ANDY Barrowman reckons Morton have improved significantly since facing Spartans in their first competitive fixture of the season four months ago.

Ton progressed to the second round of the Petrofac Cup with a narrow 1-0 win against the Lowland League champions at Cappielow in July.

The hitman doesn’t expect an easier ride from Dougie Samuel’s side tomorrow, but feels the Greenock men are now better placed to perform to their full potential. Barrowman, whose double at Airdrie set up tomorrow’s meeting, told the Tele: “It won’t be easy, as some people might think, definitely not.

“Spartans are in this round of the competition on merit. You don’t get to this stage of the competition without being good. We played them at the start of the season and it was a tough game that day. I think we’re a better side now than we were then in fairness. It will be a tough game, but if we go there and show the same appetite and desire we have been then we should take care of business.” The experienced striker was forced off with a hamstring injury in the first half of that early-season Challenge Cup clash and spent the next six weeks on the sidelines.

He added: “I went off injured 29 minutes into that game so hopefully I have more luck against them this time round!”