Extreme Football Tourism: SCOTLAND: Morton FC (1879-1881, 1882-1994) / Greenock Morton FC (1994-) / Clydebank FC (1999-2002)

Cappielow Park, Greenock (Greenock Morton FC, formerly Morton FC / Clydebank FC)

Scotland, county: Renfrewshire

27 XII 2025 / Greenock Morton FC - Ayr United FC 1-1 / Championship (= SCO level 2)

Timeline

1874 / Foundation of a football club in Greenock, which takes on the name Morton FC – a name probably derived from the Morton Terrace, a row of houses next to the original playing field at Grant Street.
1875 / Moving away from its pitch at Grant Street, Morton FC settles on a newly laid-out pitch situated between Port Glasgow Road and the River Clyde, referred to locally as Garvel Park.
1879 / Moving away from Garvel Park after four years, Morton FC settles on a plot of land behind Anderson’s Sugar Refinery, near the Cappielow Inn, which gave the ground its name: Cappielow, later adapted to become Cappielow Park. A first pavilion is erected in situ. In an inaugural friendly at the new ground, Morton FC suffers a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Wellington Park FC.
1881 / For reasons which remain unclear, Morton FC temporarily abandons Cappielow to settle at Clyde Park, off Port Glasgow Road, in an area referred to locally as Ladyburn, for eight months.
1882 / After eight months at Clyde Park, Morton FC returns to Cappielow.
± 1886 / A basic wooden grandstand is added to the set-up at Cappielow as the first stand of the park, on the southern touchline – the location of the modern-day main stand. Terraces are added in the following decades on the three other sides of the park.
1893 / As the Scottish Division 2 is inaugurated, Morton FC becomes a professional league club in this new division.
1900 / Finishing as runners-up in Division 2, 1 point behind champions Partick Thistle FC, Morton FC are elected into Division 1 for the first time.
1902 / For the first and only time in history, Cappielow Park hosts an international game of the Scottish national team, which eclipses Wales (5-1) in the British Home championship, with temporary seating being added to host a crowd of some 12,000 on the day.
1906 / The pavilion at Cappielow Park is destroyed in a fire, with a replacement erected that same year.
1917 / In the best performance in club history, Morton FC finishes as runners-up in Division 1, 10 points behind runaway champions Celtic FC, but 1 point ahead of Rangers FC.
1922 / In the major success in club history, Morton FC wins the Scottish Cup final, played at Hampden Park (att. 75,000), with a sole Jimmy Gourlay goal laying low Rangers FC. The successful manager is Bob Cochrane. That same year, a record crowd of 23,500 sees Morton FC take on Celtic FC at Cappielow Park.
1927 / Coached by Bob Cochrane, Morton FC finishes in second-last place in Division 1, thus dropping back into Division 2 after 27 years, along with bottom club Dundee United FC.
1929 / Finishing as runners-up in Division 2, 1 point behind champions Dundee United FC, Morton FC manages a return to Division 1 after two years. The successful manager is David Torrance.
1931 / Replacing the construction dating back to the 1880s, a new main stand is erected at Cappielow Park – an edifice in place until the present day. The other stands are the Wee Dublin Terrace (west), the Cowshed Terrace (north), and the Sinclair Street End Terrace (east).
1933 / Coached by Bob Cochrane, Morton FC finishes in second-last place in Division 1, thus suffering relegation into Division 2 along with bottom club East Stirlingshire FC. Also in 1933, Morton FC allows the running track of its ground to be used for greyhound racing.
1937 / Runners-up in Division 2, 3 points behind champions Ayr United FC, Morton FC manages a return to Division 1 after four years. The successful manager is Jackie Wright. Also in 1937, after four years, the greyhound racing events on the running track of Cappielow Park are discontinued, with the track being removed subsequently.
1946 / Morton FC is placed in Division A for the first post-war football season in Scotland.
1948 / Morton FC reaches the Scottish Cup final, with the first encounter at Hampden Park against Rangers FC (att. 132,629) ending in a 1-1 draw – Morton goal by Jimmy White – with the replay ending in a 1-0 defeat (A.E.T., att. 133,750).
1949 / Coached by Jimmy Davies, Morton FC finishes in second-last place in Division A, thus suffering relegation into Division B along with bottom club Albion Rovers FC.
1950 / Champions in Division B, 3 points ahead of runners-up – and fellow promotion winners – Airdrieonians FC, Morton FC wins promotion to Division A. The successful manager is Jimmy Davies.
