MORTON boss Jim Duffy feels last night’s emphatic victory over Viewfield Rovers will have helped sharpened his side’s attacking edge ahead of the new season.

After finding chances hard to come by in their match with Rotherham, Duffy was keen to play his first-choice forwards against the amateurs to give them an opportunity to hone their eye for goal.

And he was more than satisfied as Stefan McCluskey scored one, Joe McKee bagged a brace and Andy Barrowman netted a first-half hat-trick in a 13-1 Renfrewshire Cup semi-final rout.

He said: “Where Saturday was about stopping the opposition, working hard, getting shape and fitness, tonight was about a way of passing the ball and finding a way to create openings.

“It’s difficult for Viewfield. They’re obviously working as hard as they can and the difference is to be expected.

“From my point of view, I look at the positive aspects and it allowed guys like Joe McKee to get on the ball a bit more, and pass and see if he could get on the scoresheet.

“Andy [Barrowman] and Stef McCluskey got a little bit more opportunities for shots at goal and strikes at goal.

“Whether they scored or missed them wasn’t the most important thing; it was just getting opportunities to score because we had few on Saturday.” “It was about what we did in the final third of the pitch. We wanted to give our attacking players that opportunity and that was why they played.” Duffy was an assertive presence on the touchline against Rotherham at the weekend but took more of a backseat last night, with David Hopkin and Craig McPherson taking the reins.

Duffy added: “Davie Hopkin was really taking the team tonight and you could hear him. He was demanding – and that’s what I want, whether it’s the coaches or the players.

“From our point of view it was important that we had the correct attitude, and I was delighted with the players. They showed a fantastic attitude.

“That comes from the coaching staff. If we go in and take it as a game that’s a leisurely stroll then the players will do that, but that certainly wasn’t the case “Davie and Craig impressed upon the players how important it is to set standards, and they took that on board from the coaches. That was important.” “It was about what we did in the final third of the pitch.

“We wanted to give our attacking players that opportunity and that was why they played.” Duffy was an assertive presence on the touchline against Rotherham at the weekend but took more of a backseat last night, with David Hopkin and Craig McPherson taking the reins.

Duffy added: “Davie Hopkin was really taking the team tonight and you could hear him.

“He was demanding — and that’s what I want, whether it’s the coaches or the players.

“From our point of view it was important that we had the correct attitude, and I was delighted with the players. They showed a fantastic attitude.

“That comes from the coaching staff.

“If we go in and take it as a game that’s a leisurely stroll then the players will do that, but that certainly wasn’t the case “Davie and Craig impressed upon the players how important it is to set standards, and they took that on board from the coaches.

“That was important.”