Greenock Morton 5, Dunfermline Athletic 0.

IT was a major case of the New Year blues for Dunfermline as they slumped to a heavy defeat at Cappielow.

A resolute performance from Morton saw Athletic outplayed to make it a miserable afternoon in Inverclyde.

Three first half goals and another two in the second half pushed Dunfermline to the base of the table.

John Hughes had handed a start for new signing Coll Donaldson while there was also a welcome return to the starting line up for Lewis Martin who began his first game since before last March's lockdown.

Dunfermline hadn’t won in eight league games at Cappielow - since March 2017.

It was also the venue of their Scottish Cup defeat last season when they lost out on penalties so this was never going to be an easy tie.

It soon became evident that 2022 hadn’t brought with it a change in fortunes.

The game had started frantically for both teams and early chances for Oliver and Blues perhaps showed how the afternoon would pan out.

Dunfermline did have a few half chances, long range efforts from Dow and Lawless did give some room for optimism, however Gary Oliver broke the deadlock with a superb effort for the home side on 33 minutes.

He smashed in his volley from just outside the box to give his side the lead.

The Pars had another effort on goal after 38 minutes when a good cross from Edwards found Dow but his header went over.

Minutes later, Morton had doubled their lead when a great lay off to Cameron Blues saw him slot the ball past Fon Williams.

It took just another five minutes for Ton to make it three. A Hynes cross found the head of Gavin Reilly whose effort looped past Fon Williams.

The Pars keeper came to the rescue soon after with two saves in quick succession preventing Morton from making it more.

He pulled off a save from Reilly when it looked like Morton were going to make it four then produced an acrobatic tip over from the subsequent corner which had come to Reilly.

Just on 71 minutes, it was 4-0 with Dunfermline’s despair summed up when debutant Donaldson headed into his own net after a problematic long throw.

It was five after 78 minutes when substitute Robbie Muirhead got onto the end of a long ball lobbed the ball over Fon Williams to add his name to the scoresheet.

Greenock Morton

Hamilton, Ledger, Strapp, McLean, Oliver (Jacobs 80), Blues (Garrity 87), Lyon, Ugwu, Reilly (Muirhead 69), Hynes, Lithgo.

Subs: McGrattan, McGregor, King.

Goals: Oliver (33), Blues (40), Reilly (45) Donaldson OG (71), Muirhead (78).

Dunfermline Athletic

Fon Williams, Comrie, Edwards, Martin, Donaldson, Dow, McCann, Pybus, Allan, Lawless, Lawless, Todd (Todorov 50).

Subs: Mehmet, Macdonald, O’Hara, Wighton, Jones, Cole.