Match Preview | Dunfermline Athletic
MORTON versus Dunfermline Athletic
Scottish Championship
Friday 15 January 2021
Cappielow Park
Kick-off 7.45pm
Live on BBC Scotland
by Brendan McEleny
Scene Setter
Morton and Dunfermline take centre stage tomorrow evening as they both contest in front of the BBC Scotland cameras at Cappielow.
The ‘Ton have had extra time to prepare for the televised fixture following the postponements of the Scottish Cup fixture between the two sides on Saturday last week and its re-scheduled date on Tuesday.
Anton McElhone’s side were held to a 1-1 draw with Alloa in their last outing on 2 January and the interim boss will be encouraging his side to put on a performance in hope that they can continue their unbeaten run.
Stevie Crawford’s Dunfermline are yet to play a game in 2021 with their last fixture being a 1-1 draw with Inverness on 29 December. Like the ‘Ton they have had to deal with a number of postponements in recent weeks and the Pars’ boss will be hoping his side can start the year off in a positive manner by coming away from Greenock with all three points.
Morton Milestones & Significant Stats
1 – Markus Fjørtoft scored his first goal for the club, opening the scoring of the game in the ‘Ton’s 1-1 draw with Alloa Athletic on 2 January
4 – Morton are unbeaten in the last 4 Scottish Championship games
14 – The ‘Ton have scored 14 goals in all competitions so far this season.
75 – Aidan Nesbitt made his 75th appearance for the club against Alloa Athletic on 2 January
Current Connections
Declan McManus joined Dunfermline for his second spell at the club during the Summer. The forward featured for the ‘Ton over two loan stints, the first from Aberdeen and second from Fleetwood Town scoring 28 goals in 54 appearances. McManus played a crucial part in the squad that lifted the League One trophy in 2015, scoring 20 league goals and was rewarded with his efforts by winning the PFA Player of the Year award.
Head to Head
Sat 5 October 2019: Morton 1-1 Dunfermline (Ladbrokes Championship)
Sat 7 Dec 2019: Dunfermline 3-1 Morton (Ladbrokes Championship)
Sat 11 Jan 2020: Morton 3-2 Dunfermline (Ladbrokes Championship)
Sat 12 Dec 2020: Dunfermline 1-2 Morton (Scottish Championship)
Last Time Round
Morton picked up their first full points on the road this season by consigning Dunfermline Athletic to their first home defeat of the campaign last month.
Both sides vied for the early possession and had a couple of efforts on goal but it was Jim McAlister who broke the deadlock for the ‘Ton on 24 minutes after a Lewis Strapp production.
There was a controversial moment midway through the second half when Kalvin Orsi thought he had scored after latching on to a superb Salkeld pass across the box but the ‘Ton striker’s celebration was cut short as referee Munro deemed that the ball had not fully-crossed the line.
A short while after, Morton were aggrieved further when Aidan Nesbitt was adjudged to have handled in the box and former ‘Ton forward Declan McManus rifled the spot-kick home to level the score.
Dunfermline’s parity was short-lived however when Craig McGuffie, who had come on for Robbie Muirhead moments earlier, was on hand after a Strapp shot had been parried by Williams and the striker pounced to score and restore the ‘Ton’s lead.
The Pars upped the pace, seeking a second equaliser but the ‘Ton held firm to emerge with a credible away victory against a side who have been jousting for the top position in the table throughout these early stages of the season.
Officials
Referee: Steven Kirkland
Assistant 1: Graeme Leslie
Assistant 2: Steven Traynor
‘TonTV Streaming Information
Tomorrow’s game will be broadcast live on BBC Scotland and will also be available to watch live for £7 on ‘TonTV.
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 addition, there is a special 2-game package which invites subscribers to buy tomorrow’s fixture combined with the home match against Raith Rovers on 6 Feb for the total price of £19.
The discount is only available when purchasing both fixtures.
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
