Greenock is a seaport, and perhaps nothing illustrates the way the town has kept its face to the sea better than the survival of a Roman site on the hilltop just two miles inland. The Lurg Moor Fortlet was built in the second century to mind the western flank of the Antonine Wall, and since that time about the only other construction has been the installation of the pylons for the nearby power corridor. If you line up that ship in the harbour with the forested peninsula on the opposite shore you'll realize that this site is behind the eastern part of Greenock, in fact directly uphill from Cappielow Park ... where this afternoon Morton play Queen of the South.
Queen of the South currently sit last in the First Division table, with an away record of one win, one draw, and five losses. This is the kind of game Morton have to win if they want to take a run at first-place Ross County. QoS will be well-rested, however, because they had a bye through the third round of the Scottish Cup, on account of finishing fourth in the division last year, and consequently didn't play last weekend, not even a friendly.
Speaking of antiquity, when did Morton last play Rangers? My researches suggest it was February 19, 2000, in Round Four of that year's Scottish Cup. Eleven years? That seems morally wrong. Falkirk manager Steven Pressley would like to see a 20-team SPL. Morton should be able to qualify for that, and if they did they'd meet Rangers twice yearly. Where's the petition? I'll sign it.
It was around this time last year that the Scottish football season began to go off the rails. There was the referees' strike and, on top of that, snow. This year has been comparatively trouble-free, schedule-wise if not bank-balance-wise, and this weekend sees only the first First Division postponement of the season. Partick are hosting Junior side Culter in a Scottish Cup third round replay, so their league game at Ayr is deferred until Wednesday.
It's confirmed: Fouad Bachirou's toe is broken.
Today is also the third round of Scottish Junior Cup. Largs Thistle play Lesmahagow. Read all about it in the Wee Paper. Auchinleck Talbot, who are still alive in the Scottish Cup proper, play Penicuik Athletic. Culter, though they're still in the Scottish Cup, are out of the Scottish Junior Cup, having lost to Kelty Hearts in the second round. 164 clubs participate in the Scottish Junior Cup competition. I will never learn all their names. Greenock Juniors play Bellshill. Port Glasgow Juniors are already out. Greenock and Port Glasgow currently groundshare at Battery Park, near Gourock, in the neighbourhood called Fort Matilda, after a former outpost of the British Empire in west Greenock. Fort Matilda is where they make Buchanan's Toffees, a sponsor of Greenock Morton. It all ties together.
[Morton 2, Queen of the South 2. Morton goals by Jackson and Weatherson. The Ton remain in fifth place pending Wednesday's Partick/Ayr game. Ross County now hold first with a nine point cushion. Dundee are third. Weren't they just in last place? Largs win. Auchinleck Talbot win. Greenock Juniors' game was postponed due to rain and sleet, as were many other Junior Cup fixtures. Partick 4, Culter 0.]
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