Ton boss delighted as young Celts are ousted
CELTIC B 1 Dickson (29)
MORTON 3 Garrity (16), Muirhead (26), Blues (66)
Morton manager Gus Macpherson said he was just delighted to get into the next round of the SPFL Trust Trophy.
“We knew it was going to be tough but we got two early goals which settled things. Although Celtic got one back we created a lot of chances and took three of them.”
Meanwhile Celtic B boss Tommy Mcintyre praised his side for a gallant show against Championship side Morton who ran out comfortable winners in the end.
Mcintyre added: “We knew it was going to be our toughest match of the season
but I’m proud of the way the lads have played and they never gave up against a really good Morton side.”
The visitors took the lead in the 16th minute through the dangerous Michael Mcgarrity who slotted the ball home from close in, into the bottom right-hand corner.
They doubled their lead in the 26th minute when a long ball from Lewis Mcgrattan caught out the home defence and it fell to Robbie Muirhead who calmly pulled the ball down and slammed it home to make it 2-0.
Then the Celtic youngsters got back into the game in the 29th minute when
new signing Ciaran Dickson tried his luck from 30 yards and the Morton keeper Chris Wyllie fumbled the ball and it ended in the net.
In the 63rd minute the visitors should have extended their lead when a Cameron Blues corner was headed towards goal by Muirhead but the ball came back off the bar.
Morton made sure of the third round place in the 66th minute when Blues picked up a neat ball from Darren Hynes and hammered the ball into net to make it 3-1.
KILMARNOCK 3 Murray (4, 78), Naismith (55)
FALKIRK 1 Nesbitt (8)
A Fraser Murray double was enough to help Killie return to winning ways and dispose of League 1 Falkirk to progress to the next round
Oli Shaw looked to grab his first goal in Killie colours after just two minutes – but his effort was well saved by Patrick Martin.
But just a minute later the hosts were in front thanks to Murray who curled a low shot home from outside the box.
The Bairns responded quickly when captain Aidan Nesbitt broke through and smashed an effort into Sam Walker’s bottom right-hand corner from the edge of the area.
The Rugby Park side restored their lead when Blair Alston’s pass found its way into the Bairns box and Naismith rifled the ball home from close range.
Liam Polworth should have doubled the hosts’ lead a minute later when he found himself with a free header inside the six-yard box, but it somehow fell wide.
Murray put the issue beyond doubt, bagging his second with 12 minutes left, much to the delight of the Killie faithful.
ALBION ROVERS 6 Clocherty (og 3), Doherty (23, pen, 44, 59, 64), Dolan (90)
ST MIRREN B 0
Kyle Doherty put Saints to the sword with a four-goal salvo to ease Rovers into the next round.
The hosts got off to a flier when Aiden Clocherty misplaced a pass-back, lofting it over his own goalkeeper Grant Thackery.
Doherty doubled their lead midway through the first half when he arrowed a low shot into the corner from 20 yards.
His second came from the penalty spot after Scott Roberts was fouled by Ewan Thomson, sending Thackery the wrong way.
Doherty struck the post early in the second half. But he was not to be denied his hat-trick and shortly afterwards he found the net after Callum Wilson’s cross fell to him.
The striker grabbed his fourth with the aid of a deflection when he pounced after Thackery had blocked Wilson’s shot.
Kieran Dolan waltzed through the defence to drill home a left-foot shot to complete the scoring.
STRANRAER 0
PARTICK THISTLE 2 Akinola (12), Holt (90)
The Jags won the game thanks to the goalscoring exploits of their two centrehalves, with Tunji Akinola and Kevin Holt finding the back of the net either side of the half-time break.
Akinola fired the Maryhill men in front with an emphatic left-footed finish in the first half, while Kevin Holt netted his third of the season in second-half injury time.
Despite pressure from Stranraer after the interval, the Jags secured their third clean sheet in four games to go through.