Archives | Morton 0 Dunfermline 0

The league season kicked off with Dunfermline up against the same opponents and at the same venue as the 2024-2025 season ended. Both sides possibly looking for an indication on how they had strengthened in the interim.

Dunfermline made two changes from the team that started against Stirling Albion `“ on-loan Mason Munn and Kane Ritchie-Hosler starting in preference to Deniz Mehmet and Shea Kearney. There were six survivors from the final starting eleven of the previous season against Morton at Cappielow `“ Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen, Kyle Benedictus, Ewan Otoo: Kane Ritchie-Hosler, Tashan Oakley-Boothe and Josh Cooper.

From the previous week`s Morton starting eleven Grant Gillespie, Ali Crawford and Jordan Davies were missing and in their places came Kian Taylor and two former Pars Owen Moffat and Michael O`Halloran. Zak Delaney and Owen Moffat were the only starters from that final league game of the season against Dunfermline.

The visitors kicked off attacking the goal at the Sinclair Street home end and the first serious shot came in sixth minute after a burst out of his own half by Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen. The centre back laid the ball off to his right and Kane Ritchie-Hosler cut inside to release a shot from the edge of the box that was blocked by a Morton defender. Chilokoa-Mullen then had several interventions to make as the home side pumped balls into the Fifers box.

Munn held a low Delaney cross in 14th minute but it was Morton keeper James Storer who pulled off a top drawer save five minutes later to keep out Connor Young`s well connected left footed strike that was heading for the top left corner of the home net. The opportunity came from a flowing move with Oakley-Boothe picking out Ritchie-Hosler on the right wing. He beat off the challenge of Delaney and Moffat to find his team mate on the edge of the box.

Morton`s big chance came at the midpoint of the first half when O`Halloran broke into the right side of the Pars box but the 34 year-old`s shot fizzed through the goalmouth. Munn beat away a decent effort from Taylor and at the other end Storer came out on top saving from Josh Cooper who had broken free of the Morton defence thanks to Young`s neat lay off from a Gilmour pass out of his own half. A Cooper free kick earned a 28th minute corner but that was ably defended.

Kyle Benedictus headed away a Morton free kick two minutes later and a Moffat effort from 20 yards out went flying wide right. John Tod was forward in 34th minute but couldn`t get enough on his older brother`s delivery from the left. It was Andrew Tod who next brought a superb save out of Storer. The 19 year-old rifled a good effort on target from 20 yards out that the fluorescent green kitted keeper kept out diving full length to his left. The keeper then also held an A Tod header from a Cooper free kick.

The home side came preciously close just two minutes from the interval as Taylor`s glancing header on a Delaney cross scraped past the right goalpost. It had been an open first 45 in which both sides had opportunities but they went in goalless.

Half Time: Morton 0 Dunfermline 0

Dunfermline pinned Morton into their final third for the first five minutes of the second half before a Moffat counterattack earned them their first corner of the afternoon. When Taylor lofted that into the Pars box there was bedlam with missed chances and desperate defending terminating in a Young blast clear.

After a penetrating burst from Oakley-Boothe, Young got in a 54th minute shot that the keeper would hold. Three minutes later a Ballantyne challenge on Young handed the Fifers a chance from a free kick 27 yards out. Young hit the ball over the four man wall but Storer dived to his right to push away another netbound shot.

In 65th minute the former Wolves youth keeper pulled off yet another wonderful save after Cooper played the ball off Young on the top of the box to send the ball on target from 14 yards out. Morton`s response was a low drive from 25 yards out that screamed out wide left.

It was the away team doing most of the pressing at this stage. Morton had used three of their subs but that had changed very little. In 76 minutes Ritchie-Hosler pulled up and despite the physio`s work on him he was subbed by Shea Kearney. Cooper`s delivery from an 83rd minute corner on the left was headed down on target by Chilokoa-Mullen, the keeper blocked and mopped up before Young could grasp the chance. Kearney forced another on the right three minutes later but J Tod`s header cleared the bar. When Longridge bundled over Young on the left flank, Cooper lofted a ball in from the setplay that J Tod did get his head to but when Gilmour shot his attempt went wide.

Matty Todd was introduced for Connor Young as the match entered time added on and when he won the ball out on the right one hoped for a heroic super sub but unluckily the defence cut out his cross and it would end 0-0. Dunfermline recorded 12 shots, nine of which were on target, but for an excellent performance by the 20 year-old Morton keeper this would have been a winning start.

MORTON: James Storer: Cammy Ballantyne, Kris Moore, Jackson Longridge (c), Zak Delaney: Iain Wilson: Kian Taylor (Zak McKay 79), Kerr Robertson (Cameron Blues 73), Owen Moffat (Michael Garrity 61), Tomi Adeloye, Michael O`Halloran (Eamonn Brophy 61)
SUBS NOT USED: Dylan Corr, Sonny Hart, Ciaran Taggart, Louie Murphy, Sam Murdoch (GK)
YELLOW CARDS: Robertson (27), O`Halloran (45), Adeloye (75), Billy Davies (78)

DUNFERMLINE: Mason Munn: Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen, Kyle Benedictus (c), John Tod: Kane Ritchie-Hosler (Shea Kearney 79), Charlie Gilmour, Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Ewan Otoo: Josh Cooper, Connor Young (Matty Todd 90+1), Andrew Tod
SUBS NOT USED: Kieran Ngwenya, Chris Hamilton, Alfons Amade, Keith Bray, Alasdair Davidson, Lucas Fyfe, Deniz Mehmet (GK)
YELLOW CARDS: Neil Lennon (82), Oakley-Boothe (90)

REFEREE: Dan McFarlane
ATTENDANCE: 2497 (inc 736 Pars fans)
WEATHER: Sunny Intervals 18°C

NEXT MATCH: William Hill Championship (home) v Airdrieonians, Saturday 9th August 2025, kick off 3.00pm at KDM Group East End Park

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