Match Preview | Dundee United
MORTON versus Dundee United
Saturday 8 December 2018
Cappielow Park, Greenock
Kick-off 3pm
Scene Setter
Morton and Dundee United will both be pursuing a similar objective when they meet at Cappielow as they aim to atone for disappointing defeats suffered in last weekend’s round of Ladbrokes Championship fixtures.
Robbie Neilson experienced his first defeat since taking charge of the Arabs, losing 5-0 to a Lawrence Shankland-inspired Ayr United in a game screened live by BBC Alba last Friday night.
The following day, Jonatan Johansson’s Ton side suffered a similar fate away to Dunfermline Athletic when they went down to a 3-0 defeat at East End Park.
With those defeats still fresh in the memory, both teams will view tomorrow’s match as an important opportunity to make amends and bounce back at the first time of asking by claiming a positive result.
Gaffer’s Thoughts
Team News
Long-term absentees Denny Johnstone and Gary Oliver remain sidelined, while there are fresh injury concerns over Bob McHugh (virus), Kerr Waddell (knee) and Jack Iredale (adductor), with the left-back expected to miss out.
Morton Milestones and Significant Stats
5 – Bob McHugh has scored five goals in his last nine appearances.
8 – Striker McHugh is Morton’s top scorer this term with eight goals in 16 starts and five substitute appearances.
9 – Midfielder Michael Tidser is Morton’s top creator with nine direct assists in 21 starts.
Current Connections
Frontman Robert Thomson is a product of the Dundee United youth academy and made two first-team appearances, coming off the bench in matches against St Mirren and Dundee in season 2012/13.
Summer signing Charlie Telfer spent three seasons at Tannadice, between 2014 and 2017, in which time he made 71 appearances – 28 in the Premiership – and scored five goals.
Dundee United recruited Paul McMullan following his release by Celtic, from whom he spent three months of the 2015/16 season on loan with us here at Cappielow, scoring one goal in 11 appearances
Head to Head
Sat 9 Dec 2017: Morton 0-2 Dundee United (Ladbrokes Championship)
Sat 27 Jan 2018: Dundee United 0-3 Morton (Ladbrokes Championship)
Sat 31 Mar 2018: Morton 1-1 Dundee United (Ladbrokes Championship)
Sat 15 Sep 2018: Dundee United 1-1 Morton (Ladbrokes Championship)
Last Time Round
Dundee United substitute Fraser Fyvie denied Jonatan Johansson a winning start to his time at Morton by equalising right at the death to snatch a share of the spoils at Tannadice back in September..
Midfielder Michael Tidser gave the visitors an 11th-minute lead with a masterfully despatched spot-kick following a foul on Gregor Buchanan by Tangerines debutant Rachid Bouhenna.
The visitors defended superbly well in the second half and looked to have all three points in the bag until Fyvie struck in the third minute of stoppage time.
Officials
Referee: David Munro
Assistant one: Andrew McWilliam
Assistant two: Ryan Lee
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: £5, Ticket: £5
Child (Under-12)* | Fan Card: £0, 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 11am 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 and Fan Card
Children Under-12 in possession of a season card or fan 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 or fan card will be required to purchase a physical match ticket with scannable barcode at a cost of £1.
You can order or renew your child’s season ticket online by CLICKING HERE or by contacting club secretary Brendan McEleny on admin@gmfc.net or calling 01475 723571.
Image: Gary Bradley
