MATCH REPORT | A PROMOTION PARTY AT TANNADICE
4th May 2024
It's our third home match on the spin this Saturday as we welcome Greenock Morton to Tannadice for Matchday Five of the cinch Championship.
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Jekyll and Hyde
Morton have endured somewhat of a 'Jekyll and Hyde' start to the season when their Viaplay Cup and cinch Championship campaigns are compared.
Grouped with Ross County, Stranraer, FC Edinburgh and Kelty Hearts, they recorded three emphatic wins out of four to progress to the Last 16 of the competition, scoring 11 goals in the process.
The Ton were then handed an arduous trip to Ibrox to clash with Rangers and, despite taking the lead through former United man Grant Gillespie and giving a fabulous account of themselves throughout the 90 minutes, they eventually succumbed to a 2-1 defeat as Cyriel Dessers and Danilo netted for the hosts.
However, on league business, Dougie Imrie's side have picked up just one win from their opening four - an opening-day triumph over ninth-placed Ayr United. Their 2023/24 nadir to date came when winless Arbroath scored three without reply at Cappielow.
Last week, their stellar cup form resumed, with a 2-1 victory over Elgin City securing their passage into the SPFL Trust Trophy Fourth Round.
Adding Experience
????? Welcome to Morton, Alan Power!
— Greenock Morton (@Morton_FC) August 4, 2023
Greenock Morton are delighted to announce the signing of Alan Power on a deal until Summer 2024, subject to SFA clearance.
Morton's summer recruitment drive appeared to be based heavily on adding experience to a relatively young squad. Their average age, 28.7, is now the second-highest in the cinch Championship behind Arbroath.
New recruits Alan Power, Kirk Boradfoot and Jamie MacDonald boast 628 top-flight appearances combined following spells with sides such as Kilmarnock, Rangers and Heart of Midlothian respectively.
Heading the other way, 2022/23 Player of the Year, Liam Grimshaw, made the switch to Tannadice in June whilst cult hero Efe Ambrose pitched up at Queen of the South.
Ever-present defender Lewis Strapp also departed following 11 years in Greenock.
Facts and Stats
Morton have won just once on their last 27 visits to Tannadice.
The last ten meetings between the sides have averaged 2.6 goals. Watch our 6-0 victory over Morton from 2019 below!
45 players have represented both clubs, including Paddy Connolly, Willie Pettigrew and Lawrence Shankland.
No other team in the division have conceded more goals than the Greenock outfit's 11 so far this term. Their average concession per 90 minutes is 1.16 above the league average.
On the other hand, the Terrors have leaked one goal in their last seven competitive matches. We've got the opportunity to keep four consecutive clean sheets for the first time since February 2022.
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Our joint-top goalscorers against Morton are title-winning duo Davie Dodds and Paul Sturrock, both tied on 13.
Talking Tactics
Imrie has deployed a 4-2-3-1 in all but one of Morton's first four cinch Championship matches this season.
Chance creation relies relatively heavily on early crosses - hardly unexpected with an aerial presence such as Robbie Muirhead as the focal point of the attack, who stands at six foot three.
Morton's crossing accuracy is the highest in the league - with 56.3% of their deliveries finding their intended target. Full-back Calum Waters is in the cinch Championship's top five total crossers, having sent 20 balls into the mixer so far this season.
Keeping the ball off the ground all over the park appears to be the preferred philosophy, as they average 61 Route One passes per 90 minutes. This is 12 more than United for comparison.
Robbie Crawford is a shining light of creativity for the Ton behind Muirhead, having chipped in with seven G/A in his nine competitive 2023/24 starts.
6?? Games
— Greenock Morton (@Morton_FC) August 14, 2023
5?? Goals
Robbie Crawford with a superb start to the season ???? pic.twitter.com/Nd9g7dfvdI
At the other end, it appears Morton's defending lacks authority around the six-yard box, having conceded a high incidence of goals from close range.
In possession, they tend to keep a relatively high line despite centre-half duo Jack Baird and Broadfoot being slightly short on pace. This could potentially see United exploit this space in behind on the turnover.
Predicted XI: MacDonald, O'Connor, Baird, Broadfoot, Waters, Power, McGrattan, Quitongo, Crawford, Boyd, Muirhead.
One to Watch
Former United man Robbie Muirhead has entered his fourth season at Cappielow in fine fettle.
Having represented Scotland across various youth levels before bursting onto the scene with Kilmarnock, Muirhead was tipped as one of the country's next big talents, however a succession of stop-start seasons with various clubs north and south of the border perhaps stunted his development.
Now the star man at Cappielow, the towering striker has notched three goals in the league despite his team's sub-par start to the campaign, enough to push him joint-top of the scoring charts with Ruari Paton and Mathew Cudjoe. He also opened his SPFL Trust Trophy account last weekend against Elgin City.
Sitting in the second tier's top ten for expected assists, Muirhead can either use his frame to pin defenders and bring others into play, or take on opponents with his surprising levels of agility.
An absolute blockbuster courtesy of Robbie Muirhead ????#TBT | @Morton_FC pic.twitter.com/iItq2HSDG1
— SPFL (@spfl) May 11, 2023
2022/23 was the 27-year-old's first double-figure goal haul in his senior career, as he came agonisingly close to firing Morton into the Premiership Play-Offs. Wyscout, therefore, ranks Muirhead as the most prolific hitman in the division.
