Scottish Cup
2008-01-28 - Gretna vs Greenock Morton
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Scottish FA Cup - 4th Round Replay
Kickoff 19:45 GMT
The winner of this tie will entertain Queen of the South on Saturday.
GRETNA
Gretna may have struggled enormously in the Scottish Premier League so far this season but they have begun to adapt slightly to the higher calibre of players they are coming up against. They are also only 2 seasons removed since they finished as runners up in this competition while they were then still a Division 2 side. Gretna have a 2-2-7 record at home this season, home actually being Fir Park of Motherwell, with 11 goals scored and 21 conceded.
Gretna won their last match at home to Falkirk but the adverse weather means they havent played in the last 10 days. That win was their first one in 5 games. Gretna have only lost 1 of their last 4 games at home and this shows they may still be able to offer something in this league this season. They have also entertained one lower league team in the Scottish League Cup when beating Cowdenbeath 3-1.
Loan signing John Paul Kissock could make his debut for Gretna. Their only injury concern is Fabian Yantorno who is out for the rest of the campaign.
GREENOCK MORTON
Morton currently play in the Scottish Division 1 where they are 8th in the table, just 2 points better off than Clyde below them in the relegation playoff spot. They have managed a 4-3-5 away record with 12 goals scored and 20 conceded.
Morton have been struggling of late with 6 defeats in their last 8 games and only 1 win in 10 games. They also only have 1 win in their last 5 away games, losing the last 2. Morton are yet to play a team from the Scottish Premier League this season. They beat Buckie Thistle 3-2 at home in the last round to come through.
Morton are blessed with a full squad for this game but it is expected that they will make some changes after losing 2-0 at Dunfermline this weekend. Their manager, Jim McInally, has stated that he will be making changes to those players who may be fatigued after playing on Saturday.
Gretna and Morton have not met in a competitive match for 2 years when they played 4 times while in the same division. On those occasions, Gretna won 2 matches and draw 1 while Morton won 1, and interestingly Morton didnt lose either of the last 2 games between the teams.
The first game ended 2-2 between the sides at Morton as Gretna threw away a 0-2 lead.
PREDICTION :
Gretna have begun to show some more purpose in the last few weeks, especially making it difficult to beat them when teams come to visit. Morton will expect to struggle this season and I think they expect this game to be a step too far for their team.
Again the price seems decent enough for a Premier League team against a lower league side.
The Pick :
GRETNA 2-0 GREENOCK MORTON
