MORTON manager Jim Duffy insists tomorrow’s mammoth trek north should have no bearing on how his players perform over 90 minutes on Peterhead’s pristine pitch.

The Cappielow club have lost seven of their 10 trips to the north-east fishing port since the Blue Toon joined the league set-up in the year 2000.

Several Ton squads seemed to suffer a mental block after making the four-hour plus journey north and struggled to show up on the day, most notably in the 2005/06 promotion play-off second leg.

And with League One new boys Peterhead boasting a strong recent record on home turf, losing just once there on league duty last season, Morton’s return promises to be as testing as previous visits.

For Duffy, travel is part and parcel of life in the lower leagues, and he says Balmoor’s bowling green surface means there will be no excuses for his side failing to give a good account of themselves.

He told the Tele: “It’s a big journey, but that’s the nature of the league. You just have to accept that there are a few long days and Peterhead’s one of them. The journey up can be a bit tedious but you just get on with it. It’ll not faze me; I’ve been used to it over the last couple of years, going up to the likes of Elgin and Peterhead and places like that.

“So it doesn’t bother me, but it can sometimes be a wee bit tiring if you’ve got matches against them and maybe Elgin in a short space of time.

“But Peterhead have to do it every second week. So you have to put all that stuff out of your mind and concentrate on the 90 minutes. The good thing about Peterhead, and the most important thing, is that it’s a fantastic pitch. It’s an outstanding playing surface. It’s grass and one of the best in the country.

“From that point of view, once you go up there, get off the bus and get ready, you should be able to play football on it.

“If you arrive at a ground after a long journey and go and look at the pitch and it’s bobbly or there’s long grass then the players sometimes get it in their heads that it’s going to be a real scrap.

“When you go up to Peterhead you know it’s going to be a tough match — but it’s going to be a tough football match.” Peterhead were runaway winners in a League Two that also included Duffy’s Clyde side, and he fully expects Jim McInally’s men to be in contention for consecutive promotions.

He added: “Peterhead come into this season on the back of a championship win so their confidence is high. They have started the season well.

“They’re a really good strong side. They don’t lose many goals and they’ve got a real goal threat in them as well.

“I expect them to be challenging this year. Any team that doesn’t concede many and who have a natural, prolific goalscorer like [Rory] McAllister in their ranks will be up there.

“Jim McInally has strengthened by bringing in Mark Millar and Jamie Stevenson, both really good players, and has that strong partnership up front with McAllister and Andy Rodgers.

“They also have a really good goalkeeper, a strong defensive line, and a strong midfield. All those components together tell you they’re going to be a side to be watched.

“But that’s Peterhead. We’ve got to concentrate on our strengths. It’s a real test for us, but we’re in confident mood and we want to keep the momentum going by trying to get a positive result.

“To me, a positive result is a win. You don’t go anywhere intending to draw.

“Ideally, you go up there to win — and the journey back home is always sweeter if you’ve taken the three points.” Loan striker Declan McManus has been in scorching goalscoring form for Morton and he is likely to be central to their chances of emerging victorious.

Duffy smiled: “You hope that players you sign will come in and settle quickly and score goals for you if they’re a striker.

“But I think you still have to be surprised with how well Declan’s actually done.

“If we get the right service to him he’s always going to pose a threat.

“His goals have been absolutely terrific, but so has his general play.

“Hopefully he can keep it going as long as possible. You don’t expect it [from him] every match but when a striker gets on that run he goes into matches thinking he’ll score.

“They believe they are going to score, and I’m pretty sure Declan will have that mentality at the moment.

“We know now that even if we’re not playing great we will always have a threat. That’s an important weapon to have.” While McManus has been making the headlines, his strike partner Thomas O’Ware, who scored the second goal against Berwick, has been something of an unsung hero. But not for Duffy, who believes the makeshift targetman’s contribution has been just as vital as his strike partner.

The Ton boss said: “I was delighted with Tom O’Ware. I think he’s made a big difference for us and for Declan as well.

“He’s given us a physical presence that has allowed Declan to play on the shoulder of defenders; he held the ball up really well and he got a terrific goal with the header.

“For a boy who’s been thrown up there with no experience, thrown into the lion’s den so to speak, he’s been superb. His attitude has been great and he’s improved each time he’s played there.

“With Thomas, Declan, Jamie McCluskey there and Stefan McCluskey now back, we have more options in the forward areas. And that gives us different ways of approaching the game.”