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Pre season friendly: Morton v Partick Thistle
(22/7/03) Cappielow Park


Morton earned a well deserved 1-1 draw against SPL opponents Partick Thistle in front of 2000 fans at Cappielow. A blistering strike from Warren Hawke with virtually the last kick of the game ensured the Greenock men were rewarded for their efforts.

Here how the press reported the game:  To submit a match report click here

Daily Record

FLYING THISTLE HIT BY HAWKE WARREN STRIKE ENDS PERFECT RECORD Jul 23 2003
MORTON 1 PARTICK TH 1
Anthony Haggerty

Partick1VETERAN hitman Warren Hawke ended Partick's pre-season victory roll with a last-gasp equaliser.

Stuart Taylor's 50th-minute strike looked good enough to make it three wins from three for Gerry Collins' men but Morton were rewarded for their fight to the finish.

Livingston's Brazilian coach Marcio Maximo was an interested spectator at Cappielow running the rule over his first-day SPL opponents.

He saw Thistle suffer a blow inside 10 seconds when Ricky Waddell went down after a clash of heads with Paul Walker. The winger was helped from the field and replaced by James Grady.

The best chance of the opening 20 minutes fell to Grady who was put through by Gerry Britton but his chip bounced off the bar.Britton then came close with a curling effort before Morton's John Maisano screwed an effort wide.

Morton started the second half brightly and Peter Weatherson fired a volley just past after 47 minutes. Thistle broke straight up the park and Taylor crashed a brilliant volley off the bar. His eye was in and so was his luck in 57 minutes when he lashed the ball home from 10 yards after Grady's shot had been parried.

Morton should have equalised after 62 minutes when Weatherson teed up Walker but he pulled his effort wide of target.

Partick2Six minutes from time sub Phil Cannie's header was somehow scrambled off the line by Jamie Mitchell.

But Hawke earned Morton a draw when he blasted home a great shot from 20 yards.

Collins was unhappy at seeing his winning run shattered. He said: "I am a bit disappointed we lost a goal to the last kick of the ball as that put a blemish on our pre- season record. We controlled the game for long spells and I'm looking on the plus side as we have scored 11 goals in three matches.

 

"To be fair to Morton they battled away and the lad has come up with a tremendous strike."Morton boss John McCormack was delighted with his side's show. He said: "That was a worthwhile exercise and I thought it was a fair result. "No disrespect to any of the teams that we will be coming up against in the Second Division but we are a decent match for a top SPL side."