Wikipedia

Renfrewshire derby

The Renfrewshire derby is a football derby in Scotland, contested between the senior clubs Greenock Morton and St Mirren.[5][6]

Renfrewshire Derby
LocationGreenock and Paisley, Renfrewshire
TeamsGreenock Morton[a] and St Mirren
First meeting30 September 1882
Morton 5–1 St Mirren,[1][2]
Latest meeting8 July 2023
Greenock Morton 2–0 St Mirren[3]
Statistics
Meetings total179[b][4]
All-time seriesSt Mirren: 76
Drawn: 44
Greenock Morton: 60[2][4]
Largest victorySt Mirren 8–0 Morton (5 February 1938)
Morton 6–1 St Mirren (19 September 1946)[2]
Location of the clubs' stadia
Greenock Morton
St Mirren

Since the sides first met in 1882,[1] the fixture has grown in significance over the years, due in part to the demise of other Renfrewshire football clubs, and is one of the most hotly contested derbies in Scotland today. Although both sides have regularly competed at the same level of Scottish football, recent years have seen St Mirren competing in the Scottish Premiership, with Morton competing in the lower leagues. However, the annual Renfrewshire Cup, a regional cup competition turned pre-season friendly, generally ensures that there is at least one Renfrewshire Derby a year.

In the 2014–15 season, St Mirren were relegated from the SPFL Premiership, and Morton were promoted from Scottish League One, meaning that the two sides met in league action for the first time in 15 years. As of 6 August 2016, it was confirmed that Morton have gone 6238 days without a competitive win against St Mirren. In November 2016 Morton recorded a 3–1 victory over St Mirren, their first in the league in 17 years.[7]

The rivalry sees a large amount of animosity between the two sets of fans.[8][9]

History

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Head-to-head

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As of: 11 November 2020[4]

Competition[b] GP STM Dr MOR STMG MORG
League 159 64 40 55 242 227
Scottish Cup 6 5 0 1 15 12
League Cup 12 6 3 3 24 21
Challenge Cup 2 1 1 0 4 2
Totals 179 76 44 59 285 262

Recent meetings

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After St Mirren were relegated from the Premiership at the end of 2014–15 and Morton were promoted from League One, the sides met for the first time in the league for 15 years.[2][10] The meetings in the Championship since are detailed below.

21 August 2015 (2015-08-21) Greenock Morton 0–0 St Mirren Greenock
19:45 SPFL Report Conlan   55' Stadium: Cappielow
Attendance: 5,343
Referee: Greg Aitken
20 November 2015 (2015-11-20) St Mirren 1–1 Greenock Morton Paisley
19:45 Baird   11' SPFL Report Samuel   90' Stadium: St Mirren Park
Attendance: 4,163
Referee: John Beaton
2 January 2016 (2016-01-02) Greenock Morton 0–1 St Mirren Greenock
15:00 SPFL Report Shankland   42' Stadium: Cappielow
Attendance: 4,736
Referee: Andrew Dallas
16 April 2016 (2016-04-16) St Mirren 3–1 Greenock Morton Paisley
15:00 Shankland   7'
Gallagher   62'
Mallan   90+2'		 BBC Report Johnstone   59' Stadium: St Mirren Park
Attendance: 4,299
Referee: Willie Collum
6 August 2016 (2016-08-06) St Mirren 1–1 Greenock Morton Paisley
15:00 Sutton   83' BBC Report O'Ware   17' Stadium: St Mirren Park
Attendance: 4,997
Referee: Steven McLean
1 November 2016 (2016-11-01) Greenock Morton 3–1 St Mirren Greenock
15:00 O'Ware   15'
Forbes   27'
Oliver   68'		 BBC Report Gordon   86' Stadium: Cappielow
Attendance: 3,378
Referee: Willie Collum
31 December 2016 (2016-12-31) St Mirren 1–1 Greenock Morton Paisley
15:00 MacKenzie   30' BBC Report Lamie   90+3' Stadium: St Mirren Park
Attendance: 4,902
Referee: Nick Walsh
11 April 2017 (2017-04-11) Greenock Morton 1–4 St Mirren Greenock
19:45 Murdoch   29' BBC Report Demetriou   20'
Mallan   45'
Sutton   56'
MacKenzie   80'		 Stadium: Cappielow
Attendance: 4,609
Referee: Stephen Finnie
12 August 2017 (2017-08-12) Greenock Morton 4–1 St Mirren Greenock
15:00 Tidser   26' (pen), 50' (pen)
McHugh   72'
Murdoch   77'		 BBC Report Smith   41' Stadium: Cappielow
Attendance: 4,661
Referee: Willie Collum
28 October 2017 (2017-10-28) St Mirren 2–2 Greenock Morton Paisley
15:00 McShane   66' (pen)
Reilly   72'		 BBC Report Murdoch   68'
Harkins   79' (pen)		 Stadium: St Mirren Park
Attendance: 5,496
Referee: Steven McLean
2 January 2018 (2018-01-02) Greenock Morton 1–1 St Mirren Greenock
15:00 O'Ware   80' BBC Report Morgan   25' Stadium: Cappielow
Attendance: 4,126
Referee: Kevin Clancy
21 April 2018 (2018-04-21) St Mirren 2–1 Greenock Morton Paisley
15:00 Mullen   10'
Morgan   72'		 BBC Report Doyle   30' Stadium: St Mirren Park
Attendance: 6,422
Referee: Bobby Madden
11 November 2020 (2020-11-11) Group Stage St Mirren 1–1
(6-5 p)		 Greenock Morton Paisley
19:45 Obika   39' MacIver {{goal|60} Stadium: St Mirren Park
Attendance: Unknown
Referee: Bobby Madden

