Greenock Morton 2015-16 football season
Season 2015–16 saw Greenock Morton compete in the Scottish Championship the second tier of Scottish football , having finished top of the Scottish League One in 2014-15. Morton also competed in the Challenge Cup , Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup .
Story of the season
May
After the conclusion to the 2014-15 season, manager Jim Duffy dedicated the title triumph to Greenock broadcaster Arthur Montford .[ 1]
The first pre-season game of the season was announced as being an away fixture against BSC Glasgow ,[ 2] Rotherham United visiting Cappielow for the third year in a row.[ 3]
Jamie McCluskey was released,[ 4] Lee Kilday [ 4] Ricki Lamie were offered one-year contract extensions.[ 5] Sean Crighton was also released along with Stefan Milojević , Aidan Ferris , Nicolas Caraux and Ross Caldwell .[ 6] Jon Scullion also agreed a new contract with the club.[ 7]
Brechin City winger Bobby Barr signed on a one-year deal.[ 8] Joe McKee (one-year deal) and Jon Scullion (6-month contract) also re-sign.[ 9]
Stefan McCluskey and Ross Forbes signed one-year contract extensions,[ 10] Ricki Lamie ,[ 11] Michael Miller , Grant Adam [ 12] Derek Gaston .[ 13] Thomas O'Ware also signed up on a one-year contract.[ 14]
Andy Millen was appointed as Development squad manager to replace David Hopkin .[ 15]
June
Warren Hawke was co-opted on to the club's board.[ 16]
Celtic youth striker Luke Donnelly was announced as a loan target by manager Jim Duffy .[ 17]
Four of Morton's U17 league winning side were offered full-time development contracts with the club; they were John Mitchell, Ruaridh Langan, Alex McWaters (all 17) and 16-year-old Scott Tiffoney.[ 18]
Morton signed defender Frank McKeown from Stranraer .[ 19] [ 20]
When the fixtures were released on 19 June, Morton learned they would unfurl the Scottish League One championship flag against Falkirk on 8 August 2015.[ 21]
Morton were given a home tie at home to Dumbarton in the first round of the Scottish Challenge Cup , when it was drawn on 29 June at St Mirren Park , Paisley .[ 22]
July
Morton were drawn against Elgin City in the first round of the League Cup .[ 23]
Frank McKeown and Peter MacDonald suffered minor injuries and were ruled out of most of pre-season.[ 24]
Two of Morton's home games were selected by BBC Alba and BT Sport for live television coverage meaning they were moved to Friday (St Mirren ) and Sunday (Rangers ).[ 25]
Morton's squad numbers were announced on 22 July, with new signings Frank McKeown and Bobby Barr getting numbers 5 and 16 respectively.[ 26]
Ex-PSV Eindhoven youth player Romario Sabajo was offered a six-month deal, but fellow trialist Ricardo Talu would leave the club.[ 27] Dutch FA .[ 28]
Morton tied up the signing of Birmingham City forward Denny Johnstone on a season-long loan.[ 29]
Thomas O'Ware was ruled out for three weeks after going off injured at half time in the game against Dumbarton .[ 30]
After scoring a brace as a trialist in a 3-0 win over Greenock Juniors , Chris Duggan would continue his trial for the foreseeable future according to manager Jim Duffy .[ 31]
August
After defeating Elgin comfortably in the first round, Morton were drawn away to Queen of the South in round two of the League Cup .[ 32]
After an injury to Frank McKeown , Morton brought in Canadian defender Luca Gasparotto on loan from Rangers until January 2016.[ 33] Aberdeen youth Jai Quitongo on a free transfer for their development squad.[ 34]
McKeown was ruled out for three months with extensive knee ligament damage.[ 35]
Morton received international clearance to sign Romario Sabajo after a three-week hold up.[ 36]
Queen of the South were defeated 1-0 to advance Morton to the third round of the League Cup,[ 37] Motherwell .[ 38]
September
Morton signed Swansea City striker Alex Samuel on loan until January.[ 39] [ 40]
In the third round of the Scottish League Cup , Motherwell were disposed of by three goals to two after extra-time .[ 41] St Johnstone in the quarter-finals, for the second time in three years,[ 42] [ 43]
October
The Renfrewshire derby with St Mirren was again chosen for coverage on BBC Alba , and moved forward to the Friday.[ 44]
Mark Russell rejected an offer of a new contract, but stated that he would be willing to re-negotiate.[ 45] Derek Gaston signed up for another two seasons until 2018.[ 46]
Jordan Cairnie joined East Stirlingshire on an emergency loan until 6 January,[ 47] [ 48] [ 49]
Morton were eliminated from the Scottish League Cup by St Johnstone , by a scoreline of three goals to one.[ 50]
Two days after the League Cup elimination, Morton were drawn away to Albion Rovers in the third round of the Scottish Cup .[ 51]
November
After defeating Forfar in the third round, Morton were given a home tie against Ross County in the Little Big Shot Youth Cup .[ 52]
Ricki Lamie ruled himself out for the whole of November with a hamstring tear.[ 53]
Luca Gasparotto would be available to play against Queen of the South after he was not selected for Canada's matches against Honduras and El Salvador .[ 54]
The development squad was eliminated from the Youth Cup by Ross County at Cappielow , with Thomas Orr scoring a second half consolation goal.
