Hopkin quits Morton in 'selfless act' to help club in pandemic

Morton say David Hopkin has resigned as manager in a “selfless act” to help the club survive the coronavirus pandemic.

The 50-year-old former Livingston and Bradford boss has quit with Morton in seventh place in the Scottish Championship with seven points from six matches.

A club statement read: “The manager offered his resignation this morning, in a selfless act to help safeguard the playing squad and assist the club as it deals with the serious financial issues resulting from the pandemic.”

Assistant manager Anton McElhone will take over as interim manager with support from senior players Chris Millar, Jim McAlister and Brian McLean.

Former Scotland, Leeds and Crystal Palace midfielder Hopkin returned to his hometown club, where he began his career, in May 2019.

Chairman Crawford Rae said in a statement: “Hoppy has been an inspiration since he joined the club and has worked tirelessly to try and regain the success that has evaded us for so long.

“I spoke to Hoppy on numerous occasions about coming to the club as our manager, and he said it was the one club that he wanted to get to the top flight.

“Unfortunately, the vision and plans we discussed changed dramatically due to the Covid pandemic and we found ourselves having to deal with a completely different football landscape.

“This was very difficult for me, Hoppy and everyone involved with the club, but we had to adapt to the situation we found ourselves in.

“I discussed budgets with Hoppy this morning and we looked at possible ways to improve our financial position. In a selfless act he said he would resign if that would help the club financially.

“We talked about this at some length and I eventually, and reluctantly, accepted his resignation.

“The simple fact is that Greenock Morton, like other football clubs, has generated little to no income as the pandemic has raged across the country and we have had to contend with empty terraces week after week.

“The furlough scheme has partially helped and the Scottish Government announcement about funding is welcome, if very late, but like so many other businesses at the moment we need to generate considerably more revenue if we are to survive.”