Greenock Morton’s technical head coach Billy Davies has praised the support shown to manager Dougie Imrie following the tragic loss of his infant daughter Remi, who passed away at just 20 days old.
Despite the heart breaking circumstances, Imrie was in the dugout for Morton’s 2-2 draw at home to Scott Brown’s Ayr United on Saturday afternoon.
Davies revealed that the manager only confirmed his intention to be present the day before the crucial William Hill Championship fixture, taking his place on the sidelines during a flawlessly observed minute’s silence for his daughter.
Davies, the former Derby County boss, had previously stepped in earlier in the campaign to lead the Cappielow side against Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline Athletic. But on this occasion, Imrie was determined to be involved.
He was shown just how much the Greenock community, and Scottish football as a whole, were behind him.
The Cowshed section sang the manager’s name before, during, and after the match, with Imrie visibly emotional at full-time.
Reflecting on the importance of getting a result after such a difficult week, Davies said:
“We wanted to get a result, get points for the manager and his family.
“It’s been a tough, tough week for everyone involved.”
Support for Imrie extended far beyond Cappielow.
At Tynecastle, before their fixture against Hearts, Motherwell fans unfurled a banner that read simply: “Stay Strong Dougie, Rest in Peace Remi.”
A simple but poignant gesture from ex-Hamilton player Imrie’s former rivals, underlining that some things are far more important than football rivalries.
Imrie has also been inundated with messages of support from across the country and throughout the footballing community.
Davies added: “It was nice to see everyone across the country get behind the manager and his family.
“He deserves tremendous respect because he’s a very misunderstood character who has had to deal with a lot of things.”
On the pitch, Morton took the lead in the first half through an Eamonn Brophy penalty but fell 2-1 behind early in the second half as Ayr struck twice from set pieces.
Assessing the defensive lapses, Davies admitted: “We only didn’t handle it because one or two people individually switched off.
“Unfortunately, you can coach all week and say all the right things, but that’s what cost us today.”
Brophy, however, rescued a point with a late header on what was an emotional afternoon at Cappielow.
Davies praised both the team’s resilience and the striker’s contribution: “I’m delighted with the character we showed and delighted to get that late goal.
That’s what Eamonn does best, he scores goals. He’s still not where we want him fitness-wise, but two tremendous goals today and great for him personally.”
📺 WATCH NOW: Billy Davies’ post game reaction
Three draws from their opening three matches leaves Morton unbeaten but still searching for a first win.
Imrie, Davies and their squad now travel to Perth to face a St Johnstone side already tipped for a swift return to the William Hill Premiership after winning their opening trio of fixtures.
For yesterday however, the result felt secondary, the afternoon was defined instead by unity, resilience, and a community standing firmly behind their manager in his darkest hour.
