# 2009–10 Greenock Morton F.C. season

Season 2009–10 saw Greenock Morton compete in their third consecutive season in the First Division, in which they finished 8th after a last day victory over Ayr United which relegated the visitors.

## Story of the season
### May

After the end of the 2008–09 season, Kieran McAnespie (signed for amateur side Milngavie Wanderers), Jamie Stevenson (signed for East Stirlingshire), Chris Smith (signed for Dumbarton) and Jon Newby (signed for Northwich Victoria) were all released.
Brian Graham returned from his loan spell at East Stirlingshire, where he finished as the Third Division's top scoring forward.

### June

Neil MacFarlane was brought in under freedom of contract from Queen of the South.

### July

Bryn Halliwell signed as emergency goalkeeping cover following injuries to Kevin Cuthbert and Colin Stewart.

### August

At the end of Halliwell's short-term contract, he was released before the close of the transfer window thus making him available to sign for a new club at any time after the window shut.
Morton were knocked out of the two SFL cup competitions by Ross County and Kilmarnock, after victories over Dumbarton and Cowdenbeath.

### September

Davie Irons and Derek Collins had their contracts as the club's management team cancelled on 21 September, with the club sitting bottom of the First Division with only three points from their first six games. Allan McManus and James Grady took over as caretakers until replacements for Irons and Collins could be appointed.
Iain Russell was loaned out to Alloa Athletic.

### October

McManus and Grady were appointed permanently (until the end of the season) on Halloween 2009. This time though, Grady was made manager with McManus his assistant.

### November

With injuries mounting up, Grady brought in Alan Reid and David van Zanten in on trial. Both players made their débuts on 7 November, against Partick Thistle, this was however Reid's THIRD début for the club having played two games on trial the previous season and having a spell on loan in 2001. On 10 November, it was revealed in the Greenock Telegraph that van Zanten had signed on a permanent contract until January 2010.
Alan Reid was signed on a permanent basis on 27 November, following the release of Ryan Harding by mutual consent.

### December

After a replay, Morton defeated Dumbarton, to set up a Scottish Cup fourth round tie at Cappielow against Celtic.

### January

David van Zanten's short-term deal at Cappielow expires, and the Irishman signs for Hamilton Academical.
Ex-Celtic youth Michael Tidser returns from Sweden, where he played for Ostersunds FK to sign with Morton.
Alex Walker was loaned out to Brechin City for three months.
Brian Wake was released, with his next destination being Gateshead.
As the transfer window slammed shut, Kevin McKinlay was signed on a free transfer.

### February

Erik Paartalu signed a pre-contract agreement with Brisbane Roar back in his homeland of Australia.
Donovan Simmonds was signed until the end of the season on a free transfer from Maltese Premier League side Floriana.

### March

Austrian Striker David Witteveen signed on loan from Hearts until the end of the season.
Iain Russell and Ryan McWilliams were sent out on loan to Stirling Albion and Largs Thistle respectively.

### April

Jim McAlister broke his foot in a 3–3 draw with Queen of the South – this was most likely his final game for Morton with his contract running down at the end of the season.
Michael Tidser was awarded the Scottish Football League young player of the month award for March.

### May

With a 2–1 victory at Cappielow over Ayr United, Morton avoided relegation to the Second Division whilst condemning their opponents to automatic relegation.

## First team transfers

* From end of 2008–09 season, to last match of season 2009–10

### In

| Player | From | Fee |
| Neil MacFarlane | Queen of the South | Free (June 2009) |
| Bryn Halliwell | Queen of the South | Free (July 2009) |
| David van Zanten | Hibernian | Free (November 2009) |
| Alan Reid | Unattached | Free (November 2009) |
| Michael Tidser | Östersunds FK (Sweden) | Free (January 2010) |
| Kevin McKinlay | Dundalk (Ireland) | Free (February 2010) |
| Donovan Simmonds | Floriana (Malta) | Free (February 2010) |
| David Witteveen | Heart of Midlothian | Loan (March 2010) |

