Errors cost Ton

The visitors' misfortune was also exacerbated when their already considerable injury list was lengthened by an ankle injury to young striker Brian Graham which will rule him out for several weeks.

No fewer than seven first team players are now sidelined, creating a considerable problem for whoever is apppointed manager during the course of the week.

Both managers were in agreement that the first half in particular was devoid of any inspiration. Cappielow caretaker James Grady said: "I think the game was flat right from the off.

"I don't think in the first half either of the two teams played anything that suggested they could go and win a game.

I was disappointed that we came out in the second half and never got started. We spoke about in the dressing room how we had to lift the tempo. If we had lifted it even 10 per cent we could have gone on to win the game.

"'It just felt in the second half as if Dunfermline wanted it a bit more than us.

"We can mump and moan about personnel and players missing, but we believe there were players on the pitch who could go on and win the game. We've not done it." On the goals lost, Grady commented: "The three of them were bad goals but I think the third one was probably the worst.

"We've got back in the game with Ryan McGuffie's goal. The keeper's had a fantastic save to stop it from going two each.

"We've got two guys back marking one and one of them decides he has to step into the game. That killed us, because you can't leave a guy like Davie Graham with the pace he's got, one on one, and we got punished for it.

"That's what we said to the guys. It's in game awareness that we let ourselves down.

"We've got decent enough players, but do they know the game as well as they should do at this level and stage in their careers? Possibly not. There's questions that need answered.

"But the third goal was disappointing because they were under pressure. We were in the ascendancy. I know what the player's trying to do. He's trying to influence the game in an offensive way and trying to help his team, but you've got to do your job and that's why it's a team game." Grady spoke of how important it is to be consistent, saying: "In this division it's better to be a seven out of 10 than a five or an eight. That's what we're trying to get across to them." As for the injury to Brian Graham, Grady said: "We think it's ankle ligaments. Hopefully it won't be too long with the injury list we've got." Asked whether or not there had been enough evidence of improvement during the five games he and Allan McManus had had in charge to support their management case, Grady replied: "There has been brightness. I think anyone who's been at the games can see that we're actually trying to play football.

"We've always been labelled a big, strong side that go route one. But I think there were times today when we did get the ball down and pass.

"Today we didn't really have the real cutting edge, but in the first half today I thought it was a nil-nil all the way.

"In the second half I just thought Dunfermline came out and wanted it more. We'll have a discussion about it on Monday. I don't like locking players in the dressing room and lambasting them.

"I speak to them quickly and point out a few things. But we'll look at it in depth when I've had a chance to look at the DVD." As for his own position, Grady summed up. "That's the chairman's decision. We can only do what we've done from day one, and that's take one game at a time.

"We think we've done an okay job. I think you can see the progression in terms of the way we want to play and how our ideas are going across.

"We'll leave it up to the chairman and he'll make the right decision for Morton Football Club. That's the main thing." The general feeling among the Morton players remains one of hope that Grady and McManus are given the job on a permanent basis though, obviously, as professionals they will play for whomsoever is appointed.

After warming down on the pitch, Jim McAlister said: "I was just saying to Davie [MacGregor], the number of times we've come to away games and the home team's been booed off at half-time.

"We did start the second half well but the goals have come from our own mistakes.

"We're not putting the ball in the back of the net enough.

"All the boys are behind James and Allan. We've said that right from day one. There's definitely been an improvement. It's a lot more enjoyable to watch.

"Fair enough, we've not been getting results the last few weeks but we are definitely playing better football, I would say.

"We are trying to play football, but we just need to put the ball in the back of the net. If you're not scoring that's the be-all and end-all." McAlister also made the point that the most players Grady and McManus have ever had at training is 14 due to the injury problems currently afflicting the club.

"It's up to us to knuckle down together." Pars boss Jim McIntyre, who has been under his own pressure, agreed with James Grady on the poor quality in general of the game and said: "It was a hard game all day. I didn't think there was much between the teams at all.

"I thought it was a poor game of football in the first half. Neither side really created much or showed a great deal of quality.

"You get lots of games like that in the First Division. It's all about taking three points and winning those games, and we've not done it often enough.

"Other teams have tended to beat us if it's a scrappy game. I thought in the second half we were excellent though. The substitutions were different class and gave us that wee bit of extra impetus to go on and win the game.

"The keeper was fantastic. He had a great save at nil-nil and a great save at 2-1. It was at crucial points in the game. He earned his wages. I thought the back four did well. They won a lot of headers."