Early history (1874–1901)

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Two of the oldest professional football clubs in Scotland, Morton were formed 1874[11] in Greenock, while the St Mirren cricket club was founded a year later. Its members branched off into rugby and then football in 1877.[12] Despite their proximity to each other they wouldn't meet for another five years. After St Mirren defeated Yoker 8–0 and Morton overcame Johnstown Rovers 2–1 in the first round of the 1882–83 Scottish Cup[13] they were drawn to face each other in the second round. The match was played at Cappielow on 30 September 1882 and the home side ran out comfortable victors, winning 5–1.[14][15]

St Mirren were founder members of the Scottish Football League in 1890[16] but, as Morton didn't join the league until 1893 with the formation of the old Second Division,[17] the first league meeting wasn't until 1900.[2] Played at Cappielow on 1 September 1900, there was similar result as Morton overcame their rivals 1–0.[18]

In the intervening years, the sides met eight times in the Renfrewshire Cup. The first of these came in 1884, two years after Morton's 5–1 Scottish Cup win. On 20 December 1884, a crowd of 4,500 people watched an entertaining third round match end 3–4 at Westmarch in Paisley.[19] St Mirren would not get their first victory against their rivals until their next meeting on 10 December 1887. A crowd of 4,000 people witnessed St Mirren's 2–0 victory in the third round match at Westmarch.[19] As the century drew to a close, the teams met for the first time in a Renfrewshire Cup Final. St Mirren were looking to win their third Renfrewshire Cup in-a-row and seventh overall, while Morton were aiming for a second title when the original match on 29 April 1899 was played at the neutral Underwood Park in Paisley. A 1–1 draw meant the need for a replay a week later at the same venue which Morton won 2–0.[19]

Results

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Date Competition[1] Home team Score Away team Stadium
30 September 1882 Scottish Cup
second round		 Morton 5–1 St Mirren Cappielow
20 December 1884 Renfrewshire Cup
third round		 St Mirren 3–4 Morton Westmarch
10 December 1887 Renfrewshire Cup
third round		 St Mirren 2–0 Morton Westmarch
9 February 1889 Renfrewshire Cup
semi-final		 St Mirren 3–3 Morton Westmarch
16 February 1889 Renfrewshire Cup
semi-final replay		 Morton 1–3 St Mirren Cappielow
25 February 1893 Renfrewshire Cup
Final		 Morton 3–0 St Mirren Underwood Park
18 November 1893 Renfrewshire Cup
third round		 St Mirren 5–1 Morton Westmarch
2 March 1895 Renfrewshire League
 Morton 2–0 St Mirren Cappielow
3 August 1895 Renfrewshire League
 St Mirren 2–2 Morton Westmarch
7 January 1899 Western League
 St Mirren 1–1 Morton Westmarch
29 April 1899 Renfrewshire Cup
Final		 St Mirren 1–1 Morton Underwood Park
6 May 1899 Renfrewshire Cup
Final replay		 St Mirren 0–2 Morton Underwood Park
8 May 1899 Western League
 Morton 1–1 St. Mirren Cappielow
3 February 1900 Glasgow & West of Scotland
League		 Morton 1–0 St Mirren Cappielow
1 May 1900 Glasgow & West of Scotland
League		 St Mirren 2–1 Morton Love Street
1 September 1900 First Division (old) Morton 1–0 St Mirren Cappielow
22 September 1900 First Division (old) St Mirren 0–2 Morton Love Street
29 September 1900 Glasgow & West of Scotland
League		 Morton 6–1 St Mirren Cappielow
31 December 1900 Glasgow & West of Scotland
League		 St Mirren 6–1 Morton Love Street
27 April 1901 Renfrewshire Cup
Final 1st leg		 Morton 3–2 St Mirren Cappielow
4 May 1901 Renfrewshire Cup
Final 2nd leg		 St Mirren 0–1
(2-4 agg)		 Morton Love Street
28 September 1901 First Division (old) Morton 1–3 St Mirren Cappielow
19 October 1901 First Division (old) St Mirren 1–1 Morton Love Street
22 February 1902 Glasgow & West of Scotland
League		 Morton 2–3 St Mirren Cappielow
1 March 1902 Glasgow & West of Scotland
League		 St Mirren 3–1 Morton Love Street
26 April 1902 Renfrewshire Cup
Final 1st leg		 Morton 0–1 St Mirren Cappielow
3 May 1902 Renfrewshire Cup
Final 2nd leg		 St Mirren 0–4
(1-4 agg)		 Morton Love Street