### Out

| Player | To | Fee |
| Kieran McAnespie | Milngavie Wanderers | Free (May 2009) |
| Jamie Stevenson | East Stirlingshire | Free (July 2009) |
| Jon Newby | Northwich Victoria (England) | Free (July 2009) |
| Chris Smith | Dumbarton | Free (August 2009) |
| Bryn Halliwell | Forfar Athletic | Free (August 2009) |
| Iain Russell | Alloa Athletic | Loan (September 2009) |
| Ryan Harding | East Stirlingshire | Free (November 2009) |
| David van Zanten | Hamilton Academical | Free (January 2010) |
| Alex Walker | Brechin City | Loan (January 2010) |
| Brian Wake | Gateshead (England) | Free (January 2010) |
| Iain Russell | Stirling Albion | Loan (March 2010) |
| Ryan McWilliams | Largs Thistle | Loan (March 2010) |

## Squad (that played for first team)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | SCO | Kevin Cuthbert |
| — | GK | ENG | Bryn Halliwell (short-term contract) |
| — | GK | SCO | Ryan McWilliams |
| — | GK | SCO | Colin Stewart |
| — | DF | SCO | Stewart Greacen (captain) |
| — | DF | SCO | Ryan Harding |
| — | DF | SCO | David MacGregor |
| — | DF | SCO | Allan McManus |
| — | DF | SCO | Alan Reid |
| — | DF | ENG | Dominic Shimmin |
| — | DF | EIR | David van Zanten (short-term contract) |
| — | DF | SCO | Alex Walker |
| — | MF | SCO | Kevin Finlayson |
| — | MF | SCO | Allan Jenkins |
| — | MF | SCO | Ryan Kane |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | SCO | Neil MacFarlane |
| — | MF | SCO | Steven Masterton |
| — | MF | SCO | Jim McAlister |
| — | MF | SCO | Ryan McGuffie |
| — | MF | SCO | Kevin McKinlay |
| — | MF | SCO | Carlo Monti |
| — | MF | AUS | Erik Paartalu |
| — | MF | SCO | Michael Tidser |
| — | FW | SCO | Brian Graham |
| — | FW | SCO | James Grady |
| — | FW | SCO | Iain Russell |
| — | FW | ENG | Donovan Simmonds |
| — | FW | ENG | Brian Wake |
| — | FW | ENG | Peter Weatherson |
| — | FW | AUT | David Witteveen (on loan from Hearts) |

## Fixtures and results

Win  Draw  Loss  Upcoming fixture

### Friendlies

| Date | Opponents | Stadium | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 2 July 2009 | Slovan Bratislava | Austrian training camp | 1–6 | Adam Strachan (trialist) | ? |
| 4 July 2009 | Salzburg Sports Club 1914 | Austrian training camp | 8–1 | Ryan McGuffie Brian Wake Steven Masterton Brian Graham pen' | ? |
| 7 July 2009 | Stranraer | Toryglen | 10 – 0 (abandoned) | Brian Wake Brian Graham Peter Weatherson Carlo Monti Jim McAlister Trialists | Public Park |
| 11 July 2009 | Annan Athletic | Galabank, Annan | 1–1 | Steven Masterton pen' | 525 |
| 13 July 2009 | Crawley Town | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 2–3 | Jim McAlister | 407 |
| 18 July 2009 | Oxford United | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 0–3 | | 859 |
| 20 July 2009 | Unirea Urziceni | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 1–3 | Steven Masterton | 1,059 |
| 23 July 2009 | Kilmarnock | Maryhill Science Centre, Glasgow | 1–1 | Iain Russell | Public Park |
| 28 July 2009 | St Mirren (Renfrewshire Cup Final) | St Mirren Park, Paisley | 1–2 | Allan Jenkins | 4,312 |
| 5 September 2009 | Clyde | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 4–0 | Erik Paartalu Peter Weatherson | Closed Door |
| 14 September 2009 | Rangers | Murray Park, Milngavie | 1–3 | Allan Jenkins | Closed Door |
| 15 December 2009 | Rangers | Murray Park, Milngavie | 1–1 | Brian Wake | Closed Door |
| 22 December 2009 | St Johnstone | Toryglen | 4–1 | Brian Wake Brian Graham pen' | Public Park |
| 8 January 2010 | St Johnstone | Toryglen | 0–1 | | Public Park |
| 3 February 2010 | Hamilton Academical | New Douglas Park, Hamilton | 4–1 | Donovan Simmonds (trialist) Jim McAlister Steven Masterton Own Goal | Closed Door |
| 8 February 2010 | St Johnstone | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 0–1 | | Closed Door |

### Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division

| Date | Opponents | Stadium | Result F–A | Events | Attendance | Points | Referee |
| 8 August 2009 | Dundee | Dens Park, Dundee | 0–1 | Steven Masterton Kevin Finlayson Brian Graham | 5,449 | 0 | C Boyle |
| 15 August 2009 | Dunfermline Athletic | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 0–2 | Stewart Greacen 10' | 2,661 | 0 | W Collum |
| 22 August 2009 | Ayr United | Somerset Park, Ayr | 2–0 | Peter Weatherson 23' 85' Brian Graham 66' | 2,304 | 3 | E Norris |
| 29 August 2009 | Partick Thistle | Firhill Stadium, Glasgow | 0–5 | Neil MacFarlane 56' Stewart Greacen 67' | 2,986 | 3 | J McKendrick |
| 12 September 2009 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 0–3 | Jim McAlister 23' | 1,946 | 3 | C Richmond |
| 19 September 2009 | Raith Rovers | Stark's Park, Kirkcaldy | 0–3 | Alex Walker 45' Neil MacFarlane 59' Stewart Greacen 61' | 2,040 | 3 | S Finnie |
| 26 September 2009 | Airdrie United | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 1–0 | Brian Graham 79' 79' David MacGregor 90' | 2,104 | 6 | S O'Reilly |
| 3 October 2009 | Queen of the South | Palmerston Park, Dumfries | 3–2 | Brian Graham 13' Peter Weatherson 39' Allan Jenkins 60' | 2,630 | 9 | D McDonald |
| 10 October 2009 | Ross County | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 0–1 | Neil MacFarlane Peter Weatherson | 2,154 | 9 | C Boyle |
| 17 October 2009 | Dundee | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 0–1 | Allan McManus | 2,217 | 9 | B Winter |
| 24 October 2009 | Dunfermline Athletic | East End Park, Dunfermline | 1–3 | Erik Paartalu 70' Ryan McGuffie 74' | 2,411 | 9 | S Nicholls |
| 31 October 2009 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness | 1–4 | Erik Paartalu 28' 33' | 3,021 | 9 | C Murray |
| 7 November 2009 | Partick Thistle | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 0–2 | | 2,738 | 9 | G Salmond |
| 14 November 2009 | Raith Rovers | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 5–0 | Erik Paartalu 14' Brian Wake 55' 60' Peter Weatherson 62' 89' David van Zanten 73' | 1,716 | 12 | S O'Reilly |
| 21 November 2009 | Airdrie United | Shyberry Excelsior Stadium, Drumgelloch | 4–2 | Ryan McGuffie 43' Brian Wake 45' 53' Erik Paartalu 49' David van Zanten 67' | 1,164 | 15 | S Conroy |
| 8 December 2009 | Ross County | Victoria Park, Dingwall | 1–3 | Erik Paartalu 29' Carlo Monti 62' Alan Reid 85' | 1,752 | 15 | J McKendrick |
| 12 December 2009 | Queen of the South | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 1–2 | Peter Weatherson 23' | 1,814 | 15 | S Nicholls |
| 19 December 2009 | Dundee | Dens Park, Dundee | 1–3 | Peter Weatherson 60' Carlo Monti 82' | 4,259 | 15 | C Murray |
| 4 January 2010 | Partick Thistle | Firhill Stadium, Glasgow | 0–1 | | 2,192 | 15 | I Brines |
| 23 January 2010 | Raith Rovers | Stark's Park, Kirkcaldy | 2–1 | Peter Weatherson 33' 79' Michael Tidser 39' Ryan McGuffie 50' | 1,702 | 18 | C Allan |
