Morton 1-1 Dunfermline

Sep 28 2008 Kenny Macdonald Reports

First Division

RAGING Davie Irons last night slammed dozy ref Steve Nicholls for ruling out Ton's second-half strike and insisted his basement battlers had been robbed. The bungling whistler failed to award a Brian Wake strike on the hour even though the ball had clearly crossed the line.

And despite the Ton hitman finding the net soon after, a lastgasp leveller from Ross Campbell left Cappielow boss Irons irate.

He said: "I watched it back on DVD and the ball was well over the line. It's unbelievable!

"The ref said he didn't know what had happened and that's shocking. He said that because our boys didn't claim for a goal he didn't think it was in.

"The linesman must have seen something but what can you do?"

Morton started brightly with winger Jim McAlister coming close in 17 minutes when he crashed an effort into the side net.

And the winger caused chaos minutes later when he cut in from the left and unleashed a fierce shot that had keeper Paul Gallacher at full stretch to save.

Wake seized on the rebound but from only yards out he blasted the ball off the Pars No.1 to the relief of the visiting fans.

There was little between the sides until after the break when Wake looked to have given Morton the lead in 59 minutes.

Steven Masterton's corner on the left skidded off the bar and the hitman turned the ball over the line before Gallacher clawed clear.

But Nicholls ruled otherwise and despite protests from Ton play was waved on.

Wake did provide the opener seconds later when he headed home Dominic Shimmin's flick from another Masterton corner.

Super sub Campbell then came to Dunfermline's rescue with a well-taken strike in 89 minutes.

Stephen Glass curled in a tempting cross from the left that squeezed through a clutch of bodies to find the on-loan Hibs kid at the back post.

And he made no mistake from six yards, flashing across keeper Kevin Cuthbert to snatch a point.

Pars gaffer Jim McIntyre said: "We went for it at the end and I thought we merited the point. Ross made the difference."

MoM: McAlister (Morton)