Two second half goals earned Arbroath and Morton a share of the spoils after a fiercely contested clash at Gayfield on Saturday afternoon.
Findlay Marshall had put the hosts in front with a clever finish early in the second half, but Ton captain Jackson Longridge made it 1-1 late in the day to earn the Greenock side a point.
The Lichties named an unchanged side for the third consecutive game, with new signing Victor Enem taking his place on the bench. However, just 18 minutes in, Arbroath had to make a change to that side, as Jack Wilkie was forced off.
A cross from the left saw Eamonn Brophy attack the ball, with a combination of the striker and the Lichties defender seeing it come back off the post before being cleared to safety. Wilkie was caught in the stramash though, receiving a nasty cut just below the eye, with Taylor Steven taking his place.
In truth, there wasn’t much to report on in a rather uneventful first half. Morton did have the next chance, also through Brophy, but the striker’s weak effort that was easily cleared by Thomas O’Brien, pretty much summed up the action up to that point.
The second half was the opposite though with the opening goal coming just ten minutes in and it was Arbroath who found it. Half-time substitute David Gold showed great composure to pick out Marshall in the middle and he was able to expertly apply the finishing touch.
Morton made three attacking substitutions just beyond the hour mark as they went in search of an equaliser, but it was the Lichties who went close twice soon after, Scott Stewart seeing his effort deflect behind before Marshall fired a shot just beyond the far post.
With ten minutes remaining though, the Ton did find a leveller. Owen Moffat was eventually able to force a ball into the box from a short corner, with Longridge managing to poke it beyond Aidan McAdams from close range.
Steven almost put Arbroath back in front immediately with a powerful shot from the edge of the area that flew narrowly over the bar, but neither side was able to find a winner in the time remaining.
It’s consecutive away games coming up next for the Lichties, with Kirkcaldy the destination for next week’s clash with Raith Rovers.
Arbroath: McAdams; Watson, Muirhead, O’Brien, Wilkie (Steven, 18); Cochrane (MacIntyre, 85), Flynn (Gold, 46); Stewart, Dow, Marshall; Todorov
Greenock Morton: Storer; Comrie (Ballantyne, 82), Moore, Longridge, Delaney; MacPherson, Wilson (Roberrtson, 63); Blues (Moffat, 63), Brophy (Crawford, 63), Garrity; Adeloye (McKay, 82)
Attendance: 1244