| 13 February 2010 | Queen of the South | Palmerston Park, Dumfries | 2–1 | Steven Masterton 7' 31' (pen.) 58' Kevin Finlayson 72' 77' Brian Graham 90' Allan Jenkins 90' | 2,611 | 21 | C Brown |
| 27 February 2010 | Dunfermline Athletic | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 1–2 | Ryan McGuffie 55' Stewart Greacen 68' | 1,776 | 21 | C Thomson |
| 6 March 2010 | Ayr United | Somerset Park, Ayr | 0–2 | Dominic Shimmin 31' Stewart Greacen 58' 84' | 2,145 | 21 | S Nicholls |
| 13 March 2010 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness | 0–1 | Steven Masterton 58' | 2,708 | 21 | S McLean |
| 17 March 2010 | Airdrie United | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 2–1 | Peter Weatherson 20' 42' David MacGregor 66' Michael Tidser 80' Donovan Simmonds 90' | 1,266 | 24 | S Conroy |
| 20 March 2010 | Partick Thistle | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 1–0 | Steven Masterton 59' Peter Weatherson 84' Jim McAlister 90+3' | 2,163 | 27 | B Madden |
| 23 March 2010 | Raith Rovers | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 1–1 | Kevin McKinlay 26' Peter Weatherson 74' Donovan Simmonds 85' | 1,415 | 28 | S McLean |
| 27 March 2010 | Airdrie United | Shyberry Excelsior Stadium, Drumgelloch | 0–3 | Kevin Cuthbert 15' Kevin McKinlay 64' | 1,017 | 28 | B Colvin |
| 30 March 2010 | Ayr United | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 1–0 | Michael Tidser 40' Steven Masterton 78' Jim McAlister 89' | 1,286 | 31 | A Law |
| 3 April 2010 | Queen of the South | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 3–3 | David Witteveen 15' 22' 63' 90+1' | 1,926 | 32 | J McKendrick |
| 6 April 2010 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 0–2 | | 1,277 | 32 | B Winter |
| 13 April 2010 | Ross County | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 1–1 | Carlo Monti 6' (pen.) 60' Erik Paartalu 48' Stewart Greacen 69' Brian Graham 90+1' | 1,219 | 33 | F McDermott |
| 17 April 2010 | Dundee | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 2–2 | David Witteveen 41' Carlo Monti 64' (pen.) Stewart Greacen 86' | 1,998 | 34 | A Muir |
| 24 April 2010 | Dunfermline Athletic | East End Park, Dunfermline | 1–4 | Carlo Monti 40' (pen.) Dominic Shimmin 90' | 2,532 | 34 | S Conroy |
| 26 April 2010 | Ross County | Victoria Park, Dingwall | 1–2 | David Witteveen 34' 52' Ryan McGuffie 40' Donovan Simmonds 78' | 1,850 | 34 | C Charleston |
| 1 May 2010 | Ayr United | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 2–1 | Stewart Greacen 17' 77' Carlo Monti 86' 88' | 3,771 | 37 | C Richmond |

### Active Nation Scottish Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | Stadium | Result F–A | Events | Attendance | Referee |
| 28 November 2009 | Round 3 | Dumbarton | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 0–0 | Alan Reid 37' | 1,882 | S McLean |
| 5 December 2009 | Round 3 Replay | Dumbarton | Strathclyde Homes Stadium, Dumbarton | 1–0 | Brian Graham 74' 86' Erik Paartalu 86' | 1,495 | S McLean |
| 19 January 2010 | Round 4 | Celtic | Cappielow Park, Greenock | 0–1 | Stewart Greacen 51' Neil MacFarlane 75' | 10,191 | C Thomson |