Morton would defeat Albion Rovers with goals from Denny Johnstone and Joe McKee to progress to the Scottish Cup fourth round.[ 55]
December
Morton were drawn away from home against Livingston in the fourth round of the William Hill -sponsored Scottish Cup .[ 56]
Another Morton fixture was moved for television purposes; Morton v Rangers which was due to be played on 23 January 2016 was moved back to the Monday night for BT Sport coverage.[ 57]
Youth players Jai Quitongo and Lewis Strapp were rewarded for excellent form in the development squad with 18-month professional full-time contracts being offered.[ 58] [ 59] [ 60]
Jon Scullion was offered a contract extension until the end of the season, with the possibility of going out on loan.[ 61]
With the end of his short-term contract approaching, Romario Sabajo will be allowed to return home after making few appearances for the first team.[ 62]
Mark Russell signed a contract extension until the summer of 2017.[ 63]
With the development league in its winter shutdown, captain Dylan Stevenson was loaned to Berwick Rangers for a month.[ 64]
Morton brought last season's top scorer Declan McManus back to the club on loan from English side Fleetwood Town .[ 65]
January
Grant Adam was released[ 66] Cowdenbeath .[ 67]
Matches against Hibernian were rescheduled to two midweek dates in February.[ 68]
Alex Samuel 's loan deal from Swansea City was extended until the end of the season.[ 69]
Morton defeated Livingston to reach the fifth round of the Scottish Cup .[ 70] Annan Athletic in the fifth round.[ 71]
February
Luca Gasparotto was ruled out for up to 10 weeks with an ankle injury.[ 72]
After defeating Annan Athletic in the fifth round, Morton received another away draw in their first quarter-final since 1999; away to Celtic at Celtic Park .[ 73]
Andrew McNeil signed on a short-term deal until the end of the season.[ 74]
Alex Samuel returned to Swansea to receive treatment after sustaining an injury in a Development League West match against Queen's Park .[ 75]
Morton's quarter-final match with Celtic was chosen for television coverage by Sky Sports .[ 76]
Morton signed winger Paul McMullan on loan from Celtic.[ 77]
Bobby Barr signed a pre-contract agreement on a two-year deal with league rivals Raith Rovers .[ 78]
March
Morton were eliminated from the Scottish Cup by three first-half goals to nil at Celtic Park .[ 79]
Declan McManus was named as SPFL Championship player of the month for February.[ 80]
Michael Tidser 's season was ruled to be over when he suffered a suspected hernia.[ 81]
After a 19-game unbeaten run Morton won the Development League West win a 1-1 draw with nearest rivals Ayr United .[ 82]
April
Cappielow 's pitch was given a platinum status by the SPFL , as one of the top four pitches in the country along with Bayview Stadium , Tynecastle Stadium and Hampden Park .[ 83]
Thomas O'Ware agreed a two-year contract extension, tying him to the club until 2018.[ 84] Ross Forbes followed him in agreeing a two-year contract.[ 85]
Morton released defenders Frank McKeown , Jordan Cairnie and Luke Irvine.[ 86]
Manager Jim Duffy signed a new two-year deal after successfully keeping the team in the Championship and reaching two cup quarter-finals.[ 87]
First team transfers
From end of 2014-15 season, to last match of season 2015-16
In
Out
Fixtures and results
Win Draw Loss Upcoming fixture
Pre-season
Friendlies
Scottish Championship
Scottish Cup
Scottish League Cup
Scottish Challenge Cup
Development squad
Friendlies
Development League West
Scottish Youth Cup
League table
Source:
Soccerway Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Notes:
Player statistics
As of 1 May 2016
All competitions
Development squad goalscorers
Including goals from the Development League West (champions) and SFA Youth Cup
Awards
Last updated 14 March 2016
References
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Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015 .^ "Two Re-sign" . Greenock Morton F.C. 15 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015 .^ "Two Re-sign" . Greenock Morton F.C. 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015 .^ "Ricki Lamie Re-signs" . Greenock Morton F.C. 19 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015 .^ "Adam: 'Brother Charlie told me to stay at Morton' . Greenock Telegraph. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015 .^ "Gaston signs up" . Greenock Morton F.C. 21 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015 .^ "Thomas O'Ware" . Greenock Morton F.C. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015 .^ Mitchell, Jonathan (25 May 2015). "Millen takes Morton under-20s role" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 26 May 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (4 June 2015). "Hawke made Morton director" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 5 June 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (5 June 2015). "Celtic youngster on Duffy's radar" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 6 June 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (15 June 2015). "Four make step up from Ton academy" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2015 . ^ "Frank McKeown signs" . Greenock Morton F.C. 19 June 2015. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015 .^ "Craig Knight" . Greenock Morton F.C. 19 June 2015. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015 .^ "SPFL Fixture Release" . Scottish Professional Football League. 19 June 2015. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015 .^ Steele, Russell (29 June 2015). "Morton draw Dumbarton in Petrofac Training Cup" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 29 June 2015 . ^ Steele, Russell (6 July 2015). "Morton draw Elgin in League Cup" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 6 July 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (11 July 2015). "Morton's double injury blow" . Greenock Telegraph. 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Retrieved 2 September 2015 .^ "Samuel makes Morton loan move" . Swansea City A.F.C. Academy. Retrieved 2 September 2015 .^ "Morton 3-2 Motherwell" . Scottish Professional Football League. