It’s a been a great season for Morton

It may not seem like it for many Morton supporters who have just seen the team lose 1-0 at home to Dunfermline. But it has been quite an amazing season and one that every Morton fan should be proud of.

OK, it isn’t quite all over yet but it’s looking almost certain that the Ton will finish in second place, and therefore not achieve the promotion to the Premier League that for so long this season seemed a distinct possibility.

It’s been 25 years since Morton were last relegated from the top flight and it’s been a long – and sometimes very painful struggle – to get back.  It didn’t quite happen this time around, but it’s the nearest we’ve come in all that time and, if we can keep the team together, we should have a great chance next time.

It’s easy to point to some key games we played poorly in, such as the defeats to Dumbarton and Hamilton, or the recent visit to Firhill.  All in all, it’s been a cracking season though and to finish second to a team playing as well as the current Partick Thistle team – having pushed them hard – is an achievement in itself. Sure, in the final analysis we failed to secure promotion but, at the beginning of the season, did anyone genuinely think we would?

Not me. I just wanted an improvement on last season – and I think it’s safe to say we achieved that!

The way we’ve played this season has been good for the club, the fans, the Scottish Football League and the town.  It’s been terrific to see people in Greenock getting excited about the team again, even if not enough turn up to Cappielow. The team has given people in Greenock the chance to feel good about the place again, and that’s priceless.

My better half is not a Morton fan, in fact she quite likes Partick Thistle which makes life interesting. I think though is fair to say that anyone – even the “the only good thing to come out of Greenock is a Paisley bus” kind of St Mirren fan – must admit there’s something very special about this Morton team.  Allan Moore deserves real credit for what he’s done so far.

The best thing is that the club is still a work in progress, at all levels. It’s come a long way from the dark days of the early 2000s under Hugh Scott.  Chairman Douglas Rae has brought not only some much needed stability in the last decade but has overseen Morton rise from the pits of Hell itself (well, the Third Division, which is the same thing) to second in the First Division –and of course has contributed to the vastly improved financial position.  On the playing front, season 2012-13 showed what Morton are capable of – I think we can be optimistic that there is much more to come.

So, while the last week has been a disappointing one for the Ton, it’s been far from a season of failure.  It’s been our best season for over a decade– arguably even better than 1995-6 when Morton (including Finnish ace Marko Rajamaki) missed out on promotion by goal difference to Dundee United.  We should be proud of that, and look forward optimistically.

What might be useful is, with talk of league reconstruction in the air, is for the powers that be to reconsider the ridiculous set-up than allows only for one team to be promoted to the SPL. It was a flawed measure in almost every respect, and if the top tier of Scottish league football is genuinely to be a meritocracy then the very least that should be done is introduce play-offs, as is the case for promotion/relegation from the other divisions.

After a season like this, I’d say that both Thistle and Morton deserve promotion. But I’m bound to say that being a Morton fan. There is of course a better case for introducing a second promotion spot – to make end of season games more meaningful for players and spectators alike.

I should add that I used to live in Panmure Street behind Thistle's ground and went to quite a few games. (Well, I've always had a sense of humour.) If Morton were going to lose out to anyone, I'd rather it be Thistle than anyone else.

And so, congratulations to Thistle – I hope you do well next season in the SPL and I look forward to hostilities being renewed in 2014-15, when of course Renfrewshire derbies (but not Old Firm clashes) will hopefully again feature in the SPL! In the meantime, Morton fans should reflect with sober judgement on this season and look positively towards a brighter future.

Some reflections on Xanthe's dedication.

Xanthe is now seven months old.  Those seven months have gone by extraordinarily quickly, during which I have developed practical skills I never believed I would need and an unusual ability to remain alert in spite of all the sleepless nights.

It's interesting that, already, differences are emerging between my parenting approaches and those Anna prefers.  Inevitably, these stem from personal and family experiences.  They also are the product of the expectations of those closest to us. of our respective views of the world and ultimately how we see ourselves.

The small matter of the baby's rite of passage came up, and in some respects we are in agreement.  Neither of us believes that a bit of water and some religious mumble-jumble will do a child much good.  Similarly, we don't believe in imposing religion upon a child's life.  I personally struggle with the notion of baptism as being anything but voluntary.  But we also are both of the view that we wish for our family - and extended family - to be as involved in Xanthe's life as possible and we saw the value in something that would celebrate this new life while also looking to the future - perhaps actually going beyond traditional rituals and practices while loosely confirming to them.

