MORTON are back on the road again tomorrow afternoon as they head for Forfar and try to make it three league victories on the spin.

Following their energetic midweek exertions, Jim Duffy’s men can go into the game at Station Park in confident mood.

They may have lost to Partick Thistle at Cappielow in the League Cup on Tuesday evening but they were certainly not disgraced.

Playing a side two leagues above them, the Ton gave a pretty good account of themselves throughout and could possibly consider themselves unfortunate not to take the tie into extra time.

Accurately described pre-match by Jags’ boss Alan Archibald as a team who have ‘fallen on hard times recently’, the worry was that the Greenock men might find themselves on the wrong end of a confidence-battering result like the one Raith Rovers suffered at the hands of Dundee, or Alloa at Hamilton.

The visitors only made two alterations to the line-up from their previous Premiership outing, having pledged to try and go on a cup run, so this was no second string outfit sent along the M8 from Maryhill.

In the end, all that separated the two teams was a solitary Kris Doolan strike right on half time, the striker ruthlessly punishing a momentary lapse in concentration that might ordinarily go unpunished in League One.

Thistle’s inability to seal the win earlier than they did was principally down to Morton’s organisation and commitment — their work-rate was excellent and their defence made life difficult for the visitors.

While they enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, Thistle were not allowed to spray the ball about in the manner they normally do, which restricted the ability of people like Kallum Higginbotham to cause damage.

Now and again, Morton also managed to cause problems for their opponents, carving out a couple of clear-cut opportunities which were unfortunately both spurned by Stefan McCluskey, although they’ll maybe feel they could have had more variation to their attacking play at times.

McCluskey was also at the centre of a hotly-disputed second half penalty shout after going down in a challenge with Paul Gallacher, with the feeling afterwards that the Partick custodian had got away with a foul, while the striker was harshly booked for his troubles.

The match eventually petered out towards the end but it was a useful exercise which Morton need not be overly disappointed about. They can take heart from their performance and draw belief from it which should stand them in good stead for the rigours of the long league campaign ahead.

All in all, Ton have made a good start to life in the third tier, collecting six points out of nine, especially when you consider the fact that the squad has been rebuilt under new management and is still incomplete.

In those circumstances, two wins out of three is not at all bad, with Saturday’s win at Peterhead particularly pleasing.

Balmoor has not been the friendliest of venues for the Ton over the years, so to secure a 2-1 win — particularly in the manner they did — was very encouraging.

Having been pegged back to 1-1, they could have folded against a team with a very strong home record, but the fillip of a red card for Rory McAllister pushed them forward in the closing stages and they got their reward when defender-turned-striker Thomas O’Ware drilled home a stoppage-time winner.

Any team that wins at this difficult ground will be doing well, and now Ton must look to capitalise by following up at Forfar ahead of some home fixtures.

The manager is right to sound a word of warning ahead of tomorrow’s game though — his team may be going well and certainly performed creditably against better opposition in midweek, but it does not necessarily follow that they are ready to set off on a long unbeaten run.

Duffy’s assessment is that when everyone is focused and on top of their game, he has, at this level, a decent team with potential.

Most observers would probably tend to agree with that statement.

They would also probably concur with the argument that the group is still a couple of players short if it is to be in the strongest possible shape to stake a claim for the title — which is, after all, the ultimate aim this term.

The feeling persists that Morton, as a minimum, still need someone in the middle of the park with a bit of experience and know-how.

Every point will be a prisoner between now and May, with closely matched teams trading blows and scrapping for absolutely everything — to have someone in the side with a bit of streetwise savvy could prove a huge advantage.

There will likely be other areas of the squad the manager would like to strengthen too, finances permitting of course, before we get too far into the campaign. But it seems unlikely there will be any new faces on show for tomorrow’s trip to Station Park.

The players will have to adapt to the Loons’ plastic pitch but this ought not to be a major hurdle given the amount of time they spend training on one at Parklea.

Dick Campbell’s men turned over title favourites Dunfermline after an opening day draw at Stranraer, so Duffy and his players should need little warning about how tough a task they face.

The home side will also be keen to recover from last Saturday’s loss to 100 per cent-record league leaders Ayr United, and they boast plenty of experience in the shape of former Scotland and Celtic goalkeeper Rab Douglas, ex-St Johnstone stopper Darren Dods and one-time Morton striker Chris Templeman (an injury doubt who faces a late fitness test), while dangerman Gavin Swankie will have to be watched closely.

But if Morton can show the same type of organisation and commitment they did in midweek, and add the crucial finishing touch when they create chances, then this is a match they are capable of winning.

TEAM LATEST ANDY Barrowman took a significant step on the road to a return to action by participating in training yesterday. However, tomorrow’s match comes just too early for the hitman. In yesterday’s Tele, Jamie McCluskey told how he is looking at around two to three weeks on the sidelines with the hamstring injury suffered at Peterhead.

Manager Jim Duffy, though, has not ruled out the possibility of being without the winger for four to six weeks. Either way, he definitely misses out against Forfar.

Midfielder Conor Pepper was the only other injury concern at the time of going to press. The Irishman suffered a badly bruised left foot in the cup tie against Partick Thistle but should be available.

TRAVEL NOTES THE Greenock Morton Supporters’ Club bus to Forfar will leave the club at 11.15am with pick-ups en-route. Anyone wishing a seat on this bus can call the Morton Supporters’ Club on 888273.

THE Albert Hotel Morton Supporters are now taking bookings for tomorrow’s visit to Station Park for the Scottish League One game against Forfar. The bus will leave the hotel at 11.30am. All are welcome with pick-ups available en-route. To book a seat call or text Jim on 07983 600945.

THE Lighthouse Morton Travel Club are sharing a bus to Forfar and will leave from the Morton Supporters’ Club at 11.15am.