MATCH PREVIEW: Alloa Athletic
MORTON versus Alloa Athletic
Saturday 22 February 2020
Cappielow Park, Greenock
Kick-off 3.00pm
by Ewan Boyle
Scene Setter
For the first time since their 2-0 victory away to Alloa which included a beauty of a volley from NIcky Cadden, Greenock Morton welcome Alloa Athletic to Cappielow for the second time this season.
The game comes following Morton’s previous fixture against Ayr being postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Somerset Park.
Morton have won every game against Alloa this season and will be hoping to continue this run with a victory against the Wasps on Saturday.
Peter Grant’s men go into the game unbeaten in their last four with their previous defeat being at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Current Connections
Striker Robert Thomson spent the first half of the 2012/13 season on loan with then-Second Division Alloa before returning to Dundee United. He has since returned to Alloa permanently after two years at Morton where he scored 7 goals for the Ton.
Iain Flannigan arrived at Cappielow in March of 2012 playing 4 times however a broken arm caused the midfielder to never reach his full potential at the Sinclair Street side.
Defender Scott Taggart was very prominent in Morton’s 2012/13 season as the Ton were beaten to the Scottish First Division title by Partick Thistle. Taggart made 72 appearances at the club and was a regular for the Ton side in his seasons at the club.
Alloa’s captain Andy Graham had previously played with the Greenock side over 25 times and had been a lifelong supporter of the club.
Head to Head
Sat 12 Jan 2019: Alloa Athletic 2-1 Morton (Ladbrokes Championship)
Tue 9 Apr 2019: Morton 1-2 Alloa Athletic (Ladbrokes Championship)
Sat 10 Aug 2019: Morton 4-1 Alloa Athletic (Ladbrokes Championship)
Sat 21 Dec 2019: Alloa 0-2 Morton (Ladbrokes Championship)
Last Time Round
Morton were able to earn themselves their first away win of the season in the previous fixture after a solid performance away at Alloa.
An absolute rocket of an effort from Nicky Cadden on the volley sailed into the top corner after a delightful chest from John Sutton to set Cadden up with the chance from just outside the box on 64 minutes
Jack Baird put the game to bed with an effort from close range on 67 minutes when he knocked it home to give Morton a comfortable two nil lead.
The win set off Morton on a great run of form since then with an unbeaten run in 2020 continuing halfway through February.
Officials
Referee: Graham Beaton
Assistant one: Frank Connor
Assistant two: Colin Drummond
Gaffer’s Thoughts
“We’re going into the last 13 games of the season and it’s going to be a tough week with three away games coming up.
“The boys have trained really well and the players will be buzzing for the game.
“Other than Cameron Salkeld remaining out through injury, we’ve got a full bill of health to choose from.
“Both teams are in-form and it will be a close game but also a difficult game but the boys have worked hard and are itching to go ahead of the game.”
Fan File
Admission prices are:
Adult | Fan Card: £18, Ticket: £20
Concession (Over 65, Student, and Under 21s) | Fan Card: £13, Ticket: £15
Child (12 – 17)^ | Fan Card: £10, Ticket: £10
Child (Under-12)* | Fan Card: £1, Ticket: £1
^Proof of entitlement must be provided for concessionary tickets, while proof of age is required for children between 12 and 17 and those between 18 and 20.
*Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Please note, prices apply irrespective of the day or time of purchase.
Supporters are asked to purchase in advance where possible in order to avoid excessive queues at the ticket office on a matchday.
Briefs can still be bought from the following outlets:
Smiths of Greenock – During opening hours, 9am – 5.30pm
Sinclair Street ticket office – Saturday matchdays from 12noon to 3pm
Tickets can also be purchased in advance online at www.gmfctickets.co.uk or by calling the club on 01475 723571. These can be collected at the ticket office on matchday.
All home fixtures are also available to be pre-loaded onto fan cards via Interstadia’s dedicated club website, www.gmfctickets.co.uk.
Children Under-12 Go Free With Season Card
Children Under-12 in possession of a season card attend all home league fixtures free of charge, and parents are encouraged to sign their kids up for the campaign if they have not already done so.
Those children without a season card will be required to purchase a physical match ticket with scannable barcode at a cost of £1.
image: David Bell