1952 / Finishing in second-last place in Division A with manager Jimmy Davies, Morton FC descends into Division B (renamed Division 2 in 1956) along with bottom club Stirling Albion FC.
1958 / Floodlights are added to the set-up at Cappielow Park, with the new facilities being inaugurated in a friendly match against Third Lanark AC in November 1958.
1963 / Morton FC reaches the final of the League Cup, in which the club suffers a clear-cut 5-0 defeat against Rangers FC at Hampden Park (att. 106,000).
1964 / Runaway champions in Division 2, 14 points ahead of closest followers – and fellow promotion winners – Clyde FC, Morton FC wins promotion to Division 1 after an absence of twelve years at the top flight of Scottish football. The successful manager is Hal Stewart.
1965 / The terracing at the Wee Dublin End, at the west side of the ground, sees an expansion.
1966 / Coached by Hal Stewart, Morton FC finishes in second-last place in Division 1, resulting in the club dropping back into Division 2 along with bottom side Hamilton Academical FC.
1967 / Runaway champions in Division 2, 11 points ahead of closest followers – and fellow promotion winners – Raith Rovers FC, Morton FC manages an immediate return to Division 1. The successful manager is Hal Stewart.
1968 / Finishing in sixth place in Division 1, Morton FC qualifies for European football for the first and only time in club history. Drawing Chelsea FC in R1 of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Morton bows out against the London club in a 9-3 aggr. defeat.
1970 / After two years at Morton FC, 18-year-old striker Joe Jordan leaves the club where he made his professional league debut in 1968 to join Leeds United FC. Jordan would go on to have spells at Manchester United FC, Milan AC, AC Hellas Verona, Southampton FC, and Bristol City FC, ultimately hanging up his boots in 1989. Mordan also won 52 caps for Scotland, being part of his country’s squad for the 1974, 1978, and 1982 editions of the World Cup.
1975 / Finishing in second-last place in Division 1 with coach Erik Lykke Sørensen, Morton FC is retrograded to the new Division 1 – from now on the second tier of the Scottish league pyramid following the introduction of the Scottish Premier Division – along with Airdrieonians FC, Kilmarnock FC, Partick Thistle FC, Dumbarton FC, Dunfermline Athletic FC, Clyde FC, and bottom club Arbroath FC.
1978 / Champions in Division 1, with an equal number of points as runners-up Heart of Midlothian FC, but with a slightly better goal difference (+43 vs. +35), Morton FC wins promotion to the Premier Division along with the aforementioned club. The successful coach is Benny Rooney.
1981 / The terracing at the Wee Dublin End is replaced with uncovered seating.
1983 / Coached by Allan Feeney, who took over from Benny Rooney in the course of the season, Morton FC finishes in second-last place in the Premier Division, thus dropping back into Division 1 along with bottom club Kilmarnock FC. Also in 1983, two years after making his professional league debut at Morton at the age of 21, Irish striker Bernie Slaven leaves the club to join Airdrieonians FC. Slaven would go on to have spells at Queen of the South FC, Albion Rovers FC, Middlesbrough FC, Port Vale FC, Darlington FC, and Bellingham Synthonians FC, ultimately hanging up his boots in 1999. Slaven also won 7 caps for Ireland in the Jack Charlton era, being an unused sub in Eire’s squad which reached the quarterfinal of the 1990 World Cup.
1984 / Champions in Division 1, 3 points ahead of runners-up – and fellow promotion winners – Dumbarton FC, Morton FC manages an immediate return to the Premier Division. The successful manager is Tommy McLean.
1985 / Finishing bottom of the table in the Premier Division with coach Willie McLean, Morton FC suffers immediate relegation to Division 1, along with the club in second-last place, Dumbarton FC.
1987 / Champions in Division 1, 1 point ahead of runners-up – and fellow promotion winners – Dunfermline Athletic FC, Morton FC wins promotion to the Premier Division. The successful coach is Alan McGraw.
1988 / Coached by Alan McGraw, Morton FC finishes bottom of the table in the Premier Division, dropping back into Division 1 along with Falkirk FC and Dunfermline Athletic FC.
1993 / Morton FC reaches the final of the Challenge Cup, losing the encounter against Hamilton Academical FC (3-2) at St Mirren FC’s ground, Love Street (att. 7,391).
1994 / Finishing in second-last place in Division 1 with manager Alan McGraw, Morton FC descends into Division 2 – the third level of the Scottish football pyramid – for the first time, along with Dumbarton FC, Stirling Albion FC, Clyde FC, and bottom club Brechin City FC. In the summer of 1994, Morton FC changes its name to become Greenock Morton FC.
