As they had done the previous season, Morton looked good for spells, but ran out of energy and options in the closing fixtures of the season. At one point they sat comfortably in 3rd place, but only two wins in the closing 11 games saw them finish in 7th place.
A thumping 4-1 win over derby rivals, St Mirren, announced that Morton were up for the challenge of the Championship. They were defensively strong and good on the road with only four defeats away from Cappielow. However, eight away draws cost them a place in the top four and the play-offs.
Home form was a problem with eight defeats in the course of the season. They struggled for goals and normally conceded at least one in an ultimately unconvincing campaign.
Gary Harkins was brought in to drive Morton’s midfield, but struggled to obtain starts in the early part of the season. He showed his experience and worth later in the season, but Morton’s fans were expecting more from him.
Part of Morton’s problem was the lack of a consistent striker. Knee problems brought Jai Quitongo’s season a premature end and with it much of Morton’s attacking sparkle. Bob McHugh never convinced when given the chance and even the unexpected loan signing of John Baird failed to invigorate Morton’s attack.
Morton manager, Jim Duffy, paid the price for the slump towards the end of the season and left immediately by ‘mutual consent’. He’d built a strong and organised Morton defence, but failed to bring a potent attacking threat to match it. The future now looks uncertain at Cappielow Park.
