Kilmarnock 0-2 Morton: Match Report

23 July 2016 04:34

Kilmarnock booed off after Morton claim deserved win

Lee Clark's new-look Kilmarnock misfired on their first home outing of the new campaign as they were booed off after Morton grabbed a deserved 2-0 Betfred Cup win.

Goals from Gary Oliver and the livewire Jai Quitongo gave the visitors to Rugby Park the win and dented Killie hopes of topping Group H.

Clark made headlines this summer after signing 11 new players in one day.

He gave five of his new recruits their home debuts but aside from ex-Middlesbrough winger Jordan Jones, no-one in blue and white offered much hope ahead of the new season.

Without the likes of Stevie Smith, Gary Dicker and Souleymane Coulibaly - who can all expect to start Killie's first league game against Motherwell on August 6 - the hosts looked undercooked from the off and fell behind to Jim Duffy's Ladbrokes Championship side just eight minutes in.

Thomas O'Ware fed the ball into Quitongo - son of ex-Hamilton and Hearts striker Jose - and his first-time lay off found Oliver. The former Hearts man sent three Killie defenders a cheeky dummy on the edge of the box before cutting back inside to shoot. It was not the cleanest of connections but did enough to find the corner, with Jamie McDonald slow getting down.

Killie fought to get back on level terms. Kris Boyd blazed over after decent work by Josh Magennis down the left, while Miles Addison failed to overly trouble Andy McNeil in the Ton goal with his turn and shot.

But things failed to improve for the hosts after the break.

Killie saw Magennis fire a free-kick wide of the target early on but Jonathan Burn's mistake allowed Ouitongo to punish his side again on 67 minutes

The on-loan Middlesbrough defender towered over the teenage striker but was easily barged off the ball as Ouitongo raced in to beat MacDonald from a tight angle, celebrating his first senior goal with his dad's trademark somersault.


Source: PA