The Ken Loach film Sweet Sixteen, set in Greenock, won for best screenplay at the 2002 Cannes Festival. Lead actor Martin Compston was a defender with Greenock Juniors and made two appearances for Morton in the 2001-02 season. He played Bothwell in Mary Queen of Scots (2018).
Morton host Queen's Park FC.
This is the second time these two have appeared in the same group since the League Cup group stage was reintroduced. On July 18th, 2017 they played to a 2 - 2 draw, though Morton won the extra point in the shootout.
Altogether they've met seven times in League Cup play. Morton have won five times, and Queen's Park twice, most recently in 1961.
Queen's Park FC is loaded with ex-Morton players: Michael Doyle (2016-18), Lee Kilday (2014-19), Peter Grant (2019-20), Bob McHugh (2017-20) and Ross MacLean (2018-19). Plus Ray McKinnon is manager.
Morton's Kalvin Orsi played for Queen's Park in 2017.
[Morton 1 - 0 Queen's Park. Goal by Cameron Blues.]
Also today:
Queen of the South vs Partick Thistle. St Mirren are off.
[QoS 0 - 0 Partick. Partick win on PK.]
How to abbreviate Queen's Park and Queen of the South: Queen's Park are Queen's, or QPFC, or QP. Queen of the South are Queens, or QoS, or QofS.
Read about Queen's ambitions here.
And in Group E it's Kilmarnock vs Dunfermline. Covid-struck Killie will field five first squad players, and the rest are from the development squad.
There are five Fife clubs competing in the group stage. Cowdenbeath, East Fife and Raith Rovers are in Group A, Kelty Hearts are in Group C, and Dunfermline Athletic are in Group E. What would it take to have all five in the same group? 1) If Dunfermline were in the Premiership geography would likely put them in the North section. 2) Kelty Hearts would have to win the Lowland League, or already be in League Two. 3) There would have to be a fluky draw to put them all together, or else an intentional grouping. I've said before that this would be a golden opportunity to replicate the Fife Cup.
Before today's games, what was the best each team could do in Group G?
11 pts St Mirren
10 pts Morton
9 pts QoS
9 pts Partick
9 pts Queen's Park
[Group G standings after these games:
P W PW PL L F A GD Pts
St Mirren 2 1 1 0 0 6 3 3 5
Partick 3 1 1 0 1 3 4 -1 5
Morton 2 1 0 1 0 3 2 1 4
QoS 3 0 1 2 0 4 4 0 4
Queen's Park 2 0 0 0 2 0 3 -3 0 ]
Now the League Cup group stage goes on hold for month. The final two matchdays will be November 11th and 14th.
This is by no means the first time that group stage matches have been interspersed with league matches. Morton's 1947-48 season began with this sequence of games: one group stage match, one league match, two group stage matches, one league match, three group stage matches.
Elsewhere:
Lowland League: Bonnyrigg Rose [2 - 0] Caledonian Braves
Developments:
In light of the second Covid wave, and the heightened restrictions being applied to amateur sport, a number of West of Scotland League clubs have indicated that they would rather not play this season. Among them are Auchinleck Talbot, Glenafton, and Kilbirnie Ladeside.
[The WoSFL plans to restart October 24th, with 15 teams in the Premiership. I think The other two Premiership dropouts are Pollok and Rutherglen Glencairn Cumnock.]
FIFA has suspended the Trinidad and Tobago FA.
The last ten non-Premiership sides to beat Motherwell:
2019/1/19 Motherwell 1 - 2 Ross County Scottish Cup
2015/9/22 Morton 3 - 2 Motherwell League Cup
2013/11/30 Albion Rovers 1 - 0 Motherwell Scottish Cup
2010/1/18 Inverness CT 2 - 0 Motherwell Scottish Cup
2008/2/11 Motherwell 1 - 2 Dundee Scottish Cup
2007/2/28 Motherwell 1 - 2 St Johnstone Scottish Cup
2006/1/7 St Mirren 3 - 0 Motherwell Scottish Cup
2004/3/6 Motherwell 0 - 1 Inverness CT Scottish Cup
2003/9/23 Forfar 3 - 3 Motherwell (Forfar won on PK) League Cup
2001/9/25 Airdrieonians 2 - 1 Motherwell League Cup