THEY are still long outsiders, but St Johnstone continue grimly to cling to life on the peripheries of the promotion race with this well-earned victory. A first-half brace from Steven Milne was enough to give the McDiarmid Park men the points, and
an ongoing interest in the title shake-up.
Having failed to hit the ground running in his bid to prevent his new charges from falling as deeply into the relegation mire as those he left behind at Gretna, new Cappielow manager Davie Irons can be in no doubt of the size of the task facing him.
It had all started so well for Irons, with his team taking a 17th-minute lead. Peter Weatherson was left unmarked front and centre with more time than he needed to easily guide home his header.
However, anyone thinking Irons had arrived with a magic wand to cure the woes of the Inverclyde club were given a sharp dose of reality as the Perth men soon found their rhythm to turn the game on its head.
Milne bundled home at the second time of asking on the half-hour mark and then, with half time approaching, the former Plymouth man finished off a lovely move with an even better first-time finish from 25 yards.
Morton, without a home win since October, rarely threatened to fight their way back among the points.
Indeed, had it not been for the reflexes of on-loan Rangers keeper Lee Robinson, the margin of the defeat could have been far more demoralising.
The full article contains 274 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
