Three things we learned as Morton advance in Trust Trophy

Dougie Imrie's men booked their place in the draw, taking place this Wednesday (October 16), that'll see them look to advance to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in four attempts and move one step closer to a trophy that they've yet to win in its 34-year history.

And the 270 Morton fans that travelled to New Douglas Park were left with a clear idea of just what the Ton chief is looking to do with his new-look side as they comfortably brushed John Rankin's Accies team aside on a night that told a far different story than the history books mght suggest.

Here's three of the main talking points that we learned from in an utterly devastating night under the lights at New Douglas Park.

'Dougie ball'

The Cappielow gaffer hasn't been shy in suggesting that he wanted to take his side in a new direction this season as he seeks to change the narrative when people look at Morton.

On Friday night, his new-look 'Dougie ball' aimed to take flight as they advanced into the SPFL Trust Trophy quarter finals.

Imrie watched his side move the ball about with finesse (Image: paul paterson) Barring a frantic opening ten minutes that saw Accies fluster the Ton backline and pass up two gilt-edged chances, it was plain sailing at the home of Imrie's former employers as he picked up his first win at New Douglas Park, fronting the opposition dugout.

Ton's first half performance couldn't have gone much better as Arron Lyall, Niall McGinn, Owen Moffat, Cammy Ballantyne and Blues all took centre stage in one of the most comfortable performances in Imrie's era in charge at the club.

There were three periods of possession where Ton kept the ball for more than two minutes as Hamilton struggled to lay a finger on their visitors.

The great thing is, it was simple stuff. Possession triangles moved up the park effectively and controlled the game in a consistent manner as the passing machine Imrie is creating kicked into life. And they're only just getting started.

Focal point

Dougie Imrie looks to have unearthed another gem in the form of Filip Stuparevic. 

It's two starts and two goals for the man signed to replace Jay Emmanuel-Thomas at the top end of the pitch, and he's looking ever more like a more composed and adept alternative for the Ton chief.

Filip Stuparevic has hit the ground running (Image: Gary Bradley) He's come up against three very experienced sets of defenders in his three appearances at the club, and come out well against all of them. Sean McGinty couldn't get near him on Friday night, in a similar fashion to Raith centre-half Euan Murray last weekend.

The super Serb doesn't just look like a poacher; he looks like he can be the man to bring his side up the pitch with some superb hold-up play when his back is to goal.

The future looks bright, and the last Morton striker who netted on his first two starts didn't do to badly now, did he?

Options

Dougie Imrie was pleased to bolster his attacking options even further prior to Friday night's game as former Inverness forward Austin Samuels checked in on a short-term deal.

The pacey frontman is no stranger to Cappielow having featured on multiple occasions for Inverness against Ton in the last few seasons.

Samuels put in a promising debut (Image: paul paterson)

And his cameo for the closing half-hour, one that ended his year-long exile from football, showed that he can give something a bit different at the top end of the pitch.

For all Stuparevic looks to be the answer for all things goalscoring, Samuels' raw pace and ability to turn a man will give Imrie a credible option off the bench when defences are tiring - and competition for places can never be a bad thing, especially in the striking game.

Samuels will only get better with exposure, and his first run out in more than a year was a promising glimpse of what Ton fans could see in the coming weeks.