BIG NIGHT HAD A BEVVY TOLL
Ross: Saints suffered a hangover Morgan is a Saint for the season
JACK ROSS reckons St Mirren ran out of steam as the hangover from their top-of-the-table win over Dundee United took its toll.
The Buddies saw their Championship lead pegged back to three points after Thomas O’Ware’s header 10 minutes from time cancelled out Lewis Morgan’s opener.
But despite the pain of conceding that late sickener, Ross admitted he couldn’t be too hard on a group of players still recovering from the monumental effort they put into Friday night’s thrilling 2-0 win over title rivals United.
He said: “I wasn’t sure how much of an impact it would have that we played on Friday while Morton’s game at the weekend was off.
“Maybe we were a little leggy after the first half but we were really good before that and our performance reflected where we think we are as a group.
“So I’m a bit frustrated that we didn’t press home the advantage we had during that period and I’m disappointed we got until 10 minutes to go before we conceded such a soft goal.”
By the end Morton were unlucky not to snatch the win such was their late dominance.
But at the start it was all St Mirren and it was no surprise that their young talisman was the one who pounced to fire them ahead in 25 minutes.
Ian McShane’s searching cross found Danny Mullen tussling with Michael Doyle on the six-yard line.
And when it squirted back out Morgan was perfectly placed to tuck a clinical low finish inside the far post.
In a week when he is due to seal a deal to join Celtic, the kid just can’t seem to do any wrong right now. Yet the same could be said for the Buddies team as a whole and the league leaders almost grabbed a second five minutes later.
Mullen saw his quick shot from a tight angle crash off the near post and back into the arms of keeper Derek Gaston.
Ton tried to hit back and Michael Tidser had their best chance of the half but he couldn’t keep his shot down from 15 yards 10 minutes before the break.
Ten minutes into the restart Buddies boss Ross freshened his side with Gavin Reilly replacing Mullen up front.
On the opposite bench Jim Duffy responded with a 66th-minute switch, pitching Scott Tiffoney in for Gary Harkins as Morton pushed hard to haul themselves level.
A 68th-minute flashpoint flared when Kyle Magennis chopped down Tidser, earning the Saints man the booking he deserved. Two further yellows for Doyle and Stephen McGinn came for the mass bust-up that followed.
This derby atmosphere was heating up nicely now with referee Kevin Clancy the man copping most of the home support’s wrath.
They could have been silenced 15 minutes before the end when Reilly stormed inside From Back Page be loaned straight back to Saints.
But suggestions that Celtic are interested in taking the 21-year-old straight away to cover for leg-break victim Johnny Hayes and injured Patrick Roberts have provoked a firm response from Saints chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick.
He said: “We are unanimous and unequivocal – Lewis will be staying with St Mirren for the rest of the season.
“That is a non-negotiable part of any deal with any club.
“He is a vital part of the manager’s plans for the rest of the season.” on a solo dash into the box but lacked the power in his shot to put the game beyond Morton.
And how St Mirren lived to regret that when O’Ware rose in the box 10 minutes from time to power home a stinging header from Tiffoney’s corner.
St Mirren survived a late onslaught, including a big penalty shout for McGinn barging into the back of late Morton substitute Bob McHugh, to escape with a point.
That spot-kick snub angered Ton boss Duffy. He said: “We had more than one strong shout for a penalty but the referee sees it how he sees it.
“I didn’t think he had his best match this afternoon but it’s not about criticising him.
“Both sets of players were really competitive.”