### League Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | Stadium | Result F–A | Events | Attendance | Referee |
| 1 August 2009 | Round 1 | Cowdenbeath | Central Park, Cowdenbeath | 3–1 | Peter Weatherson 7' 51' Neil MacFarlane 12' Allan Jenkins 76' | 486 | B Winter |
| 25 August 2009 | Round 2 | Kilmarnock | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 1–3 | Ryan McGuffie 44' (pen.) Kevin Finlayson 54' Allan Jenkins 73' | 3,645 | M Tumilty |

### Challenge Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | Stadium | Result F–A | Events | Attendance | Referee |
| 26 July 2009 | Round 1 | Dumbarton | Strathclyde Homes Stadium, Dumbarton | 1–0 | Allan Jenkins 25' Stewart Greacen 33' Steven Masterton 33' Neil MacFarlane 40' | 1,122 | S Finnie |
| 19 August 2009 | Round 2 | Ross County | Victoria Park, Dingwall | 1–2 | Steven Masterton 63' 71' | 588 | J McKendrick |

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 6 | Partick Thistle | 36 | 14 | 6 | 16 | 43 | 40 | +3 | 48 | |
| 7 | Raith Rovers | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 36 | 47 | −11 | 42 | |
| 8 | Greenock Morton | 36 | 11 | 4 | 21 | 40 | 65 | −25 | 37 | |
| 9 | Airdrie United (R) | 36 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 41 | 56 | −15 | 33 | Qualification to the First Division play-offs |
| 10 | Ayr United (R) | 36 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 60 | −31 | 31 | Relegation to the Second Division |

## Player statistics

    As of 1 May

### All competitions

| # | Player | Played | Subs | | | |
| GK | Bryn Halliwell | 04 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 0 |
| GK | Ryan McWilliams | 03 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 0 |
| GK | Colin Stewart | 30 | 01 | 00 | 0 | 0 |
| GK | Kevin Cuthbert | 06 | 00 | 00 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | Stewart Greacen | 37 | 00 | 01 | 2 | 9 |
| DF | Allan McManus | 14 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | Alex Walker | 05 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | Ryan Harding | 04 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 0 |
| DF | David MacGregor | 23 | 07 | 01 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | David van Zanten | 09 | 00 | 01 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | Alan Reid | 19 | 00 | 00 | 1 | 1 |
| DF | Dominic Shimmin | 18 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | Jim McAlister | 37 | 00 | 01 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | Neil MacFarlane | 21 | 00 | 01 | 0 | 5 |
| MF | Ryan McGuffie | 36 | 02 | 04 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | Allan Jenkins | 23 | 06 | 02 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | Kevin Finlayson | 33 | 05 | 00 | 1 | 3 |
| MF | Steven Masterton | 14 | 05 | 04 | 0 | 6 |
| MF | Carlo Monti | 19 | 04 | 04 | 0 | 5 |
| MF | Erik Paartalu | 18 | 12 | 03 | 0 | 5 |
| MF | Ryan Kane | 00 | 05 | 00 | 0 | 0 |
| MF | Michael Tidser | 13 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 3 |
| MF | Kevin McKinlay | 07 | 01 | 00 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | Peter Weatherson | 37 | 03 | 12 | 0 | 4 |
| FW | Brian Graham | 12 | 17 | 03 | 0 | 6 |
| FW | Brian Wake | 09 | 10 | 04 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | James Grady | 01 | 04 | 00 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | Iain Russell | 05 | 01 | 00 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | Donovan Simmonds | 07 | 07 | 01 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | David Witteveen | 09 | 00 | 05 | 0 | 2 |