Midfielder Forbes last month joined Ton until the end of the season as part of an agreement that saw club captain Andy Barrowman move in the opposite direction. And McCluskey is convinced the 25-year-old former Motherwell man will prove a real hit at Cappielow by showing what he is capable of between now and the end of the campaign.

The forward told the Tele: “We have a much stronger team now than we did at the start of the season. I think Ross Forbes will be different class for us. Every day in training you see how good he is.

“It actually bewilders me that Dunfermline let him go, to be honest.

“I’m really, really surprised he wasn’t getting a game for Dunfermline, but I suppose it shows you the different managers’ opinions.

“That’s what football is about: opinions. If a manager doesn’t want to play you, he’ll not play you.

“Obviously Ross wasn’t getting a game every week there and he’s come here, and I think he’s a stand-out signing.

“He’s a brilliant player and I believe he’ll show that in the coming weeks and months. He does a quality job in the midfield.

“He works hard, he’ll tackle, he’ll hustle and get you the ball back, he can play a pass, and he can score you a goal — he just needs a run of games.

“I think that’s all he needs, a run of games to show what he is capable of, because when I saw him playing with Motherwell when he was younger, he was captain and unbelievable for his age.

“A player can’t lose that, so I think once he gets matches under his belt he’ll show how good he is.” As well as the addition of Forbes, Jim Duffy has signed strikers Ross Caldwell and Peter MacDonald as well as bringing Declan McManus back to Cappielow on loan.

McCluskey knows he has his work cut out to keep his place in the Ton team in the face of such fierce competition for places.

But he has been performing well himself, with his recent run of four consecutive starts coinciding with Ton’s unbeaten run, and now he hopes to maintain that level of performance and stay in the side.

He added: “I’m feeling good and training well the now, so I just need to keep it going. As long as the team’s winning and I’m playing, I’m happy.

“It’s only when the team’s getting beat and you’re not playing that you’re not happy.” l Meanwhile, last Saturday’s postponed match against basement boys Stirling Albion has been rescheduled for Tuesday 3 March, with a 7.30pm kick-off.