Dunfermline: Peter Grant reacts to Greenock Morton draw

But the Dunfermline boss hopes that the point they took home from their Championship curtain raiser will prove to be an important one as he backed his players to perform better in the weeks ahead.

A deflected cross from Lewis McGrattan, which struck the far post and found its way into the net, with eight minutes left secured a draw for Greenock Morton at Cappielow.

MATCH REPORT: Greenock Morton 2 Pars 2

Having fallen behind in the first half to a Gary Oliver penalty, Nikolay Todorov and Kevin O'Hara had swung the game in the visitors' favour after the break until McGrattan's freak intervention.

Grant acknowledged that a share of the spoils was the right outcome in an afternoon that saw the Pars look off the pace, in comparison to their free-scoring Premier Sports Cup form, in the first 45 minutes.

Peter Grant was disappointed with his team's first half show on Saturday. Photos: Craig Brown.

They improved after the interval, and were on top in that period, but the beginning of the match disappointed the Athletic boss.

When asked if he felt as if it was two points lost, Grant said: "When you go 2-1 in front yes, for sure, but we just didn't seem ourselves today. I don't the reason why. We've been playing really well and have played with a purpose.

"I thought in the first half everything was too slow; everything we did. We had no intensity. Second half was a bit better, but the boys know that. They're disappointed themselves with their performance.

"I know that, if the boy tried it 100 times it wouldn't go into the back of the net again, but we got ourselves in front and we should see it out with the players that we, the quality we have. But, on the day, we just didn't do enough to win the game.

"We need to be fair; I think probably a draw ends up being a fair result. I thought we were probably poor for a big period of the first half."

Despite beging pegged back to 2-2, substitute Reece Cole could have won it in the dying moments when, after Kai Kennedy rounded the outrushing home keeper Jack Hamilton, he shot over after being found at the edge of the box.

"It's a great chance (Cole) but I'm more disappointed with the goals they scored", Grant continued.

"An error, obviously the penalty kick, and then the second goal. It's too easy. I've said that the game's about both sides of the game; you have to be difficult to play against. I don't want to be a nice football team with good football players because there's a lot of times that you have to dig in, roll the sleeves up and you have to start with a purpose.

"It was like a sunny day in the first half, as if let's go out and get a suntan. Everything was too slow and we've not played like that in any of the games, even in pre-season. It was the one thing I was delighted with the players, the intensity they try and play it.

"We hope it's a one-off, but it's always a difficult place to come. Gus (MacPherson) has got them very well organised, guys that give everything they've got. They make it so difficult fot you, but I know the players I have and we're disappointed with our performance.

"That's a big disappointment but the goals we lose were criminal. I said last week I've never lost a good goal yet, and that comes from the front, because we allow easy balls forward out of nothing. Absolutely no pressure on and you concede a goal from the ball being in the opposition's half. That just can't happen.

"We're disappointed at that but I know I've got that quality in the group, and I know I've got the quality in the players that can turn that into victories.

"It is a difficult place to come. Hopefully, come the end of the season, that one point will end up being a good point instead of the way I'm feeling now, that you've lost two."

Grant, though, praised his players for their reaction to a lacklustre opening 45 minutes to take something from the match, adding: "There's no doubt of that because, in the first half, there was nothing in the game. We've made a wrong choice.

"I just thought everything was slow as I said and I can't understand that because that's not even the way they've trained. They've been excellent to a man. It's great credit to them.

"I'm just disappointed with that because it's the first time I've seen it. People always say you've got to wait until the curtain goes back to see how people perform, and I was disappointed in that with us today.

"That was the thing that disappointed me because you want to play in the biggest arenas, but the only you get to the biggest arenas is performing, and we didn't perform to the way of our capabilities against the ball today.

"I just thought our passing was sloppy, all the things we've prided ourselves on so far. We gave cheap passes away in very very good areas, and obviously that becomes our downfall. One long ball into your box, you don't deal with it, you're a penalty kick against you, and all of a sudden Morton have got something to hold on to.

"I was hoping it was going to give us a shot in the arm in the first half. It didn't seem like that but we got to half-time and then, all of a sudden you're saying to the boys, we have to be much more intense.

"I think certain parts of it was good, but a lot of it wasn't good enough."

Defender Josh Edwards agreed with his manager that Dunfermline weren't at their best, and suggested that there was "not much pleasure" he could take out of it.

The left wing back had a hand in his team's equaliser, sending a fine volley goalwards from Kyle MacDonald's cross that Jack Hamilton saved, only for Todorov to slam home the loose ball.

"I don’t think I have ever hit a ball sweeter. I just don’t know if I am ever going to score to be perfectly honest with you," he said.

"I was happy with the strike and thankfully big Toddy does what he does - stands between the posts and put the ball in the net.

"When you give a team like Morton an edge with a 1-0 lead into half time, it is always going to be tough. We turned it around, got the second goal and thought we were looking quite comfortable. I don’t even know how that ball has gone in but these things happen in football don’t they? We have to pick ourselves up and go again next Saturday.

"I feel that it was important for us to get three points on Saturday and obviously we came off a wee bit short. It was a rubbish goal to lose at the end, rubbish goal to lose in the first half. We just need to eradicate that and we could have made it quite comfortable for ourselves on Saturday.

Lewis McGrattan earned Morton a point with his late leveller.

"Obviously we weren’t at our best but I felt we did enough to maybe take the three points. A few mistakes led to goals and we are only taking a point home."

Home boss, Gus MacPherson (below), felt that a change in formation to combat Dunfermline's attacking threat paid dividends for his side in the first half, and that his team deserved at least a draw.

"I thought we thoroughly deserved at least a point," he said.

"In the first half, we were dominant. Energy, really attacking with a purpose but we were saying to them we've got to keep the back door shut second half. I think we were slightly fortitious with the (second) goal; there was a deflection, but we'll take it.

"It (formation change) was probably just about forced upon us because of how good Dunfermline have been pre-season. Real, attacking players that's been playing, so we had to make sure we were a bit tighter at the back, but I think the energy ahead of that was key for us. It made it difficult for Dunfermline to get into their passing routines and their tempo of play.

"We played at a tempo that suited us then, to lose the goal from a set piece, you're asking if it's going to be our day. But we get a reaction.

"Sitting there at 1-0, there's always that little bit of anxiety that, with the quality Dunfermline have got, that they will create chances. The frustrating bit was just a bit of sloppy defending on our part. It wasn't as if they opened us up with their passing game that they've clearly got.

"We learn from it and become a little bit stronger."