Greenock Morton 0-1 Partick Thistle
Letosa (82)
Scottish Championship promotion favourites Partick Thistle opened their league campaign with a narrow victory over Greenock Morton at Cappielow Park.
Morton started the game with intensity and dominated possession during the opening ten minutes, although they were unable to create a clear-cut chance.
The first real opportunity arrived in the 12th minute when Gary Mackay-Steven forced Morton debutant goalkeeper Elyh Harrison into a smart save with a low, driven effort from inside the penalty area.
Morton came close to taking the lead in the 20th minute through Iain Wilson. After dispossessing Tsoanelo Letsosa in the middle of the park, Wilson spotted Partick goalkeeper Liam McFarlane off his line and attempted an audacious chip from 35 yards. McFarlane scrambled back towards his goal as the effort sailed narrowly over the crossbar.
Mackay-Steven came even closer in the 25th minute when he collected the ball on the edge of the Morton penalty area and unleashed a curling effort that looked destined for the top-right corner, only for it to crash back off the crossbar.
Thistle struck the woodwork again just minutes later when Patrick Reading latched onto the ball on the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a powerful effort. The shot cannoned off the crossbar before bouncing over.
The away side remained on top for the remainder of the first half without being able to find an opener.
The second half began much as the first had ended, with Partick Thistle continuing to threaten. Letsosa drilled a shot narrowly wide after an impressive solo run, carrying the ball from 40 yards before firing just past the post from inside the Morton penalty area.
Moments later, former Scotland international Eamonn Brophy went to ground inside the Partick penalty area, prompting loud appeals for a spot-kick from the home support. Referee Jamie Wilkie was unmoved, instead awarding a free-kick to Partick Thistle and booking Brophy for simulation.
Both sides made changes shortly after the hour mark as they searched for the breakthrough.
Substitute Euan Henderson forced Elyh Harrison into a parried save with 15 minutes remaining as Partick Thistle increased the pressure. Moments later, former Morton loanee Alex Samuel glanced a header narrowly wide.
Partick’s persistence was rewarded in the 82nd minute when a blocked Samuel effort fell kindly for Letsosa, who kept his composure to fire a shot into the ground that bounced beyond the helpless Harrison and into the back of the net.
Ian Murray’s Morton pushed forward in search of a late equaliser, but the visitors stood firm to see out the closing stages.
The final whistle confirmed a deserved victory for promotion favourites Partick Thistle and another frustrating afternoon for Morton, whose difficult pre-season preparations continued to cast a shadow over the start of their campaign.
Morton: Harrison, Longridge (Murphy, 63), Fairne, Moore, Black, Gillespie (O’Halloran, 77), Wilson, Garrity, Cochrane, Sandilands (Greenock, 71), Brophy.
Substitutes: Kinnear, Burgess, Greenock, Lang, McLuckie, Murphy, O’Halloran, O’Toole, Okunzuwa
Partick Thistle: McFarlane, Reading, O’Reilly, Loughrey, Logan (Ingram, 45+1, Falconer, 73), Letosa, Smyth, Crawford (Henderson, 63), Fitzpatrick, Watt (Samuel, 73), Mackay-Steven (Drozd, 63).
Substitutes: Budinauckas, Docherty, Dolan, Drozd, Falconer, Henderson, Horn, Ingram, Samuel.
Callum McFadden 