Greenock Morton 1-0 Dundee United: Home side recover from manager shock to beat runners-up
- Published
Michael Tidser won the game but has his future in doubt
Greenock Morton recovered from the shock of losing their management team two hours before kick-off with a final-day win over runners-up Dundee United.
Jonatan Johansson and his assistant Peter Houston left their roles, leaving captain Jim McAlister and midfielder Chris Millar in charge.
Michael Tidser's marvellous free-kick after 19 minutes proved decisive.
But speculation mounts over whether his pre-contract deal with Falkirk might be off because of the Bairns' relegation.
Cammy Smith struck the crossbar with a half-volley from 20 yards as a reshuffled United side searched for the equaliser.
But the visitors have a promotion play-off semi-final to look forward to while Morton finish fifth.
'It was a strange day' - reaction
Morton captain Jim McAlister said: "We prepared as normal, I came into the dressing room, dumped my bag, went into the toilet and when I came out, Housty was saying his goodbyes. It's very disappointing because we've built up a bond with the gaffer and Housty.
"We had a conversation with Crawford, and with myself and Chris being the senior players, I offered to stand on the side. It worked well. For an hour in the game we were very good. We got the win and the clean sheet, so you have to be happy. It was a strange day."
Dundee United manager Robbie Neilson said: "We made a few changes, we gave some boys some game time. We've had a good wee period going into the play-offs.
"Everyone had an eye on that first play-off game in 10 days' time. The pleasing thing was that we had no red cards and no injuries."