Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game
A football club was established in the former fishing port and shipyard of Greenock far earlier than in the cities of Perth, Dundee or Aberdeen.
Formed in 1874, Greenock Morton have been based since 1879 at Cappielow by the Clyde. Here, where firth and estuary meet at a sandbar anchorage known as the Tail o’the Bank, great steamships docked to take emigrants across the Atlantic to New York.
Workers arrived from across the Irish Sea and nearby Glasgow. Greenock has long been an Old Firm stronghold, adjoining Port Glasgow particularly Celtic-centric. Cappielow’s Wee Dublin End at right-angles to the nearby docks was named for a reason.
Greenock Morton, known simply as Morton until 1994, have always struggled for attention in their home town. Just as Greenock sits on the edge of Scotland’s football-focused urban central belt, so the Ton have been on the periphery as far as football profile is concerned.
This profile was only raised at the time of each world war, when Greenock was a centre for torpedo manufacture. With some 700 workers transferred here from Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, before 1914, crowds rose, more money flowed in and Morton achieved a highest-ever league position of runners-up behind Celtic in 1916-17. Five years later, Morton won the Scottish Cup, beating Rangers 1-0.
Though no major honours have been added since, local crowds could enjoy watching Stanley Matthews and Tommy Lawton, already established England internationals, who would guest in morale-boosting games around Britain. Greenock, where the Atlantic convoys assembled, had been heavily blitzed in 1941.
The Ton pulled off further cup exploits in 1948 with a 1-0 win over Celtic in the semi-final, followed by a 1-1 draw then a late single-goal defeat to Rangers in a replayed final. All three games went to extra-time, in front of a combined crowd of more than a third of a million people.
Against the inevitable backdrop of post-war industrial decline, Greenock has seen as much second-flight football as Premiership, the derby with Paisley side St Mirren sometimes the highlight of an uninspiring campaign.
In recent years, with the swish Greenock Ocean Terminal now accommodating the world’s largest cruise ships, at nearby Cappielow, toffee tycoon and club chairman Douglas Rae made improvements around the venerable ground.
League One champions in 2015, Greenock Morton have spent almost a decade in the Championship yet still compete with Celtic and Rangers in terms of attracting numbers away from the Parkhead and Ibrox.
Along the waterfront, Port Glasgow Junior Football Club moved out of Greenock to the £4.4 million Parklea Community Facility. The Undertakers play in the West of Scotland League set-up, with immediate promotion to the Lowland League under the new pyramid system. Given their fourth-tier Third Division status, with relegation on the cards, it may be some time before the theory of ascension to the fifth flight is put into practice.
Getting Around
Arriving in town, local transport and tips
The nearest airport to Greenock is Glasgow in Paisley, 28km (17 miles) away.
From Stance 7, McGill’s bus 757 runs every 30mins to Paisley Gilmour Street (Day Saver £5.20, pay on board, 20min journey time). From there, a train goes to Greenock (£6, every 30mins, 25-30min journey time).
Greenock has two stations, Central and West, with Port Glasgow beforehand. Between the two, Cappielow is by smaller Cartsdyke station – served every half-hour by stopping trains from Paisley or Glasgow Central (£8, 25/40min journey time).
Four trains an hour take a couple of minutes to shuttle between the four Greenock stations. McGill’s operate the buses services that run along the A8, parallel to the waterfront, with Cappielow alongside, east of Greenock.
Inverclyde Taxis (01475 734 563) is a long-established local firm, with transfers to and from Glasgow Airport (around £40-£45).
Where to Drink
The best pubs and bars for football fans
The many pubs and bars around Greenock Central are also fair game as pre- or post-match haunts, just that little further away.
At 100 Cathcart Street, popular community-focused sports bar Lithgows closed unexpectedly in 2023 and now awaits new owners. A couple of houses along, the James Watt is the main local Wetherspoon, set in a late Victorian post office and named after Greenock’s most famous son.
Further down Cathcart Street, the modern Lighthouse Bar is a popular place for post-match fun, with framed Morton shirts on the walls and TV football. No away colours. Nearby on East India Harbour, Tail O’The Bank is a family-friendly pub/restaurant in the Hungry Horse chain, popular for Sunday dinners and TV match nights.
Towards Greenock West, The Westburn on the street of the same name is a friendly pub busy with loyal regulars. A little further along on Laird Street, the traditional Black Cat is another recommended pub choice with TV football and a varied clientele. Live music too.
Further along in the resort of Gourock, you’ll find varied, attractive establishments overlooking the harbour on Kempock Street. These include the renowned Kempock Bar itself, a whisky drinker’s dream and worth the trek for the jukebox alone.
Across the road, the equally unmissable Cleats Bar creates a busy social agenda with DJs, quiz nights and live football. A short walk along by the ferry terminal, the Victoria Bar offers Belhaven beers and TV football.
These Gourock pubs are close to the station of the same name, and an easy hop by train to Greenock and/or the ground at Cartsdyke.
Where to stay
The best hotels for the ground and around town
Visit Scotland has a database of Greenock hotels.
With the development of the Greenock Ocean Terminal, chains and independent hotels surround the waterfront. The nearest one to Cappielow is the Premier Inn Greenock, just the other side of Cartsdyke station from the ground, with affordable standard rooms and attractive riverfront views. It’s a 10min walk to the ground, following the A8/East Hamilton Street.
Closer to the cruise ships, and Greenock West station, the stylish independent Tontine Hotel dates back to 1808, hence its lounge bar, the Eighteen08. Its 52 rooms include a honeymoon suite with a spa bath. There’s a restaurant, too.
Further round the headland, the tidy, prosperous resort of Gourock has several lodging options, the best being the family-run Spinnaker Hotel, ‘unrivalled views, great food and accommodation’. It’s also home to a celebrated Morton supporters’ club, the bar as popular as the hotel itself. For the ground, hop on a nearby bus to Gourock station, five minutes by train from Cartsdyke and Cappielow.
For a quality stay away from it all, the Inverkip Hotel in the picturesque village of Inverkip is ideal. Individually decorated rooms complement a restaurant and traditional whisky bar. Rates include a full Scottish breakfast. From nearby Inverkip station, trains leave every hour for Port Glasgow, two stops from Cartsdyke and Cappielow.
