Late goal keeps Raith promotion push alive
RAITH ROVERS 1 Gullan (82) MORTON 0
Raith boss John McGlynn praised his side’s patience as they were forced to wait before securing all three points against a stubborn Morton outfit to keep their promotion chase alive.
Following the hard-fought win, McGlynn said: “You would always like to be in a comfortable position in a game and we never managed to do that, but I think the win was well deserved.
“Overall, I think we dominated without creating too much.
“At the same time, we denied Morton from creating much as well.
“I don’t think Jamie MacDonald had much to do, so I thought it was well-deserved, hard-fought, a bit of a grind.
“But, then, Morton were very well organised, disciplined and hard to break down, so you have to keep plugging away and it came.
“We might not always be at our silky soccer best, but I thought we deserved to win the game. I am delighted with the win.
“I thought we put plenty into it. It just didn’t quite click.
“The final ball wasn’t quite good enough. We have a couple of headers we should have done better with.”
The game took until the second half to spring to life with both sides lacking any quality in the final third, despite plenty of endeavour.
The only effort on target for either in the first 45 minutes was a tame Reghan Tumilty shot for the hosts that trundled straight into the keeper’s arms.
The only time either side mustered anything of note came when Manny Duku headed over for Raith and wide efforts for Morton’s Darren Hynes and Stephen McGinn.
McGlynn had obviously had a few stern words to say at halftime as there was a marked uptick in energy from his men at the start of the second half.
Regan Hendry flashed a shot just wide from 18 yards before Duku spurned a glorious chance just before the hour.
A fantastic cross from the right-hand side by Hendry found the striker unmarked six yards out but again all Duku could do was balloon a header over when the goal appeared to be gaping.
The frustration was becoming clear to see from the home men as Dylan Tait and Dan Armstrong would find their way into the book for showing their displeasure at ref John Beaton’s decisions.
Lewis Vaughn and Jamie Gullan were thrown on as Rovers went in search of a winner.
The former nearly did just that, bringing out the best in Aidan McAdams in the Ton goal with a rasping effort from outside the box that the stopper did well to tip wide.
The visitors seemed happy to try to soak up the pressure and hit on the break as they fell deeper and deeper into their own half as time ticked on.
This would prove to be their undoing as the home men took the lead with only eight minutes left.
Hendry’s deep corner fell to Gullan at the back post and he hammered it into the back of the net.
This forced the visitors out for the remainder as the pressure was switched.
A tame effort from Aidan Nesbitt on 87 minutes was closest they would come, leaving the Morton boss Gus MacPherson to ponder after: “We are frustrated that it was a set-piece.
“Over the 90 minutes we are well organised, worked hard and looked threatening at times on the break, maybe just lacking the final ball or composure.
“But when you are undone by a set-piece that is the frustrating bit.”