Morton 3-0 Dunfermline

Apr 20 2008 Alan Mcmillan Reports

MORTON produced a super show to give themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the relegation play-offs.

And the basement battle will now go to the last day after the Greenock side destroyed Dunfermline with goals by Brian Wake, Ryan Harding and Kevin Finlayson.

Morton took the lead after 14 minutes. Erik Paartalu sent over an inviting cross and the ball broke off Iain Russell to Wake, who lashed a ferocious shot into the roof of the net.

The Pars came close to equalising when a cross by Scott Muirhead was nodded on by player-manager Jim McIntyre to Nicky Phinn, whose shot just cleared the far post.

Pars keeper Paul Gallacher then did well to parry a Russell shot after Ryan McGuffie put the striker through. And the shotstop then dived at Wake's feet from Chris Millar's pass.

Stephen Glass thought he had levelled with a left-foot screamer from 35 yards, but the ball went inches over.

And Darren Young should have equalised five minutes before the break after McIntyre and Phinn combined to put himclear, but he shot wide from eight yards out.

Scott Thomson cleared a Harding flick off the line early in the second half as Morton pushed for a second goal.

But they got it in 59 minutes when Harding stole in unmarked at the back post to prod the ball home from Alex Walker's free-kick.

Morton made it 3-0 after 73 minutes when Finlayson cut in from the left on a mazy run past three defenders before beating Gallacher with a low shot that went in off the post.

They could have had a fourth goal late on but Wake hit the bar and Paartalu's effort from the rebound was cleared off the line by Scott Wilson.

MoM: Harding (Morton)