Dressingroomwas so quiet...lads were gutted at blowing it
MORTON are still smarting about the one that got away at Ibrox, but Michael Tidser has backed them to get over it quickly and set about sealing a place in the promotion play-offs.
The midfielder’s stunning volley gave Morton an early lead in the Scottish Cup fifth round tie, but Rangers turned the game around to emerge with a narrow 2-1 win.
The visitors had their chances to retake the lead and then a late opportunity to level, leaving the squad gutted that their efforts counted for nothing in the end.
But with a huge Championship match against Falkirk looming on Saturday, Tidser knows they can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves.
“You could tell by how quiet the changing room was after the game that the boys were gutted,” Tidser said.
“We missed a chance at the end and Aiden Nesbitt had a chance earlier on, so we feel we missed an opportunity.
“But I think we are happy performance-wise, we are just disappointed by how it ended.
“We knew the situation that Rangers were in and we knew they were under pressure, but we’ll dust ourselves down because there’s nothing we can do about it now.We just have to focus on trying to look ahead and finishing in the play-off positions.
“I think the biggest disappointment was not hanging onto the lead a bit longer.
“You never know, if we had got to half-time at one-nil their fans might have been turning on them.
“They are a good side though, especially Ibrox with the big pitch and with players like Barrie McKay who can cause problems. We’re disappointed, but we move on
“It was nice to score and it was one of those ones when it was in the air that I was just thinking of trying to get on target. Luckily, it’s gone in.
“It was a nice feeling, I must admit, but at the end of the day we haven’t won the game, so it’s a bit bittersweet.”
THE magnitude of Morton’s home clash with fellow promotion hopefuls Falkirk at Cappielow on Saturday can hardly be overstated in regards to its possible impact on the chase for those precious play-off positions.
The Ton are closing in on a year unbeaten at home though, and Tidser is a firm believer in not changing their approach if it isn’t broken.
“I just see it as another game, we never get too far ahead of ourselves,” he said. “We’re not stupid, we know we’re level on points, even though we have a game in hand.
“So it will probably have a big bearing on the play-offs, but we’re confident, especially at Cappielow.
“We beat them at home a few weeks ago so there’s no reason why we can’t get the three points again.
“We work extremely hard and we make it difficult for teams to beat us. Coupled with that,we have good players that can score goals and that’s what has served us well.
“A lot of good teams have come to Cappielow and struggled, and it’s not like you could blame the surface or anything because our park is excellent.
Some managers will look to make excuses, but they don’t have that one when they come to our place. It just comes down to us being better on the day and getting the three points or at least a draw.
“We’re hoping to continue this run, it’s a remarkable achievement and we hope it doesn’t end any time soon.”