Match Preview | Ayr United
MORTON versus AYR UNITED
Scottish Championship
Saturday 6 March 2021
Cappielow Park
Kick-off 3pm
by Brendan McEleny
Scene Setter
Matchday 18 of the 2020/21 Scottish Championship campaign sees Morton welcome Ayr United to Cappielow Park tomorrow afternoon.
The Sinclair Street side head into the encounter with the Ayrshire men following a 2-2 draw with Dundee at Cappielow last weekend and interim boss Anton McElhone will be hopeful his players can secure three points to kickstart a positive run that will hopefully see them climb the division.
For the Honest Men, they have lost three out of their last five games and parted ways with manager Mark Kerr last weekend following the side’s 1-0 defeat against Arbroath at Somerset. That could very well be the bounce they need as they hope to secure their first win against the ‘Ton this season.
Just two points separate Arbroath in sixth from Inverness in seventh and Morton, currently occupying eighth place, who are two points above Ayr United.
It makes this weekend’s meeting the proverbial six pointer, with a win for either side likely to go a long way in trying to avoid the ninth place play-off position.
Morton Milestones & Significant Stats
3 – Kalvin Orsi, Craig McGuffie and Cameron Blues are joint top goalscorers for the club this term with 3 goals each
6 – Aidan McAdams has recorded 6 clean sheets so far this term
20 – The ‘Ton have scored 20 goals in all competitions so far this season.
120 – Gary Oliver is two appearances off of making 120 appearances for the club.
Current Connections
Midfielder Andy Murdoch signed for Ayr United following a successful spell at Cappielow. The 25-year-old, scored 4 goals in 75 appearances for the ‘Ton over the course of two seasons.
Jack Baird signed on a permanent deal for the Honest Men at the beginning of this term. The defender spent last season on loan with Morton from rivals St Mirren and scored 3 goals in 26 appearances.
At the same time, former Morton player Michael Miller also joined the Ayrshire side following spells with Livingston, Brechin City and Raith Rovers. The 25-year-old made 60 appearances during his time in Greenock with his only goal being scored on the final day of the 2014/15 season against Peterhead at Cappielow when the ‘Ton lifted the League One trophy.
Head to Head
Sat 27 Oct 2019: Morton 2-3 Ayr United (Ladbrokes Championship
Tue 25 Feb 2020: Ayr United 1-2 Morton (Ladbrokes Championship)
Sat 31 Oct 2020: Morton 3-2 Ayr United (Scottish Championship)
Tue 29 December 2020: Ayr United 1-1 Morton (Scottish Championship)
Last Time Round
Morton concluded 2020 back with a 1-1 draw against Ayr United at Somerset Park in the Scottish Championship.
The ‘Ton were attacking down the flanks and, from one such move in 25 minutes, the opening goal arrived.
Aidan Nesbitt had jinked his way into the box on the left-hand side before lobbing a ball into the danger area. The home side struggled to deal with it and Cameron Salkeld pounced. In an effort to create space he went beyond defenders only to be brought down by Ayr Player/Manager Mark Kerr who was making his first start of the season.
From the resultant penalty, Nesbitt stepped up and fired a confident drive into the right of the net beyond the clutches of home custodian, Viljami Sinisalo.
The visitors continued to attack but were pegged back by the concession of a free-kick in the 37th minute.
The set-piece was delivered deep to the back post and as Aidan McAdams stretched to parry away a header, the ball bounced kindly for Luke McCowan who tapped it home from inside the six-yard box. It was the Honest Mens’ first real attempt on goal.
Officials
Referee: Mike Roncone
Assistant 1: Paul O’Neill
Assistant 2: Kevin McElhinney
Streaming Information
Tomorrow’s game will be available to watch live for £14 on ‘TonTV.
Supporters are asked to purchase in advance where possible to avoid any excessive online traffic before the coverage starts at 2.40pm.
Season ticket holders can view the game using the access codes that have been provided to them via e-mail or post.
Once logged onto the shop website, add the match to your basket and use your pass code in the section that says “apply coupon”.
In accordance with SFA guidelines and under advisement from Scottish Police, we respectfully ask that no supporter attempts to access a view of games from the car park adjacent to the stadium. To do so would put the Club in a hazardous position and may prompt action detrimental to the interests of the club.
Image: David Bell