Source: Scottish Football Historical Archive

21st century

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St Mirren started the new millennium in the perfect fashion by sealing promotion back to the top flight of Scottish football for the first time in almost a decade.[20] This meant that four annual meetings between the sides that fans had grown used to came to an end; the sides wouldn't meet again until a League Cup match in 2002[9][21] after both sides suffered relegation in the 2000–01 season.[22] This favoured the Paisley side as St Mirren remained in a higher league than Morton until both sides found their way into the Championship for season 2015–16.[10] This led to a period of St Mirren dominance, with Morton's last competitive win coming on 10 April 1999.[2][23] The 17-year sequence finally ended on 1 November 2016 with a 3-1 Morton victory at Cappielow.[7]

Results

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From season 1999–2000 to 2011.[1]

Date Competition Home team Score Away team Stadium
18 September 1999 First Division St Mirren 3–2 Greenock Morton Love Street
6 November 1999 First Division Greenock Morton 1–4 St Mirren Cappielow
3 January 2000 First Division St Mirren 1–1 Greenock Morton Love Street
18 March 2000 First Division Greenock Morton 0–2 St Mirren Cappielow
7 September 2002[9] League Cup
first round		 Greenock Morton 2–3 (a.e.t.) St Mirren Cappielow
27 September 2005 Challenge Cup
semi-final		 St Mirren 0–0 (4–2p) Greenock Morton Love Street
23 August 2011 League Cup
second round		 Greenock Morton 3–4 St Mirren Cappielow

Source:Statto.com

Notes

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  1. ^
    Morton were renamed Greenock Morton in 1994
  2. ^
    League, Scottish Cup, League Cup and Challenge Cup meetings only. Does not include meetings in the Renfrewshire Cup, Scottish Spring Cup and meetings under war time regulations.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Morton results history (filter: vs St Mirren) page 5 of 5". Fitbastats. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "St Mirren's Head-to-Head comparison with Morton". statto.com. Statto. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  3. ^ "GREENOCK MORTON V ST MIRREN". St Mirren. St Mirren Football CLub. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Morton head-to-head statistics (filter: vs St Mirren)". Fitbastats. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  5. ^ "Greenock Morton". www.stmirren.info. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  6. ^ Grahame, Ewing (16 April 2016). "St Mirren 3 - 1 Morton: Saints win Renfrewshire derby". scotsman.com/sport. The Scotsman. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  7. ^ a b Greenock Morton 3-1 St Mirren, BBC Sport, 1 November 2016
  8. ^ "Morton fans turn Record Sport story into 'Paisley as a 's**thole' banner to poke fun at St Mirren in Renfrewshire Derby". dailyrecord.co.uk/sport. Daily Record. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  9. ^ a b c St Mirren steal back honour on derby day, The Scotsman, 8 September 2002
  10. ^ a b "Scotland 2014/15". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Morton Football Club". spfl.co.uk. SPFL. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Formation". stmirren.info. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  13. ^ "Scottish FA Cup 1882-83 First Round Results". statto.com. Statto. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Morton v St Mirren on 30th September 1882". statto.com. Statto. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  15. ^ "1882-83". stmirren.info. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  16. ^ "1890-91". stmirren.info. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Scottish Division Two (old) 1893-94". statto.com. Statto. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  18. ^ "Morton v St Mirren on 1st September 1900". statto.com. Statto. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  19. ^ a b c "Renfrewshire Cup". scottish-football-historical-archive.co.uk. Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  20. ^ "First Division Champions 1999-2000". stmirren.info. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  21. ^ "Morton 2 - 3 St Mirren". skysports.com. Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  22. ^ "Scotland 2000/01". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  23. ^ "Report: St Mirren 1-1 Morton". saintmirren.net. St Mirren F.C. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.

Scott, Adam (October 2006). Fitba Gallimaufry. pp. Renfrewshire Derby. ISBN 1-899807-45-4.

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