JIM Duffy admits Morton are threadbare at the back after losing three of their main defenders — so he wants his midfield and strikeforce to up the ante tomorrow to take the pressure off.

Ton have lost Thomas O’Ware and captain Lee Kilday to ankle injuries, as well as Ricki Lamie who is out of action due to an Achilles problem. 

Development squad coach Darren Barr has also been playing with a knock for a few weeks.

But Duffy insists it’s his job to come up with a solution for his team that will help them against Edinburgh City today — and he feels may come from his forward-thinking players.

He told the Tele: “Every game at this stage in the season is extremely difficult. 

“There’s no chance of being up to the levels we’d like to be because we’re missing so many players, but it’s another opportunity to get closer to that level.

“You put that challenge down to the players to ask them to move up a gear. 

“Edinburgh performed very well against Motherwell on Tuesday and it took a last-minute winner to beat them, so it shows that they’re very well organised and disciplined and shows that they’re learning as they go. 

“They’ll make it difficult for us, but we need to be more productive.”

“It doesn’t matter which team you’re in, you need your players available and your squad strong.

“At this moment in time we’ve got very good players unavailable.

“But we have to focus on those available now and find a system that suits those players.

“That’s what you’re trying to do in the early parts of the season, if we’ve not got all our defenders, can we make our midfielders and forwards a bit better?

“That’s what we’ll try and do.