MORTON hope to be back in action tomorrow afternoon against Brechin City after the weather left them kicking their heels in frustration last Saturday.

On a day when Ton stood a chance of going top of the table with a win over Stirling, they instead had to settle for a training session at Parklea before discovering they had slipped to third place in the league.

With pacesetters Stranraer busy on Scottish Cup duty, