems continued to affect its progress on-the-field, as the team struggled to adapt to life in the Second Division. A 4–0 defeat to Queen of the South on 27 April 2002 confirmed back-to-back relegations for Morton.

In season 2002–03, the team found themselves playing in the Third Division for the first time ever. The club's financial situation was resolved by the takeover by current chairman Douglas Rae, and the team discovered some success at this level. A season-long challenge for promotion culminated in a 1–0 victory over Peterhead securing the Third Division championship at the first opportunity, in front of a Third Division record crowd of 8,497 fans.

Also in the 2002–03 season, chairman Douglas Rae appointed John McCormack, previously manager of Queen's Park. McCormack oversaw the winning of the Third Division Championship and a dominant start to the 2003–04 season, only for the team to fall away after the turn of the year, and finish in 4th place, well outside the promotion places. This came after being 12 points ahead in the Championship race at the half way stage. This led to unfounded allegations that some players had placed large bets on nearest rivals Airdrie United to win the league, which they eventually did.

Jim McInally was announced as McCormack's successor, and in his first season as manager the club failed to gain promotion to the First Division by a single point, finishing behind Stranraer in 3rd place. Morton failed to gain promotion to the First Division during the 2005–06 season. Finishing 2nd was not enough, as the SFL playoffs meant that only the championship-winning team would be promoted automatically. Gretna won the division, so Morton entered play-offs alongside Peterhead (3rd), Partick Thistle (4th), and Stranraer (9th in Division One.) Morton's first play-off match was against Peterhead, and the Greenock side were defeated 1–0 over two legs, the only goal a penalty in the second match at Balmoor.

A week after a 9–1 defeat of Forfar at Cappielow Park, Morton achieved promotion to the First Division despite a 2–0 defeat away to Raith Rovers on 14 April 2007. Morton were crowned Second Division Champions when their nearest challengers in the title race, Stirling Albion, lost 3–2 against Ayr United, thus sustaining Morton's 7 point lead at the top with 2 games left to play.

Jim McInally resigned on 11 February 2008 after a run of poor results allowed Morton to slip into 9th place in the first division.

He was replaced on 19 February 2008 by Davie Irons, with Derek Collins (who holds the record for most appearances at Morton) joining him as Assistant Manager. Despite battling relegation for most of the season, Morton survived on the final day with a 3-0 victory against Partick Thistle, to avoid the relegation playoff by ONE goal. Morton had finally consolidated their place in the First Division, after some of the most difficult times in the club's history.

After Irons was sacked in September 2009, he was replaced on 31 October by James Grady, until the end of the season.

For most recent seasons, see Greenock Morton F.C. season 2008-09 and Greenock Morton F.C. season 2009–10.

Colours

The team's home strip is traditionally a blue and white hooped shirt with white shorts and white socks, though season 2006–2007 saw the team playing a blue and white striped shirt with white shorts and blue socks. Short-lived yet distinctive designs have been used over the years, including sky blue and white stripes in the style of the Argentine national team and even a blue Morton tartan. The away strip tends to vary much more; for the 2003–2004 season it was an all yellow outfit, changing in 2004–2005 to all white, which in turn became the 3rd team strip in 2005–2006, with the special re-issue of the blue Morton tartan strip. The sponsor's logo on the strip is that of Millions, a brand owned by the Club Chairman's confectionery concern, Golden Casket (Greenock) Ltd.

Stadium

Main article: Cappielow

Cappielow Park

Their stadium is Cappielow Park in Greenock, a ground they have occupied since 1879. Cappielow's etymology is allegedly of Scandinavian origin, although details of this are sketchy. The current capacity is around 11,000, with 5,741 of these being seated. In December 2008, Morton purchased the Reid Kerr sponsored East stand from local rivals St. Mirren for £50,000, to improve the away end at Cappielow. This would also bring the stadium closer to the 6000 covered seating required to host SPL football.

The area behind the western goal is known as the Wee Dublin end, which contains non-backed bench seating, converted from the old terracing that once stood there. The main stand contains plastic bucket seating to replace the old wooden benches that were a fixture of the ground until the late 1990s. The "Cowshed" lies to the north of the pitch; formerly a fully terraced arena for both home and away supporters (complete with segregation fence down the middle), it is now for home supporters only, with much of the frontal terracing removed, and plastic bucket seats occupying its place. Behind the eastern goal is the "Sinclair Street" end, with uncovered terracing.

Rivalry

The club has a fierce local rivalry with St. Mirren from nearby Paisley although the Love Street side's original derby rivals were fellow Paisley senior side Abercorn, who went bankrupt in the 1920s, while Morton's were Port Glasgow Athletic, who ceased running a senior team in the Scottish League in 1912. Port Glasgow Athletic even shared Morton's Cappielow ground from 1917 until 1921 when the needs of the war saw their ground compulsorily purchased for housing for the local shipyards.

Other Rivalries

Morton have also had a traditional, although smaller, rivalry with Kilmarnock although this has diminished in recent years due to Killie's long stay in the SPL and Morton's stay in the lower divisions. Although more recent rivalries have developed with Airdrie United (due, in part, to a Morton fan, Chic Kavanagh, running the line for a game after the referee got injured.) and Dumbarton and Ayr United who, like Morton, don't have their traditional local rival to play in recent years. To an even smaller extent Partick Thistle and Peterhead matches have shown to be important to fans of both sides.

Morton have never been promoted without being league champions since league reconstruction around the time of Second World War.

Honours

• Scottish Cup
  • winners: 1921–1922
  • runners-up: 1947–1948

• Scottish League Cup
  • runners-up: 1963–1964

• Scottish Challenge Cup
  • runners-up: 1992–1993

• Scottish Premier Division
  • runners-up: 1916–1917²
  • third placed: 1915–1916², 1918–1919²

• Scottish First Division
  • champions: 1949–1950¹, 1963–1964¹, 1966–1967¹, 1977–1978, 1983–1984, 1986–1987
  • runners-up: 1899–1900¹, 1928–1929¹, 1936–1937¹
  • third placed: 1897–1898¹, 1935–1936¹, 1961–1962¹, 1962–1963¹, 1995–1996

• Scottish Second Division
  • champions: 1994–1995, 2006–2007
  • runners-up: 2005–2006
  • third placed: 2004–2005

• Scottish Third Division
  • champions: 2002–2003

• Renfrewshire Cup
  • champions: 51 times

• Great War Shield
  • champions: 1914

¹ Known as Division II at that time
² Known as Division I at that time

National Player Honours

• 2002–2003 - Alex Williams (SPFA Third Division Player of the Year)
• 1994–1995 - Derek McInnes (SPFA Second Division Player of the Year)
• 1984–1985 - Jim Duffy (SPFA Players' Player of the Year)
• 1978–1979 - Andy Ritchie (SFWA Footballer of the Year)

Records

• Best league position - 2nd in First Division (Old) (1916–1917)
• Best Scottish Cup performance - winners (1921–1922)
• Best League Cup performance - runners-up (1963–1964)
• Best Challenge Cup performance - runners-up (1992–1993)
• Victory - 11–0 v Carfin Shamrock (6 November 1886)
• Defeat - 1–10 v Port Glasgow Athletic (5 May 1894), St. Bernard's (14 October 1933)
• Home attendance - 23,500 v Celtic (1922)
• Goals in one season - Allan McGraw (58 in 1963–1964)
• Most league appearances - Derek Collins (534)
• Most league goals - Allan McGraw (117)

Recent league history

Season	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Pos	League
2008–09	36	12	11	13	40	40	0	47	6	First Division
2007–08	36	9	10	17	40	58	−18	37	8	First Division
2006–07	36	24	5	7	76	32	+44	77	1	Second Division
2005–06	36	21	7	8	58	33	+25	70	2	Second Division
2004–05	36	18	8	10	60	37	+23	62	3	Second Division

Current squad

Stewart Van Zanten Reid Shimmin Greacen Paartalu Finlayson MacFarlane Weatherson Wake McAlister Subs: Graham, Monti, Jenkins, MacGregor, McWilliams

Morton's match squad on 4 January 2010, which lost 1-0 against Partick Thistle.

Key
Scottish	English	Australian

Including players that have featured on the bench: As of 15 January 2010

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	SCO	Kevin Cuthbert
—	GK	SCO	Ryan McWilliams
—	GK	ENG	Colin Stewart
—	GK	SCO	David Wylie (player/goalkeeping coach)
—	DF	SCO	Jamie Docherty
—	DF	SCO	Stewart Greacen
—	DF	SCO	David MacGregor (player/youth coach)
—	DF	SCO	Allan McManus (player/assistant manager)
—	DF	SCO	Alan Reid
—	DF	SCO	Nathan Shepherd
—	DF	ENG	Dominic Shimmin
—	DF	SCO	Alex Walker (on loan to Brechin City)
—	MF	SCO	Kevin Finlayson
—	MF	SCO	Allan Jenkins

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	SCO	Ryan Kane
—	MF	SCO	Neil MacFarlane (player/youth coach)
—	MF	SCO	Steven Masterton
—	MF	SCO	Jim McAlister
—	MF	SCO	Ryan McGuffie
—	MF	SCO	Carlo Monti
—	MF	AUS	Erik Paartalu
—	MF	SCO	Michael Tidser
—	FW	SCO	Chris Gordon
—	FW	SCO	James Grady (player/manager)
—	FW	SCO	Brian Graham
—	FW	SCO	Iain Russell
—	FW	ENG	Brian Wake
—	FW	ENG	Peter Weatherson

*Note: Squad numbers are not used by the Scottish Football League

Current squad statistics

As of 4 January 2010

Oldest played player - James Grady (38 years 238 days, 7/11/2009 v Partick Thistle)
Youngest on debut for Morton - Jim McAlister (17 years 56 days, 28/12/2002 v Peterhead)
Most league goals - Peter Weatherson (75 goals)
Most league appearances - Peter Weatherson (218 games)

Appearances (current squad)

Players with over 50 league appearances.

Most league appearances

Name	Games
Peter Weatherson	218
Jim McAlister	208
Stewart Greacen	206
David MacGregor	205
Kevin Finlayson	145
Alex Walker	71
Ryan McGuffie	64
Iain Russell	56
Brian Wake	55

Non-playing staff

Boardroom

Name	Role
Douglas Rae	Chairman
Crawford Rae	Director/Stadium Director
Stuart Duncan	Director
Gillian Donaldson	Chief Executive
Arthur Montford	Hon. Vice-President
Iain D. Brown C.A.	Hon. Vice-President

Management

Name	Role
James Grady	Manager
Allan McManus	Assistant Manager
David Wylie	Goalkeeping Coach
Ian Buchan	Youth Goalkeeping Coach
Neil MacFarlane	U19s Team Coach
David MacGregor	U19s Team Coach
Brian McLaughlin	U17s Team Coach
Graeme Anderson	U17s Team Coach
David McLeod	U15s Team Coach
Scott McKellar	U15s Team Coach
Paul Kelly	Physiotherapist
John Tierney	Physiotherapist
Elaine McCafferty	Physiotherapist
Dr Fraser Gray MB ChB	Club Doctor
Dr. R. Craig Speirs MB ChB	Club Doctor
Andrew Bryan	Kit Manager
Mark Farrell	Groundsman
Mary Davidson	Company Secretary
Susan Gregory	Commercial Manager
John Parker, James McFadden, David Bell	Photographers
Cappie the Cat	Mascot

SFL scorers

Since Douglas Rae took over the club from Hugh Scott in the summer of 2001.

As of 19 December 2009 (versus Dundee)

Top league goalscorers

Top league goal scorers

Season	Name	Goals
2001–02	Scott Bannerman	8
2002–03	Alex Williams	23
2003–04	Peter Weatherson Alex Williams	15
2004–05	Chris Millar Peter Weatherson	10
2005–06	Derek Lilley	12
2006–07	Peter Weatherson	15
2007–08	Peter Weatherson	9
2008–09	Peter Weatherson Brian Wake	9
2009–10	Peter Weatherson	7

Notable players

To be included in this list players must have met certain criteria...

• Played over 100 league games for Morton
• Done something extremely notable like scoring the winning goal in a national Cup competition
• Managed the club after playing for them
• Been from a nation outwith the British Isles
• Won international honours

Stephen Aitken Rowan Alexander George Anderson John Anderson Preben Arentoft Roy Baines Per Bartram Eddie Beaton Carl Bertelsen John Boag Andre Boe Emilio Bottiglieri Karim Boukraa John Boyd David Brcic Charlie Brown Gert Christensen Lars Christensen Ian Clinging Derek Collins Jimmy Cowan Craig Coyle Martin Doak Jim Duffy Robert Earnshaw Paul Fenwick Kevin Finlayson John Fowler Stewart Greacen Bobby Gourlay

Jimmy Gourlay James Grady Billy Gray Ryan Harding Joe Harper Paul Hartley Warren Hawke Davie Hayes Atli Thor Hedinsson Willie Hinshelwood Jim Holmes David Hopkin Bobby Houston Jim Hunter Roddy Hutchinson Bjarne Jensen Kai Johansen Dougie Johnstone Joe Jordan Jim Kiernan Carl Kristensen Tommy Lawton Gudgeir Leifsson Derek Lilley Janne Lindberg Alex Linwood Adam Little John Madsen Alan Mahood John Maisano

Marco Maisano Carsten Margaard Joe Mason Stanley Matthews Ally Maxwell Jim McAlister Scott McArthur Steve McCahill Ian McDonald Tom MacGarrity Mark McGhee Allan McGraw David MacGregor Derek McInnes Joe McLaughlin Alex McNab John McNeil Craig McPherson Dave McPherson Parfait Medou-Otye Chris Millar Jimmy Mitchell Flemming Nielsen Leif Nielsen Alex O'Hara Neil Orr Tommy Orr Billy Osborne (Sugar) Erik Paartalu Mark Pickering

Stuart Rafferty Marko Rajamaki Stan Rankin Brian Reid Stu Riddle Andy Ritchie Doug Robertson Jim Rooney Stan Seymour Kenneth Skovdam Bernie Slaven Erik Sorensen Jorn Sorensen Billy Steel Morris Stevenson Hugh Strachan Markus Sukalia Gerry Sweeney Henrik Terkelsen Bobby Thomson Borge Thorup Jim Tolmie Tommy Turner Jani Uotinen Peter Weatherson John Whigham David Wylie

21st century players

Only players that have played for the first team, and with Wikipedia pages have been mentioned.

Chris Aitken Stephen Aitken John Anderson Eddie Annand Scott Bannerman Emilio Bottiglieri Andy Brownrigg Phil Cannie Adam Coakley Derek Collins Martin Compston Craig Coyle Harry Curran Kevin Cuthbert Shaun Dillon Robert Earnshaw Paul Fenwick Kevin Finlayson Stephen Frail Michael Gardyne James Grady Brian Graham Stewart Greacen Bryn Halliwell

Ryan Harding Warren Hawke Robbie Henderson David Hopkin Kevin James Allan Jenkins Ryan Kane Dean Keenan Dylan Kerr Derek Lilley Bobby Linn Neil MacFarlane David MacGregor Alan Mahood John Maisano Steven Masterton Paul Mathers Ally Maxwell Jim McAlister Kieran McAnespie Stuart McCluskey Stephen McConalogue Marc McCulloch Paul McDonald

Paul McGowan Ryan McGuffie David McGurn Andy McLaren Scott McLaughlin Allan McManus James McPake Craig McPherson Dave McPherson Ryan McWilliams Parfait Medou-Otye Chris Millar Andy Millen Carlo Monti Allan Moore Martyn Naylor Jon Newby Sean O'Connor Erik Paartalu Scott Paterson Colin Pluck Robbie Raeside Alan Reid Colin Reilly

Michael Renwick Brian Rice Stu Riddle Lee Robinson Iain Russell Jay Shields Dominic Shimmin Barry Smith Chris Smith Jamie Stevenson Colin Stewart Chris Templeman Jani Uotinen David van Zanten Brian Wake Alex Walker Jason Walker Johnny Walker Paul Walker Peter Weatherson Stuart Webster Alex Williams Keith Wright Paul Wright

Managers

This list does not contain caretaker managers such as David Hopkin or Joe McLaughlin.

