Programme:
John Faulkner replaced Jack Charlton at Centre half and Joe Jordan replaced Allan Clarke at Inside Right, times unknown. The Morton goal was scored by Frank Brogan, from the penalty spot, after sixty-five minutes. R. (Bobby) Davidson of Airdrie was the referee.
Match Report: Evening Times: Bob McNab (Courtesy Steve Bell)
Bobby Collins, the player they called "The Little General" made his last appearance in British football at Cappielow last night when he captained Morton in a friendly against Leeds, one of his former clubs.
The general was let down by his troops. They failed to follow his strategy for turning the Leeds defence and Morton were defeated 4-1.
Collins went out as he has played his 20-year career with Celtic, Everton, Leeds, Bury, Morton and Scotland. He never gave up.
Now 41, he flies to Australia on Monday to take up a coaching job. But even with nothing at stake in this, his last match -nothing but personal pride that is- and with Leeds out in front 4-1, he was still trying to the last kick of the ball.
His efforts were not enough. Although this was meant to be Collins' night it was the opposing right winger Peter Lorimer who made the match his own. Lorimer, whose name has been prominent in criticism of "Anglos" who were not over-anxious to play for Scotland, was determined to show this Scottish crowd what forward play was all about. And he did.
He laid on one goal for Paul Madeley in 44 minutes, another for Allan Clarke in 62, and in between grabbed one for himself with a perfectly hit shot in 51 minutes.
Leeds started on the goal trail in 16 minutes when Stan Rankin beat goalkeeper Tom Lally with a passback which turned out to be a perfect lob just under the bar.
Morton's goal came from a penalty in 65 minutes after goalkeeper Gary Sprake had won a wrestling match against Borge Thorup.
The incident was one of many person-to-person conflicts which belied the match's billing as a "friendly". Each side wound up having to use both their substitutes: Morton's Hayes and Brand for Lavelle and Lawton (sic Laughton), and Leeds' Falconer (sic Faulkner) and Jordan for Charlton and Clarke.
Leeds ran out of substitutes with 15 minutes to go when Norman Hunter, whose early tackling had brought warnings from referee Bobby Davidson, was struck down by a sudden unidentified ailment.
There was time, though, for Leeds to demonstrate just how attractive and efficient football can be when it is played by professionals who have mastered the skills of killing, controlling, and moving the ball with precision. Their drifted crossfield passes as they moved into attack were worth the admission money alone.
Morton, though they showed up well in a couple of early flashes, never picked up Collins' prompting. With the little general gone new Cappielow coach Stuart Williams seems to have his work cut out
Match Report: The Press and Journal (Courtesy Steve Bell)
Own Goal Puts Leeds On The Road To Victory: Morton 1 Leeds Utd 4
NO-ONE, least of all their supporters expected Morton to put up more than a token show against the might of Leeds United. Yet surprisingly enough , at Chappielow Park last night the stubborn Morton held Leeds for 23 minutes and it was an own goal by centre half Rankin that gave United the lead
Charlton, the Leeds centre half was injured in 24 minutes and Falconer (sic Faulkner) came on as a substitute. Celtic's young reserve goalkeeper, Lally, guesting for Morton in goals, had a busy night, But they had their moments too. A shot by McDerment was brilliantly saved by the Leeds keeper.
Leeds kept up the pressure but it was not until the 44th minute that they got their second goal, when Clarke crossed and left winger MADELEY headed the ball home.
TWO BOOKED
Cooper (Leeds) and Hayes (Morton) were booked in the 49th minute and two minutes later LORIMER put Leeds three up, when he breasted down a headed pass from Clarke and beat the Morton keeper with a rising shot
Lorimer chipped the ball back to him for CLARKE to net Leeds' fourth in 61 minutes.
Morton kept trying hard and Thorup was in a good position, when brought down by the Leeds keeper. Brogan took the penalty and netted to give Morton their crumb of comfort goal in the 65th minute.
MORTON - Lally; McDerment, Lambton; Lavelle, Rankin, Clark; Collins, Mason, Thorup, Murphy, Brogan.
LEEDS YNITED - Sprake; Reaney, Cooper; Bates, Charlton, (Faulkner) Hunter; Lorimer, Clarke, Jones, Giles, Madeley.
Referee - R.H. Davidson Airdrie
