Scottish Cup match preview: Morton v Bo'ness United

Dougie Imrie's men are of course clear favourites to go through, but they will be giving their opponents every respect regardless of the betting forecasts.

The Greenock men have to, as they're not exactly having the kind of campaign where they can afford to treat anyone lightly.

They have been stuck at the foot of the Championship ever since the early weeks of the season and hopes of a run to the final of the SPFL Trust Trophy were extinguished last Saturday as they exited the competition in the quarter finals at the hands of Airdrie.

So if they are to earn some respite from their league travails this winter then it will be along the road to Hampden.

In theory Ton couldn't have asked for much more than a home tie against lower league opposition, but that doesn't mean that a straightforward passage automatically awaits.

There have been numerous notable examples in recent years of much larger clubs than them coming a cropper against rank outsiders.

Ayrshire outfit Darvel famously knocked Aberdeen out last season and there will be one or two onlookers out there rating this tie as one with shock potential.

Indeed Bo'ness have already accounted for the Dons' giantkillers in this year's competition, serving notice that they aren't to be trifled with through a comfortable 3-0 win back in September.

It qualified them for the second round, and they emerged from it at the expense of Luncarty earlier this month.

They have followed that up with a league defeat against East Kilbride and victories over Cowdenbeath and East Stirlingshire since, netting 11 goals along the way.

Those results place them fourth in their table, ten adrift of leaders Kilby, so they will come to Greenock in a positive frame of mind and eager to spring what would be a big upset.

From Morton's point of view they will quite rightly believe that if they turn up on the day and play as they can then there will be no prospect of a banana skin for them to slip up on.

Even in defeat last Saturday there were positives for them to take out of the game.

Only time will tell, but the the second half display in particular did tend to indicate some tentative signs of a recovery.

Morton may have lost the tie but it was on penalties, and over the piece most observers seem to agree that they should have won this match.

That they did not was down to their own profligacy in front of goal, but at least they were able to carve out some clear chances - something which hasn't come easily to them in recent months.

In addition, they can take heart from registering a clean sheet, another key building block which has been in short supply this term.

The third bit of good news from the tie was that it marked the beginning of what will be a slow and steady return for two key players in Darragh O'Connor and Jai Quitongo.

Both have endured lengthy spells on the sidelines due to injury and their presence has been badly missed.

Imrie will obviously be desperate to see them back to full match fitness as quickly as possible, but not at the expense of rushing them and risking a breakdown that could set them back.

They may start on the bench again tomorrow, ready to be introduced in the second half as they gradually build themselves back up.

Ton would ideally want to be in control of the game by that point but they will be well warned against any complacency and the fact that victory should not simply be classed as a foregone conclusion.

If anyone in the camp is is danger of falling into that trap then Cameron Blues and Robbie Muirhead will be able to set them straight.

Back in 2019 they were part of David Hopkin's squad which stumbled to a 1-1 draw against Brora Rangers at this same stage.

It meant they had to make a long trip for a replay which could easily have been avoided if they had set about the task properly.

Morton certainly cannot afford to risk a repeat of that, given the way their squad has been so badly stretched this season, and the huge importance of the league games that await before Christmas.

They will also want to be safely in the hat for the next round with something to look forward to in the draw, after what has been a pretty miserable campaign thus far.

Imrie has described Bo'ness as a decent side who he expects to come and play and be aggressive, something he has warned his players to be ready for.

But really it is all about the home side tomorrow; approach the tie with the correct application level and they have more than enough in the tank to account for their visitors.