1995 / Champions in Division 2, 4 points ahead of closest rivals – and fellow promotion winners – Dumbarton FC, Greenock Morton FC manages an immediate return to Division 1. The successful manager is Alan McGraw.
± 1998 / The wooden benches in the main stand are replaced with plastic bucket seats. Around the same time, the front part of the Cowshed Terrace is equipped with some seating, bringing down total capacity of the ground to 11,589 (5,741 seated).
1999 / Greenock Morton FC is joined by Clydebank FC as groundsharers at Cappielow Park, following the close of that club’s ground, Boghead Park. At the time, Clydebank FC plays at the same level as Morton, in Division 1.
2000 / Finishing bottom of the table in Division 1 with manager Steve Morrison, who had replaced Ian McCall in the course of the season, Clydebank FC descends into Division 2.
2001 / Coached by Ally Maxwell, who took over as manager from Allan Evans in the course of the season, Greenock Morton FC finishes in second-last place in Division 1, thus descending into Division 2 along with bottom club Alloa Athletic FC. Meanwhile suffering from grave financial problems, Morton is put into administration. Also in 2001, Morton is joined by 37-year-old defender David McPherson, formerly at Rangers FC, Heart of Midlothian FC, and Carlton SC – and part of the Scotland squads taking part in the 1990 World Cup and the 1992 European Championships.
2002 / Coached by Dave McPherson, who took over as manager from Peter Cormack in the course of the season, thereby putting an end to his playing career, Greenock Morton FC finishes bottom of the table in Division 2, thus suffering relegation to Division 3, the fourth tier of the Scottish football pyramid (introduced in 1994), for the first time in club history. Meanwhile, Morton sees a takeover by businessman Douglas Rae, heralding the end of the club’s financial problems. Also in 2002, Clydebank FC finishes in fourth place in Division 2, with the club changing its name to become Airdrie United FC and moving to Airdrie following the liquidation of the original Airdrieonians FC.
2003 / Champions in Division 3, 1 point ahead of closest rivals – and fellow promotion winners – East Fife FC, Greenock Morton FC manages an immediate return to Division 2. The successful manager is John McCormack.
2006 / Runners-up in Division 2, 18 points behind runaway champions Gretna FC, Greenock Morton FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in the semis by Peterhead FC (1-0 aggr.).
2007 / Champions in Division 2, 8 points ahead of closest rivals – and fellow promotion winners – Stirling Albion FC, Greenock Morton FC wins promotion to Division 1 (renamed Championship in 2013). The successful manager is Jim McInally.
2011 / For a brief spell in the summer of 2011, Greenock Morton FC is joined at Cappielow Park by Ayr United FC, as floodlighting is installed at Somerset Park in Ayr.
2012 / Cappielow Park is one of the host stadiums of the 2012 UEFA U17 Championship, with the Dumbarton Stadium and Somerset Park in Ayr being the two other venues.
2013 / Greenock Morton FC is joined at Cappielow Park by the U20’s side of Celtic FC. Also in 2013, Celtic FC’s youth squad takes on their peers of FC Barcelona at Cappielow, with the Catalan side walking away with a 2-1 win.
2014 / Coached by Kenny Shields, Greenock Morton FC finishes bottom of the table in the Championship, thus descending into League 1 – the third tier of the Scottish football pyramid – along with the club in second-last place, East Fife FC.
2015 / Champions in League 1, 2 points ahead of closest followers Stranraer FC, Greenock Morton FC manages an immediate return to the Championship. The successful manager is Jim Duffy.
2017 / Finishing in fourth place in the Championship, Greenock Morton FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in the quarterfinal by Dundee United FC (5-1 aggr.).
2020 / After seven years, the groundsharing agreement between Greenock Morton FC and the U20’s squad of Celtic FC is terminated.
2021 / Finishing in second-last place in the Championship, Greenock Morton FC narrowly manages to stave off relegation in the promotion-relegation play-offs, successively having the better of Montrose FC (4-3 aggr.) and Airdrieonians FC (4-0 aggr.).

Note 1 – Highlights of the match I visited at Cappielow Park can be found in this YouTube video.

Note 2 – Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-12 = non-matchday visit, March 2017 / pictures 13-39 = match visit, December 2025.