JIM DUFFY confessed he feared the worst for his Morton side as two last-gasp goals set up a dramatic penalty-shootout win over Queen’s Park.

Second-half strikes from Bryan Wharton and Thomas Orr had put Gus MacPherson’s men 2-0 up with just nine minutes to play as a stunned Cappielow fell silent for this Betfred Cup group F encounter.

However, the Spiders hadn’t banked on Morton coming back from the dead to pull one back through Bob McHugh on 85 minutes before Darren Barr crashed home a leveller deep into injury time.

Penalties soon followed and the hosts claimed a crucial bonus point victory as former Kilmarnock and Dundee maestro Gary Harkins slotted the all important spot kick to give Morton a 4-2 shootout win on the back of an enthralling 2-2 stalemate.

“In the first half I thought we played well, controlled the game, passed the ball well and had really good movement. But you have to capitalise on that and we didn’t,” said the Morton manager.

“When you go two goals down and there’s only five minutes to go you think the game is beyond you then. But all credit to the players, although I think it’s a bit harsh on Queen’s Park if I’m being honest.

“You have to earn the right to win football matches and to do that you have to score goals.

“They started to believe they had a chance of a result. From that perspective I’m absolutely delight to get the two points as with five minutes to go we had none.”

This was a match that both teams will wonder how they didn’t come away with all three points. Morton controlled huge amounts of this game and God only knows how they did not go in ahead at the break. After just two minutes a clever McHugh cross looked destined to for the net until keeper William Muir acrobatically dived low to his left to claw away. Harkins and Murdoch both went close again.

Conversely, MacPherson will rightly praise his players for a resurgent showing in the second period that should really have had them out of sight. While Queen’s crumbled in the latter stages of their 5-1 defeat to Motherwell on Saturday, they grew with confidence here.

Kevin Green had a shot cleared off the line before Wharton eventually game a shock lead after bulleting home a David Galt free-kick. By the time Orr made it two after getting in behind the defence to slot under Derek Gaston, the writing looked on the wall.

Morton had other ideas, though. As the clock ticked down McHugh’s composure to turn in a Scott Tiffoney cut back under pressure was telling, as was the courage for Barr to get to the ball first to send the game to penalties.

Despite goalscorers McHugh and Orr failing to convert their side’s respective first kicks, Green’s miss later in the shootout presented Harkins with the chance to calmly pass the ball into the net to keep two points in Greenock.

"At that stage of the game we should be able to see it out but there's a physical difference between the levels of football we are at," said MacPherson afterwards.

"We are delighted, though. Their record here is phenomenal so to come down here and chop and change, be competitive, is excellent."