Anna's from a more typically religious background than I am; her father is the minister of an independent church in Cumbria that seems to swing between socially liberal and conservative philosophies depending on the issue. We certainly have some interesting conversations.  They don't "do" religion in the classical sense either, which I find quite positive.  However, sadly in their proclaimed irreligiousness such people become religious: my brother had specifically requested before Xanthe's birth to be a godparent (one reason why this was important to us) but apparently their church does not believe in them.  Wasn't there a chance of incorporating this into a dedication ceremony for a family member?  It seemed not, at least without creating internal family feuds.  

It does make you wonder, if they can't  accommodate family requests what chance is there of actively reaching out to others in need of inclusion such as LGBT people?

Godparents were important to us not from the perspective of religious convention, but because mentoring and supporting parents in the roles is vital in a child's development.  And in my brother Adrian and my friend Bob, not only had we found two incredibly supportive mentors with a real interest in Xanthe's development, but some incredibly good role models.  Both have very different life experiences which will enrich Xanthe's cultural and social understandings as she grows up.

It would have been quite a nice thing to have a dedication ceremony in Anna's family's church but neither of us wanted to labour the point about inclusivism, and we certainly didn't wish to exclude people we'd already asked to be godparents.  

Fortunately the Salvation Army was on hand to allow us a "dedication" rather than a Christening ceremony.  I like the Salvation Army, although I don't really buy into where it comes from theologically. They've been quite good to me in the past, to put it mildly.  And, on this occasion, they allowed us to create our own  ceremony including a secular song that I'd written, performed by Xanthe's cousins.  We were able to fully involve both family and godparents in ways that we wanted and while there were many Christian references the religious content wasn't laid on very thick, always positive for those present who struggle with ecclesiastical speak and religion more generally.

The event itself took place last Saturday; indeed, as we had hoped, it turned into a celebration of a young life with huge potential.  It was also a way of bringing our rather diverse family and friends together, of making people feel significant and involved, and for enjoying some pretty good food.  It also made a statement of how deeply Xanthe is loved and the dedication many people have to care for her.

These events are important for so many reasons.  It's a milestone in Xanthe's life and a means of drawing people who are important to us (and therefore to Xanthe) together.  And, in our case, it sent out a strong signal of inclusiveness.  Everyone was welcome, because they are a part of Xanthe's life.  We are all the products of hundreds of relationships: they might vary in terms of how they positively affect us, but there can be no denying that they make us who we are.  And, as Xanthe's father, those people who have shaped my own life inevitably influence Xanthe's in unseen ways.  No doubt my attitudes and worldviews were forged by my own family, friends and countless people I've come into contact with.  This was reflected by hidden tributes to people who were not present and will never have the privilege of knowing Xanthe personally: a Gaelic reading in memory of my friend Bill Beaton, a rendition of Le Lac de Come in honour of Dr Jose Belda, who taught me the piece and inspired me to study medicine, and my own song being written to the tune of The Dark Island in tribute to an elderly lady named Mrs Williams who, during my time at Oban High School, contributed in no small way to my personal well-being and who, rather amazingly, decided to take up learning the accordion at the age of 90.

The problem with such events is that, too often, they are overtly religious and lack any kind of scope for actually focusing on the child themselves.  Surprisingly many still find the need to endure such tedious ceremony, often in spite of their lack of belief. That wasn't for us.  Similarly, while there are beautiful humanist naming ceremonies which I'm happy to promote, we also wanted to include many family members who have particular Christian beliefs and may have struggled with an entirely non-religious service.  We felt that inclusivism was a more fitting message than any other and are certainly very grateful to the Salvation Army, who allowed us to make Xanthe's dedication all things to (almost) all people and, most importantly, for accommodating the many very personal and unique requirements we had.

It was a surprisingly beautiful and inclusive ceremony.  Actually, come to think of it, given our respective families that isn't too hard.  Plenty of people from different backgrounds including some LGBT people - all who have one thing in common: they're part of Xanthe's life.

Christenings, dedications, naming ceremonies...ultimately, whatever they are called, they should be about introducing a child to a world of love, with people close to him or her pledging commitment to their well-being.  It isn't God's day, it's the child's - and the family's.  

The last word goes to Xanthe's godparent Bob and his wife Helen who wrote to us afterwards: "We were honoured to be part of your dedication service and lovely family party/celebration.  Thank you for inclusing us.  How fortunate Xanthe is - to be born with such a lovely, lively family,with such a splendid cohort of uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. It was very good to be part of Xanthe's big day."  

No doubt, it's one of many "big days" Xanthe will have throughout her life.  I imagine that some might turn out to be a little more expensive...