JIM Duffy believes Morton will have to match Livingston’s intensity this weekend in order to reverse the scoreline from the last time the two sides met at Cappielow.

Ton lost 2-0 to the Lions a fortnight ago in the Irn-Bru Cup in Greenock and Duffy was livid with his side that night — so he expects his players to improve.

He reckons Ton must show the same willingness to win that their opponents are bound to show under the guidance of former Morton favourite David Hopkin.

He told the Tele: “Livingston play with their own style and in a way that’s very competitive.

“You hear the common phrase ‘high intensity’ these days but certainly they do play that way. 

“They make it very difficult for you, give you very little time on the ball and their level of consistency has been very good up until last weekend against St Mirren.

“But in general I’m sure they’ll try and put in the same type of performance they did the last time they were at Cappielow. 

“We’re not at the absolute very top level and sometimes you have to roll your sleeves up and grind a result out and if that’s the case against Livingston then the players have to be prepared to do that.”

Duffy added: “You want a bit of consistency about your play and that’s what every team searches for early in the season. 

“One or two teams have started really well, Dundee United and Dunfermline in particular, but everyone else is still searching for a bit of it.

“There’s only three games gone so you’ve got to try and keep calm, get that consistency but we’re still finding our feet a little bit. 

“We’re working on our shape all the time and trying to get the balance of the team right.”

Morton haven’t had their defensive problems to seek so far this season but their key men are beginning to return to match fitness as the weeks go on. 

Development squad coach Darren Barr was even able to select himself to play at the heart of his under-20s side who won away at Ayr United on Tuesday night.

However, the 32-year-old hobbled off with 10 minutes to go after a recurrence of the ankle problem that has kept him out for a number of weeks. 

But Duffy remains pleased with the defensive options he has at his disposal.

He said: “Darren Barr jarred his ankle again and had a wee setback. It’s not too much but enough just to give him a bit of fatigue in the muscle. 

“But we’ve got Thomas O’Ware and Ricki Lamie back now, Connor McManus did a really good job when he was in there as well.

“Then there’s Jack Iredale, pictured, who we still believe has good potential. So we’re not too badly covered at this moment in time.”