JIM Duffy believes Morton’s summer friendly with Swansea could be another step in fostering a closer relationship between the clubs and potentially lead to bringing more players north on loan.

The Greenock men are scheduled to host the English Premier League outfit’s Under-21 side at Cappielow on Tuesday July 26.

It is a fixture that builds on the initial ties established during Swansea striker Alex Samuel’s temporary stint last term.

And Ton boss Duffy says he is pleased to have the opportunity to play the fixture from both footballing and off-field perspectives.

He told the Tele: “I think it’s great that Swansea, even if it’s the younger players, will come up and play, because they obviously have an awful lot of quality.

“It was a game arranged by the club and when the chairman told me there was a possibility of Swansea coming up, I said I would be delighted to play the game.

“I think everyone knows Swansea over the last seven or eight years have been a top-class footballing side, so to play against them regardless of which players they bring up will be a football education. 

“My intention would be to play it as a first-team game, but that will be more determined closer to the time because we will be playing Albion Rovers, Clyde, Kilmarnock and Berwick in that period.”

He added: “There’s also a possibility to develop some sort of relationship, and that’s another major reason why I think it’s important for the football club. 

“You’ve got to compliment the chairman for looking at that aspect of it, because the English Premier League clubs have such vast squads that it’s difficult for young players to break through sometimes.

“So any opportunity to create a relationship would be brilliant, because they have a lot of talent at their disposal and sometimes that talent just needs a place to flourish.

“If it could be at Cappielow then that would be terrific. So it could certainly be a chance to get boys on loan. You never know further down the line.

“I mean, I know Alex speaks favourably of us, and sometimes if you have people who’ve been there before and been happy, it can let other players and the staff know that.

“I also think it’s good to have personal contact. In terms of the staff that will come up with Swansea, it will be a good opportunity to try and build a relationship.

“There’s no doubt about that, but they’re also playing Falkirk and Hamilton and there will be other clubs asking the same questions. I’m sure everybody will be keen to try and use that opportunity.

“But from our point of view the biggest things will be the quality on the pitch and the possibility of making contacts and that maybe proving fruitful further down the line. Hopefully that will be the case.”

Where Morton may hold an advantage over other clubs is in the fact that in development squad striker Samuel they have a track record of taking a Swans prospect on loan. 

When asked if there could be a chance of the 20-year-old, who scored four goals in nine starts and 21 sub appearances, returning next term, Duffy was not yet in a position to say.

He explained: “All the players who were here on loan last year we enjoyed having and I think they all enjoyed being here. 

“But Alex’s is a different situation because the rest of them either have family here or lived here. 

“Luca and Paul McMullan live here and Denny and Declan’s families were in Scotland.

“Alex is a Swansea boy and, again, they haven’t started back yet. Alex has never really met the new manager, so all those things could be factors.

“Maybe a few weeks down the line, something might be a possibility. 

“But at this moment Alex will be going in for pre-season with Swansea and may well be up playing against us. 

“So we’ll assess how he goes. I think it’s fair to say that we would still be interested in bringing the boy back.”