OUR latest dip into the Tele's archives takes us back 50 years to a preview of a mouth-watering clash at Cappielow between Morton and Rangers...

THAT goalless draw by Morton on Tuesday in the Scottish Cup at Airdrie must surely give the Cappielow team confidence for tomorrow's top attraction.

The Sinclair Street ground is always a popular one with the Rangers followers and with their team joint leaders with Celtic they should be out in large numbers for this latest trip to Greenock.

Rangers never have it easy at Cappielow, usually managing to make it and, no more, but they are going strong at the present and fairly piling on the goals.

The Tele reported that Tommy McLean cost Rangers £60,000 "but has proved to be worth every penny of it" (1975) (Image: Archives) Morton's defenders are also having a good time and should they perform as well tomorrow as they did at Broomfield the result ought to be close.

Rangers will be desperate for points and cannot afford to make the slightest slip.

It is likely that the Morton lineup will show changes from that of Tuesday night. The more experienced members of the staff should be favoured and this could mean an alteration.

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Reid has had a cartilage operation and will be out of commission and Townsend is still an absentee. Hegarty is a probable starter and Charlie Brown could be first choice as a substitute.

The selection will probably be: Baines; Hayes, Ritchie, Lumsden, Anderson,
Rankin; McGhee, Osborne, Hazel, Hegarty, Skovdam, Subs.: Brown, Thomson.

Morton Reserves games scheduled for tomorrow at Ibrox has been called off.

On Monday night there should be a big crowd for the cup replay against Airdrie at Cappielow.

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The Broomfielders' last visit to Cappielow on January 4 is still bright in the memory of the Morton faithfuls. Airdrie went home on the wrong end of a 3-1 score, and the same could quite well be the case again.

Cappielow has rarely been a happy hunting ground for the Lanarkshire players, especially in the trophy competition, but Morton will have to be on form to come out on top this time.

This story first appeared in the Greenock Telegraph on February 1, 1975.