Greenock Morton F.C.

Did You Know?

• The 1948 Scottish Cup Final replay between Morton and Rangers drew 133,750 spectators, a British record for a midweek match at the time.
• During the Second World War, English legends Sir Stanley Matthews and Tommy Lawton made several guest appearances for Morton.
• Morton's only European appearance was in the 1967–68 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, where they lost 5–0 and 4–3 to Chelsea.
• The club's name was changed to Greenock Morton in 1994, but it is still almost universally referred to as Morton.

History

Morton Football Club was formed in 1874, during a period when football was gaining popularity across Scotland. At the inaugural meeting, the first recorded words were "that this club be called Morton Football Club". The reason for the name 'Morton' is unclear, but the general consensus is that it came from 'Morton Terrace', a row of houses next to the original playing field where some players lived. Morton was a founding member of the old Second Division in 1893, finishing 8th in its first season.

Promotion to the old First Division came in 1899–1900, and the club finished 4th in its debut top-flight campaign. The club's greatest success was a 1–0 victory over Rangers in the 1922 Scottish Cup Final, with Jimmy Gourlay scoring directly from a free kick in the 11th minute. After the match, Morton travelled by train to play Hartlepool United in a pre-arranged friendly; the celebrations were held the following Wednesday when 10,000 fans gathered at Cappielow.

Morton reached two other major cup finals. In the 1948 Scottish Cup Final, Morton drew 1–1 with Rangers, with Jimmy White scoring from a free kick. Rangers won the replay 1–0 after extra time, with the goal considered controversial as Morton goalkeeper Jimmy Cowan was reportedly blinded by a camera flash. The first match drew 132,629 spectators, and the replay set a British record for a midweek match with 133,750.

Morton's most recent major cup final was the 1963 League Cup, again against Rangers, who won 5–0 in front of 106,000 supporters.

Stadium

Morton has played at Cappielow Park in Greenock since 1879. The current capacity includes 5,741 seats. In December 2008, the club purchased the Reid Kerr sponsored east stand from local rivals St Mirren for £50,000 to improve the away end. The area behind the western goal, known as the Wee Dublin End, has non-backed bench seating converted from old terracing. The main stand has plastic bucket seating that replaced wooden benches in the late 1990s. The 'Cowshed' to the north, once a terraced area for both home and away fans with a segregation fence, is now for home supporters only, with much of the terracing removed and plastic bucket seats installed. Behind the eastern goal is the Sinclair Street end, with uncovered terracing.

Player records

All figures are taken from league matches played after the Second World War. Among the club’s notable individual honours, Jim Duffy was named Ladbrokes Championship Manager of the Season for 2016–17, having previously won the SPFA Players’ Player of the Year award in 1984–85. Declan McManus earned SPFL League One Player of the Year in 2014–15, and Alex Williams was SPFA Third Division Player of the Year in 2002–03. Derek McInnes took the SPFA Second Division Player of the Year award for 1994–95, while Allan McGraw was SPFA Second Division Manager of the Year that same season.

Jim Holmes was SPFA First Division Player of the Year in 1986–87, and Andy Ritchie was SFWA Footballer of the Year in 1978–79. The most recent Morton player to earn a full international cap while under contract was Fouad Bachirou, who played for Comoros in 2014. The last Morton player to receive international honours for Scotland was Jai Quitongo, who represented the under-21 side in 2016.

The following players are included because they meet at least one of these criteria: made over 100 league appearances for Morton, scored in a national cup final, managed the club after playing for it, were born outside the British Isles, or won full international honours.

Scottish Cup record

Morton first entered the Scottish Cup in the 1877–78 season and has won it once, in 1922. The competition has changed format seven times during Morton's participation. Morton has reached the final twice, most recently in 1948. The club has appeared in the semi-finals five times, last in 1981, and the quarter-finals sixteen times, most recently in 2024.