Statistical Preview: Greenock Morton vs Ayr United

Ahead of Saturday’s game at Cappielow Park, both sides will be looking to claim their first win of the Championship season. Ayr come into the match on the back of their first league defeat, a loss to Raith Rovers.

Greenock Morton's Form Guide

Using the Greenock Morton vs Ayr United Match Stats on Andy’s Bet Club, Morton started the season well by qualifying from their League Cup group, dropping points only against Premiership side Motherwell. They were later knocked out in the first knockout round by another Premiership team, Hearts.

In the Championship, Morton have drawn both of their opening games, one against Partick Thistle and the other against Dunfermline Athletic.

●  3-0 Loss v Aberdeen (H) – League Cup

●  1–1 Draw v Partick Thistle (A) – Championship

●  0–0 Draw v Dunfermline Athletic (H) – Championship

●  3–0 Win v Clyde (H) – League Cup

●  3–0 Loss v Motherwell (A) – League Cup

Greenock Morton's League Matches This Season: 

Greenock Morton continued their trend from their opening league match of letting the opposition control possession, ending the game with just 42.6% of the ball.

When on the ball, Morton often played long, attempting 60 long passes with a success rate of 32%. They also looked to progress the ball often, attempting 70 progressive passes, but with a low accuracy of 49%, compared to the league average of 68%.

Despite these numbers, Morton still managed the same number of shots as Partick Thistle. They did this mainly by using the wide areas, delivering 21 crosses across the game, one of which set up their only goal.

Defensively, Morton were strong. They won 69% of their defensive duels, made 23 clearances, and put in seven sliding tackles. This level of defending did, however, result in a high number of fouls, with 17 in total. The most costly came when they conceded a penalty.  

Against Dunfermline on the opening day of the season, Morton put in another strong defensive performance. They allowed just 0.78 xGA (expected goals against), even though Dunfermline had 13 shots with a high accuracy of 62%.

A key reason was that Morton forced many of those shots to come from distance, with over half being from outside the box. They achieved this by completing 62 defensive duels and 31 clearances, preventing Dunfermline from getting into dangerous positions.

Their main defensive weakness came at set pieces, with five of Dunfermline’s shots arriving from corners or free kicks.

Going forward, Morton struggled to generate high-quality chances of their own. They created only 0.24 xGF (expected goals for), with an average shot distance of 24 metres, showing a tendency to shoot too early rather than allowing opportunities to develop.

Greenock Morton’s One to Watch:

James Storer: Storer has recently joined on loan from Premier League side Wolves and has played in all of Morton’s competitive games this season apart from their first League Cup tie.

He had an excellent performance against Dunfermline, making nine saves to keep them out. He also impressed in possession, attempting 24 passes with a completion rate of 79%.

Final Thoughts:

The Honest Men are likely to register more than the 6.5 shots they have averaged so far this season, with Morton conceding an average of 11. The challenge will be turning these into goals, as Morton have generally been good at keeping opponents away from dangerous shooting positions.

Ayr can expect several fouls in their favour, with Morton giving away 15 per game on average, much higher than the 9.5 Ayr have drawn so far.

Morton’s heavy use of crosses may be less effective in this match, with Ayr winning 55% of their aerial duels compared to Morton’s 46%. That said, it could still be a threat, as Morton’s goal against Partick Thistle came from a low cross rather than an aerial one.

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