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015 .^ Steele, Russell (28 September 2015). "Morton land Saints in cup" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 29 September 2015 . ^ "League Cup quarter-final draw today" . Scottish Professional Football League. 28 September 2015. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015 .^ "November TV selections confirmed" . Scottish Professional Football League. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015 .^ Mitchell, Jonathan (8 October 2015). "Russell waiting for right offer from Morton" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 10 October 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (13 October 2015). "Contract joy for Ton keeper Gaston" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 14 October 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (16 October 2015). "Ton development squad defender joins East Stirling on loan" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 16 October 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (15 October 2015). "O'Neil to leave Ton". Greenock Telegraph. ^ "Development squad player news" . Greenock Morton F.C. 16 October 2015. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2015 .^ "Morton 1-3 St Johnstone" . BBC Sport. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015 .^ Steele, Russell (29 October 2015). "Morton draw Rovers in Scottish Cup" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 29 October 2015 . ^ "Little Big Shot Youth Cup Fourth Round Draw" . Scottish Football Association. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015 .^ Mitchell, Jonathan (5 November 2015). "Hamstring blow for Morton defender Lamie" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 6 November 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (11 November 2015). "No international call-up for Morton defender Luca" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (28 November 2015). "Morton defy November rain to sink Rovers in cup" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 28 November 2015 . ^ "William Hill Scottish Cup: Fourth Round Draw" . Greenock Morton F.C. 1 December 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015 .^ "TV games" . Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 5 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015 .^ Mitchell, Jonathan (11 December 2015). "Young Morton duo earn 18-month full-time deals" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 14 December 2015 . ^ "Contract extensions" . Greenock Morton F.C. 22 December 2015. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015 .^ "Lewis Strapp signs" . Greenock Morton F.C. 18 December 2015. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015 .^ Mitchell, Jonathan (15 December 2015). "Scullion set for loan move as new Morton deal tabled" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 16 December 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (15 December 2015). "Morton attacker exits Cappielow" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 16 December 2015 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (17 December 2015). "Deal me in". Greenock Telegraph. p. 24. ^ "Loan to Berwick" . Greenock Morton F.C. 18 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015 .^ Mitchell, Jonathan (31 December 2015). "Ton in sensational striker swoop" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2016 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (5 January 2016). "Goalkeeper Adam leaves Morton" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 7 January 2016 . ^ "Grant Adam is back at Cowdenbeath" . Central Fife Times. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016 .^ "Rescheduled fixtures v Hibernian" . Greenock Morton F.C. 6 January 2016. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016 .^ Mitchell, Jonathan (8 January 2016). "Morton secure striker Alex Samuel until end of season" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 8 January 2016 . ^ "Livingston 0-1 Morton" . BBC Sport. 9 January 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016 .^ "Scottish Cup: Hearts to host Hibernian in fifth round" . BBC Sport. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016 .^ Mitchell, Jonathan (1 February 2016). "Injury blow for Morton defender" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 3 February 2016 . ^ "William Hill Scottish Cup - Quarter Final Draw" . Greenock Morton F.C. 9 February 2016. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016 .^ "Player News - Andy McNeil" . Greenock Morton F.C. 11 February 2016. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016 .^ Mitchell, Jonathan (19 February 2016). "Injured Morton striker returns home" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 22 February 2016 . ^ Steele, Russell (23 February 2016). "Sky Sports to screen Celtic v Morton cup clash" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 23 February 2016 . ^ Steele, Russell (24 February 2016). "Morton swoop to sign Celtic man on loan" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 24 February 2016 . ^ Robertson, Neil (29 February 2016). "Raith sign Bobby Barr on pre-contract" . The Courier. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016 . ^ "Celtic 3-0 Morton" . BBC Sport. 6 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016 .^ a b "McManus lands February award" . Scottish Professional Football League. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016 .^ Mitchell, Jonathan (14 March 2016). "Injured Morton star's season could be over" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 15 March 2016 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (29 March 2016). "Morton Under-20s crowned champions" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 30 March 2016 . ^ Baxter, Eric (17 April 2016). "Morton groundsman's prized Cappielow pitch secures another award" . Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 19 April 2016 . ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (26 April 2016). "O'Ware set to sign two-year deal to stay at Morton" . Greenock Telegraph. 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