Arbroath got off to a losing start under new manager Jim McIntyre, going down 2-1 at home to Morton.
It ended a 13-match unbeaten run for the Red Lichties against the Greenock club, stretching back to January 2020.
Lewis McGrattan gave Morton a first-half lead before David Gold’s equaliser on the hour.
Arbroath then looked the most likely to get a winner before George Oakley’s terrific strike with 11 minutes remaining sent Morton home with all three points.
First half
McIntyre made two changes from the side that lost convincingly to Dunfermline under interim boss Stuart Malcolm.
Ricky Little and Leighton McIntosh were brought in in a switch to 4-4-2. The latter’s game lasted just 19 minutes, however.
Little, making his first start in a month due to injury, was stretchered off and replaced by Jess Norey.
Arbroath were arguably the slightly better side until Morton took the lead, in a turgid first half in trying conditions.
The first real chance fell to Norey after Jermain Hylton did well to cut inside but was crowded out by the Morton defence.
Aaron Steele should have done better with a free header but connected poorly, as did Jay Bird with his strike after he was put through on goal at an angle.
Within a few minutes, Arbroath were made to pay for their sloppiness in front of goal when Morton took the lead through McGrattan,
The wide man cut across and in behind the Red Litchies defence to collect Jack Bearne’s through ball and slot low past Derek Gaston to give Morton a half-time lead.
Second half
Morton had the better of the opening stages of the second half, with Robbie Muirhead shooting straight at Gaston minutes after the restart.
The same player turned provider as he fired the ball across goal but McGrattan was unable to steer the ball into the net at the back post for his and Morton’s second.
Then Arbroath started to settle into the half and a solid Steele challenge kick-started a lovely move down the right involving Gold and Hylton that eventually broke down.
The same two players were involved for the equaliser another nice passage of play that saw Bird square across goal for Gold to finish apply the finish by guiding the ball inside the far post.
The home side were now in the ascendancy and Morton keeper Ryan Mullen had to get a strong hand to a dangerous whipped Bird free kick from the right.
That forced Dougie Imrie into a double change and one of those changes, the returning Lewis Strapp, brought a long-throw threat.
He sent in two of his trademark throws into the Arbroath box within second of one another and the latter fell to Oakley who shot through a pack of bodies and into the far top corner.
The defeat takes Arbroath closer to the bottom of the table, with Morton closing the gap to Arbroath to one point.
Line-ups
Arbroath (4-4-2): Gaston; Steele, O’Brien, Little (Norey 19′), Hamilton; Stewart, Gold, Slater, McIntosh (Stowe 82′); Hylton (Dunnwald-Turan 82′), Bird.
Subs not used:Â Adams, Jacobs, Lyon.
Morton (4-2-3-1): Mullen; Blues, Broadfoot (O’Connor 76′), Baird, Wilson; Crawford, Gillespie (Strapp 64′); McGrattan (Boyd 75′), Muirhead, Bearne (French 64′); Oakley.
Subs not used:Â Murdoch, O’Boy.
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