Bowyer buoyant but Dark Blues fail to take top spot
Dundee missed their opportunity to regain top spot in the Championship table after being held to a goalless draw at Cappielow.
Both sides struck the woodwork in an encounter that Morton controlled for long spells, but Dundee boss Gary Bowyer remained upbeat.
He said: To come away from home, keep a clean sheet, despite not playing the best, that’s a positive. Obviously we want to play better, but if we’re not playing better we have to make sure we dig in and keep a clean sheet.
“I don’t feel we worked the goalkeeper enough. It wasn’t a spectacle to watch, but the most important thing is if you can’t win it, you certainly don’t lose it.”
The first chance of the match fell to the hosts as new signing Robbie Crawford powered forward before unleashing a low drive that was parried away by Harrison Sharp.
Dundee came agonisingly close at the other end when Paul McMullan’s brilliant effort beat Brian Schwake but cannoned back off the underside of the bar.
The Morton supporters screamed for a penalty when Jai Quitongo hit the deck inside the box under pressure from Ryan Sweeney, but referee Don Robertson was unmoved by their protests.
Just before the half-hour mark, the referee was the centre of attention again after Sharp wiped out Jaze Kabia seconds after the assistant referee had flagged for offside. A melee ensued
and in the end the Dundee keeper, Sweeney and Quitongo all picked up yellow cards.
The game continued to swing from end to end and an excellent stop by Schwake spared the blushes of Darragh O’Connor, who almost directed Zak Rudden’s cut-back into his own net.
The first half ended with two good opportunities for the home side. First, Crawford flicked an effort just wide and then Kabia found himself clear through on goal – but his chip drifted past the post.
Morton continued their momentum after the restart and it took a superb stop by Sharp to keep out Alex King’s header, before the defender blazed his second attempt over the top.
Luke McCowan sliced wide as Dundee tried to regain a foothold on the game, however the home side continued to threaten, and Sharp had to be alert to gather Quitongo’s shot from distance.
Robbie Muirhead’s tantalising delivery somehow evaded everyone inside the box before being hacked clear as the pressure on the Dee’s goal intensified.
The final chance for Morton came in the final minute of the 90, and only the post denied Jack Baird a moment of glory – the defender connecting with Lewis Strapp’s long throw.
Morton boss Dougie Imrie said: “It’s a great point for us.
“That’s our best 90 minutes of the season so far for me.
“The first half I felt we were by far the better team and we took the game to Dundee.
“They had a good chance where they hit the bar, but we had a couple where Jai should really score and another one when Jaze is through just before half-time.”