Match Report: Queen’s Park 20s 0-3 Morton 20s

Queen’s Park Under-20s 0 – 3 Morton Under-20s

Scullion (27, 28, 44)

A perfect Jon Scullion hat-trick earned Morton Under-20s three points away at Queen’s Park last night to send them back to the top of the Development League West.

The forward struck three times in the space of 17 first-half minutes, putting the game beyond the Spiders and taking his development squad tally to an impressive 11 goals in five starts.

After an uneventful opening, in which Ben Armour had a ‘goal’ disallowed for offside in the only notable incident, Scullion brought the game to life by opening the scoring.

In the 27th minute, Alex McWaters fed the 21-year-old with a prodded pass down the inside-right channel, and he then chopped inside a defender and steered a precise left-foot finish round Mark Waters into the net off the left-hand post.

Scullion doubled his tally less than sixty seconds later, nodding in from a McWaters cross to score his second header against Queen’s Park this term.

He completed his treble in more spectacular fashion, firing a swerving, dipping 35-yard free-kick into the top right-hand corner past a flailing Waters right on the cusp of half-time.

Scullion came within a whisker of adding a fourth in the 64th minute when his a powerful left-foot volley flashed across the face of goal and narrowly wide of the right-hand upright.

Substitute David Anderson went closer still seven minutes later with an effort with the outside of his right foot that goalkeeper Waters deflected wide with the merest of touches.

There would be no further Ton goals but a defence boasting the likes of club captain Lee Kilday and right-back Michael Doyle kept the back door firmly shut to ensure Scullion’s hat-trick was more than enough to claim maximum points at Lesser Hampden.

Morton (442)

1. McGowan
4. Doyle 2. Kilday 6. Mitchell 3. Strapp
10. McWaters 8. Langan (c) 5. Tennent 7. Purdue
11. Scullion 9. Armour

Subs used: 15. Anderson (for Kilday, 67), 14. Duffy (for Doyle, 78), and 16. Docherty (for Scullion, 78).

Subs not used: 12. Miller, 17. Eardley, 18. Hynes, 20. Connor (gk).

Referee: Chris Gentles

Images: Gary Bradley