Raith Rovers’ winless run extended to nine games following Saturday’s defeat at Cappielow.
The free-falling Fifers proved more than a match for an in-form Morton side but such is life for Gary Locke’s men that the failure to convert pressure into goals, combined with misfortune in defence, left them with nothing to show for their efforts.
A third straight loss leaves Rovers closer to the relegation play-offs than the promotion ones, with the Kirkcaldy side now just five points ahead of ninth-placed Ayr United, and six behind Falkirk in fourth.
Locke said: “I felt we dominated large spells and we feel very hard done by that we’ve lost the game. The first goal they score sums up our luck at the moment – it’s just a cross that goes right into our net. But I thought we rallied quite well after that, and created a few chances.
“Ryan Hardie’s clean through and should really make it 1-1, but he’s still finding his feet. He’s come from St Mirren where he hasn’t played a lot of football so he’s still quite rusty.
“When they got the second goal I felt we were the team that looked the more likely to equalise. It’s a sore one to take but it just seems to be the way things are going for us at the moment.
“The only way we are going to get back to winning is by everyone sticking together, digging in and doing the simple things. Hopefully then the confidence will come back.”
The failure to score means that Raith have scored just three times since the end of October, but Locke is sure things will turn.
“We’re having enough efforts at goal but we’re just not getting the wee break,” he said.
Raith started the match brightly and Chris Johnston should have done better than send a weak effort straight at Derek Gaston after being set up by Ryan Stevenson.
Morton took the lead against the run of play when Ross Forbes delivered a cross from the right that sailed over everyone and caught goalkeeper Kevin Cuthbert off guard as it landed inside the far post.
Rovers rallied and almost levelled before the break as Bobby Barr’s positive run and shot forced a finger-tip save from Gaston.
The visitors pushed hard for an equaliser early in the second half with a Ross Callachan header denied by a goal-line clearance, before Gaston dived low to parry Hardie’s effort after the on-loan Rangers striker got in behind the Ton defence.
The hosts put the game beyond Rovers in the 65th minute when a Stevenson clearance struck the back of team-mate Jean Yves M’voto to allow Morton to set up an attack that ended with Lawrence Shankland nodding home a Mark Wallace cross.
Rovers sub Mark Stewart forced Gaston into another save at his near post but Morton’s long unbeaten home record was never in any doubt.