JIM Duffy has experienced the heat of a Renfrewshire derby as a player — and that’s how he knows he will learn a lot about his squad from Saturday’s clash with St Mirren.

In three of his four seasons as a star centre-half at Cappielow during the first half of the 1980s, Morton and their Paisley rivals competed against each other in the Premier Division.

Duffy, a former Ton skipper, well remembers the derby-day atmosphere and the hype that surrounded the fixture in that era.

Although he expects tomorrow’s Renfrewshire Cup final to be less intense than those league meetings in the top flight, he believes it is still a match that can sort out the men from the boys. And as well as the rivalry, his side will also have to contend with the fact they will be expected to compete with a side two divisions above them in the league ladder.

All the ingredients point to an encounter that promises to be a real trial by fire for this Ton squad, but it’s a challenge Duffy fully expects them to embrace.

He told the Tele: “I was asked the other day about Renfrewshire derbies, and I can’t remember the Renfrewshire Cup ties.

“Obviously in those days we played against each other in the league, so the Renfrewshire Cup wasn’t maybe as important. But I can certainly remember the derby matches we played against St Mirren, primarily the games over the New Year period.

“They were the big derby matches of the year. It was the holiday period and it was a traditional match for which you tended to get really good crowds and a real atmosphere.

“Those are the games you remember being very, very competitive.

“They were 100 miles per hour with plenty of tackles, that’s for sure. There was no quarter asked or given.

“I don’t expect it to be quite the same pace tomorrow, because the game has changed where people pass the ball a bit more, the pitches have changed, and the game has changed.

“You’re not allowed to go and slide in and test the mettle of the opposition. That’s just something that’s not allowed in football nowadays.” He added: “Another element to consider is the degree of expectation. If this was the Scottish Cup and it was a Premiership side against a League One side, the Premiership side would be huge favourites.

“We’d be by far the underdog, but when it comes to this match people put that out of the equation because it’s a derby.

“St Mirren have most of the players they’ve had over the last couple of years, and Tommy Craig has been there, initially as assistant to Danny Lennon.

“So they have good continuity about their team. They won the League Cup a couple of years ago and are a really consistent Premiership team now.

“They’ve solidified their Premiership status over the last four or five years, so they’re a side who will be looking to challenge for a place in the top six next year. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.

“We’re a completely new side, and we’ll find out a bit about the players tomorrow, because it will be a bigger crowd with big expectation against Premiership opposition.

“It will be a real tough test for us, but in the month we’ve been here the players’ attitude has been terrific — and I don’t expect anything different tomorrow.” Duffy has, however, warned that they must not allow themselves to be consumed by the occasion.

They have to retain a certain detachment from the emotions emanating from the stands. And that also goes for him as a manager, with cup matches against Spartans and Berwick Rangers to consider.

He explained: “Expectations are up; it’s a derby match. And like any derby match there’s an extra edge to it, from the supporters’ point of view and from the competitive side.

“Fans are aware we don’t play each other as often as we used to, with not being in the same league for a number of years. So I suppose that adds a wee bit of extra spice to it as well.

“The supporters have the rivalry and it will always be there, and that’s a terrific thing to have — but the players have to focus and concentrate on the game.

“They can’t get too wrapped up in everything that surrounds it. They’ve got to do their jobs and do them properly. For me, it’s a case of trying to put it in perspective, which is that this will be another tough game in preparation for the season ahead.

“I think both managers will still view it as part of our preparation, but I’m fully aware that the fans will be looking to see how we perform and start to make judgements. It’s competitive, but you still have an element where you have to protect the players a little bit. If you’re playing a true competitive match, you maybe won’t make changes later in the game.

“You’ll look to try and see the game through, to try and get the win. In this particular match, you want to win it, but there’s still an element of having to be a wee bit cautious.

“If the players are feeling it with 20 minutes to go then you’ve got make changes and protect the team for the cup matches that are approaching.

“But I obviously fully understand that it’s an important match in the eyes of both sets of supporters. From our point of view, the Morton supporters will expect to see commitment from their team — and I expect us to have that.”