Morton made it four games without defeat against Arbroath this season after a narrow win at Cappielow in Saturday’s early kick off.
Owen Moffat and Curtis Main scored in the first half to secure all three points for the Ton, with Findlay Marshall’s goal nothing more than a consolation in a 2-1 defeat.
There was just one change to the Arbroath side that defeated Queen’s Park at Gayfield last Saturday, with goalscorer Gavin Reilly dropping to the bench to be replaced by Tom Beadling.
The Lichties looked good on the ball in the opening moments, but it was the home side who had the game’s first chance after 10 minutes, when Main flashed a low shot past the post.
That warning for Arbroath proved a sign of things to come as Morton moved in front seven minutes later. Aaron Muirhead was dispossessed near the halfway line, with the ball falling the way of Nathan Shaw to slip it through to Moffat who showed good composure to beat Aidan McAdams.
Morton were buoyed by that opener and after going close with a Cammy Blues shot that curled just wide, they added a second just beyond the half hour. Iain Wilson was afforded too much space on the left to pick out a cross which was nodded into the corner by the leaping Main.
Main should have added a third not even a minute later when he was picked out by a good low cross from Shaw and somehow managed to clip the ball back across past the post, with the home support on their feet expecting the net to bulge.
It was a let off for Arbroath and they took full advantage of that, getting a goal back soon after. Scott Robinson did well to get in between two defenders and despite going down under their pressure, managed to hold the ball up on the ground before laying it back to Marshall who made no mistake from close range.
Despite that, it was the hosts who began the second half brighter and almost scored again when Moffat saw his shot blocked before some last ditch defending saw the ball scrambled clear from danger.
Marshall was denied an equaliser by a stretched save from Murray Johnson, while Main again went close at the other end with a shot that trickled past the post.
Thereafter though, it was the Lichties that controlled the play as they looked to take something from the game. Jacob MacIntyre was a first half substitute and tried his luck on a few occasions, first seeing a low strike kept out by Johnson before having a couple of shots towards the end of the 90 that unfortunately failed to trouble the Morton keeper.
Despite the defeat, Arbroath remain seven clear in third place, albeit Dunfermline have two games in hand, and will be confident of returning to winning ways in the run in.
Greenock Morton: Johnson; Comrie, Owens (Longridge, 63), Moore, Delaney; Moffat (Ballantyne, 78), Wilson, Blues, MacPherson (O’Halloran, 58), Shaw; Main
Arbroath: McAdams; Watson, Muirhead (MacIntyre, 18), O’Brien, Wilkie; Beadling (Cochrane, 56), Flynn (Mebude, 84); Stewart, Marshall, Dow (Reilly, 56); Robinson
Attendance: 1,536
