Ton need three from weekend Points match
MORTON begin a season-defining spell tomorrow as they embark on a run of three matches in short succession which will all but determine their fate.
The Greenock men only have six games left to play in the league - and half of them will take place over the next seven days.
It’s going to be a tough and frantic period and realistically they’ll probably need a couple of wins to stay in the hunt for the Premiership play-offs, such is the ferocity of the competition for a place in the top four.
Dougie Imrie and his players kept themselves in contention with a badly-needed victory over Queen’s Park at Cappielow last Saturday.
Hopefully it will have injected fresh life into their promotion push after a difficult month with just one point collected from 15 left them on the brink of being snuffed out.
They have got themselves back into the frame, sitting two points adrift of tomorrow’s opponents Airdrie and one behind
Dunfermline, but now have to step it up in this most unforgiving of divisions.
Ayr United and Queen’s cannot be discounted from the race at this stage either, so it seems likely that the next week or so will see things begin to crystallise.
By the end of it a couple of clubs will find themselves out of the running for fourth spot, and Ton have to make sure they aren’t one of them.
They begin with a showdown in Lanarkshire and have to be targetting all three points from the game, especially after the Diamonds dug out a crucial midweek victory in Arbroath to move back ahead of them in the table.
While a draw away from home is normal
ly classed as a good result in this league, it’s not going to cut it at this juncture with so many teams scrapping to make the endof-season shootout.
Then on Tuesday evening they will be on the road once again, making the trip down the coast to face Ayr before rounding things off with a televised Friday night Cappielow clash against league leaders Dundee United.
The schedule is unrelenting and will provide a severe test for a Ton side which has been significantly stretched by injuries for most of this season.
To get the return they need between now and a week today looks a tall order with vital games crammed into such a short space of time, but one thing is for sure - it will not be for the want of trying.
Imrie’s players have worked their socks off this season and feel that they merit going one better than their agonising nearmiss fifth-placed finish a year ago.
They will empty the tank to try and achieve that and the manager is full of belief in them, publicly saying he believes they are capable of winning all six remaining matches.
It was all hands to the pump again last Saturday afternoon as they put their poor run of form behind them by downing Callum Davidson’s side in the spring sunshine.
This was an impressive win against much-improved opponents who had come into the clash on a five-game unbeaten streak.
Imrie’s men had the better of things in the first half without making the breakthrough, and one of the key men behind a much-brighter overall performance was winger Jack Bearne.
Restored to the starting line-up for the first time in months, the ex-Liverpool colt gave a good account of himself - he got on the ball, was direct, busy and posed the visitors plenty of problems throughout.
The manager immediately responded to that encouraging performance by challenging the player to find the level of consistency required to make the breakthrough from fringe man to first team starter.
With so many fixtures coming up in a condensed spell, he’ll surely get his opportunity to show if he can deliver.
Another attacker who looked itching to get going when he entered the fray as a second half sub was Jai Quitongo, and the manager will hope he has timed his comeback to perfection and can now make a telling impact at the business end after a stop-start campaign.
It was an old warhorse from the other end of the team who ultimately provided the crucial moment last week, with Kirk Broadfoot’s clever 68th minute looping header breaking the deadlock and paving the way for victory before Robbie Muirhead’s fiery free kick was pushed into the visitors’ net by Cal Ferrie a few minutes later.
The 2-0 scoreline was a deserved outcome for the hosts, who looked more assertive and sure of themselves than they had been for some time.
They can now approach their trip to the Excelsior Stadium in confident mood - and if they could post another win then all of a sudden they’d be building up a head of steam, just when it matters most.