INFO
MORTON 0-0 AIRDRIE UNITED
LEAGUE GAME 28
VENUE � CAPPIELOW
KICK OFF TIME � 7:45PM
DATE � TUESDAY 10 MARCH 2009
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON - MAN OF THE MATCH, 2 - WILLIAM MCLACHLAN, 3 - DAVID NIXON, 4 - MARC SMYTH (CAPTAIN),
5 � BOBBY DONNELLY, 6 � SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, 7 - DARREN SMITH, 8 - STEPHEN MCKENNA, 9 � PAUL DI GIACOMO,
10 � JOHN BAIRD, 11 - KEVIN MCDONALD
SUBS - USED
12 - PAUL LOVERING FOR 3 - DAVID NIXON, 15 - SIMON LYNCH FOR 11 - KEVIN MCDONALD
SUBS - NOT USED
14 � STEVEN MCDOUGALL, 16 - STEPHEN MAGUIRE, 17 � LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
1 - STEPHEN ROBERTSON
MATCH REPORT
AIRDRIE UNITED EXTENDED THEIR UNBEATEN RUN TO FOUR GAMES AS THEY DREW 0-0 WITH MORTON AT CAPPIELOW THANKS TO A FANTASTIC GOALKEEPING DISPLAY FROM STEPHEN ROBERTSON.
FOR THE GAME AIRDRIE MADE TWO CHANGES TO THE STARTING ELEVEN FROM THE LIVINGSTON GAME AS DAVID NIXON AND KEVIN MCDONALD WERE HANDED STARTS AT THE EXPENSE OF MATTHEW HAZLEY AND JOE CARDLE WHO WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE SQUAD.
FIRST HALF
MORTON HAD THE OPENING CHANCE OF THE GAME ON THE 7TH MINUTE WHEN RYAN MCGUFFIE HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON AT FULL STRETCH GOT FINGERTIPS TO THE BALL TO TIP IT OVER THE BAR AND FROM THE RESULTING CORNER THE DANGER WAS CLEARED. AIRDRIE CAME CLOSE TO EQUALIZING A MINUTE LATER AS FROM A FREE KICK WILLIE MCLACHLAN CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND KEVIN CUTHBERT CAME OUT TO CLAIM THE BALL BUT FLAPPED AT IT AND THIS FORCED DOM SHIMMIN TO CLEAR THE BALL OFF THE LINE. FOUR MINUTES AFTER THIS JIM MCALISTER HAD A CHANCE FOR MORTON WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR.
DESPITE NO TEAM DOMINATING THE GAME AT THIS STAGE MORTON HAD THE NEXT THREE CHANCES OF IT. FIRSTLY ON THE 20TH MINUTE PETER WEATHERSON HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. A FEW MINUTES LATER STEWART GREACEN WAS YELLOW CARDED FOR MORTON. THEN ON THE 32ND MINUTE MORTON SENT A CROSS INTO THE BOX AND JAMES GRADY GOT ONTO THE END OF IT WITH A HEADER BUT AGAIN STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS PETER WEATHERSON HAD A GO BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND AIRDRIE�S COUNTER ATTACK ENDED WITH PAUL DI GIACOMO HAVING A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT KEVIN CUTHBERT PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND HIS DEFENCE CLEARED THE DANGER.
ON THE 35TH MINUTE AIRDRIE�S WILLIE MCLACHLAN HAD A CHANCE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT KEVIN CUTHBERT MADE THE SAVE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS PETER WEATHERSON HAD THE PENULTIMATE CHANCE OF THE HALF FOR MORTON WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. KEVIN FINLAYSON WAS TO HAVE THE FINAL CHANCE OF THE HALF FOR MORTON ON THE 40TH MINUTE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT FLYING HIGH AND WIDE AND THE TEAMS WERE TO HEAD INTO HALF TIME LEVEL.
SECOND HALF
MORTON WAS TO HAVE THE MAJORITY OF CHANCES DURING THE HALF AND DURING THE OPENING MINUTES OF THE HALF ALLAN JENKINS HAD A GO FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT HIGH AND WIDE. FOUR MINUTES LATER MORTON DANGER MAN PETER WEATHERSON BROKE FREE INSIDE THE BOX AND HIT A SHOT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON SAVED WITH HIS BODY AND FROM THE RESULTING CORNER NO DANGER WAS CAUSED. AIRDRIE HAD THEIR FIRST CHANCE OF THE HALF AN HOUR INTO THE GAME AS FROM A POOR KICK OUT BY KEVIN CUTHBERT WILLIAM MCLACHLAN ATTEMPTED TO LOB THE BALL OVER HIM FROM ABOUT 35 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR.
MORTON CONTINUED THEIR SEARCH FOR AN OPENING GOAL AND ON THE 61ST MINUTE THEY WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 30 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND STEWART GREACEN GOT ONTO IT WITH A HEADER BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. A MINUTE LATER AIRDRIE HAD A CHANCE AS SPACE OPENED UP FOR SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN AT THE TOP OF THE BOX AND HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT JUST OVER THE BAR. MORTON WON ANOTHER FREE KICK ABOUT 30 YARDS OUT FROM GOAL ON THE 70TH MINUTE AND FROM IT STEVIE MASTERTON CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND FROM NO MORE THAN SIX YARDS OUT STEWART GREACEN SENT A POWERFUL HEADER GOALWARDS BUT SOMEHOW STEPHEN ROBERTSON WAS ABLE TO PULL OF A GREAT REFLEX SAVE TO TURN THE BALL OVER THE BAR AND FROM THE CORNER THE DANGER WAS CLEARED.
AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FIRST SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME ON THE 71ST MINUTE AS SIMON LYNCH CAME ON FOR KEVIN MCDONALD. IT WAS MORTON WHO HAD THE NEXT CHANCE THOUGH A FEW MINUTES LATER AS FROM A CROSS INTO THE BOX A HEADER WAS SENT GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT WIDE. THEN WITH ONLY EIGHT MINUTES OF THE GAME REMAINING AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FINAL SUBSTATION AS PAUL LOVERING WHO WAS MAKING HIS RETURN FROM INJURY CAME ON FOR DAVID NIXON AND SHORTLY AFTER THIS BOBBY DONNELLY WAS YELLOW CARDED. TWO MINUTES LATER MORTON WON ANOTHER FREE KICK ABOUT 40 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND AGAIN STEWART GREACEN SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT WIDE. THERE WAS STILL TIME FOR BOTH TEAMS TO HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE AND WITH ONLY A MINUTE OF THE GAME REMAINING ALLAN JENKINS HAD MORTON�S WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT FLYING OVER THE BAR. DURING STOPPAGE TIME AIRDRIE�S SIMON LYNCH HAD THERE FINAL CHANCE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT KEVIN CUTHBERT MADE THE SAVE AND THE GAME REMAINED GOALLESS.