• George Morell (1904–1908)
• Bob Cochrane (1908–1927)
• David Torrance (1928–1931)
• Bob Cochrane (1931–1934)
• Jackie Wright (1934–1938)
• Jimmy Davies (1939–1955)
• Gibby McKenzie (1955–1957)
• Jim McIntosh (1957–1960)
• Hal Stewart (1961–1972)
• Eric Smith (1972)
• Hal Stewart (1972–1974)
• Erik Sorenson (1974–1975)
• Joe Gilroy (1975–1976)
• Benny Rooney (1976–1983)

• Alex Miller (1983)
• Tommy McLean (1983–1984)
• Willie McLean (1984–1985)
• Allan McGraw (1985–1997)
• Billy Stark (1997–2000)
• Ian McCall (2000)
• Allan Evans (2000–2001)
• Ally Maxwell (2001)
• Peter Cormack (2001–2002)
• Dave McPherson (2002)
• John McCormack (2002–2004)
• Jim McInally (2004–2008)
• Davie Irons (2008–2009)
• James Grady (2009-present)

Scottish Cup Record

Morton first entered the Scottish Cup in season 1895/1896, and won it once in 1922. Over the course of Morton's time in the competition has changed format 5 times, to its current format of 8 rounds.

• Between 1970–71 and 2006–07 there were 7 rounds.
• Between 1957/58 and 1969–70 there were 5 rounds plus a preliminary round.
• Between 1954/55 and 1956/57 there were 9 rounds.
• Between 1912/13 and 1953/54 there were 6 rounds.
• Between 1895/96 and 1911/12 there were 5 rounds.

So far Morton have finished the competition in the following rounds, this many times.

• Finals - 2
• Semi-finals - 5
• 1/4 finals - 13

Individual player records (Post War)

All statistics are for league games played by players who played for Morton after the Second World War, until 4 January 2010

Top goalscorers

Goal average separates those on the same goal tally.

#	Name	Career	Apps	Goals	Average
1	Allan McGraw	1961–1966	136	117	0.860
2	Andy Ritchie	1976–1983	213	100	0.469
3	Rowan Alexander	1986–1995	310	98	0.316
4	Tommy Orr	1946–1958	257	86	0.334
5	Eddie Beaton	1956–1960	110	83	0.754
6	Derek Lilley	1991–1997 2005–2007	232	83	0.357
7	Joe Mason	1966–1973	186	76	0.408
8	Peter Weatherson	2003–present	218	76	0.349
9	Alex Linwood	1951–1955	101	72	0.712
10	John McNeil	1975–1991	328	67	0.204

Most appearances

#	Name	Career	Apps	Goals
1	Derek Collins	1987–1999 2001–2005	534	12
2	David Wylie	1985–1999	482	0
3	Jimmy Holmes	1976–1988	437	7
4	Davie Hayes	1970–1984	353	3
5	John McNeil	1975–1991	328	67
6	Rowan Alexander	1986–1995	310	98
7	George Anderson	1969–1981 1985–1987	280	20
8	Roy Baines	1972–1977 1978–1983	271	0
9	Tommy Orr	1946–1958	257	86
10	Jim Hunter	1985–1997	253	1

Supporters clubs

The main supporters clubs for GMFC are...

• The Andy Ritchie Travel Club;

Slainté (Formerly Connellys), 23 Nicholson Street, Greenock.

• The Prince of Wales Travel Club;

The Prince of Wales, Princes Street, Port Glasgow.

• The Greenock Morton Supporters Club;

The Morton Supporters Club, Regent Street, Greenock.

• The Gourock Morton Supporters Club;

The Darroch Bar, Shore Street, Gourock.

• The Norseman Travel Club;

The Norseman Bar, Sinclair Street, Greenock.

• The Spinnaker Hotel Supporters Club;

The Spinnaker Hotel, Albert Road, Gourock.

References

External links

• Official Website
• Greenock Morton Supporters Trust
• TonTastic Media Archive
• Morton BBC My Club page

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