Morton lost the 1979 League Cup semi-final 2-1 to Aberdeen at Hampden Park in December of that year. The defeat ended their hopes of a major final appearance during a season where they were joint-top of the Premier Division.
Aberdeen took the lead after 14 minutes when a Garner free-kick was headed in by former Morton striker Mark McGhee. Gordon Strachan converted a penalty before half-time to double the Dons' advantage.
Morton manager Benny Rooney had to make a change before the break. John McNeil suffered a knee ligament injury in the 42nd minute and was stretchered off, with Jim Tolmie coming on as his replacement.
The Telegraph sports editor travelled with the Morton team that day. He said Rooney's men "were in splendid form and heart as they boarded the bus" adding that "the spirit could not have been better".
Andy Ritchie gave Morton hope from the penalty spot in the second half. Neil Orr then thought he had equalised in the 74th minute, but the effort was ruled out for offside against George Anderson, who was stationed near the touchline.
Orr also hit the post and crossbar with another attempt. Ritchie scored a second penalty in the 81st minute after a Willie Miller handball, but the comeback fell short.
Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson complimented Morton's second-half performance after the match. His side had already knocked out both Celtic and Rangers from that season's competition.
The winner was set to face Dundee United, who had beaten Hamilton Accies 6-2 in the other semi-final. Just under 12,000 fans were at Hampden, with Morton supporters making up around two-thirds of the crowd.
Television coverage was minimal due to industrial action, restricted to a few minutes of film without commentary. A week later, Aberdeen drew 0-0 with Dundee United in the final, losing the replay 3-0 at Dens Park.
Morton's form that season was outstanding. They had won 18 and drawn four of their 25 games up to that point and were on a 14-game unbeaten run. They had also beaten Ferguson's Aberdeen twice in the league already that campaign.
Just a month after the semi-final, Morton recorded a third consecutive league victory over Aberdeen. That 1979/80 squad was later inducted into the club's Hall of Fame.
The club's current standings show a challenging period, sitting 10th in the Championship with one point from six games. Their recent form reads five matches without a win.
They face a tough next assignment against league leaders Stenhousemuir on 9 January. Fans can check the full schedule on the club's fixtures page.
Historical semi-final appearances for Morton included matches against Hibernian in 1963 and Celtic in 1964 and 1967 in the League Cup. They also reached the Scottish Cup semi-finals in 1968 and 1969.
The report in full is at uk.sports.yahoo.com
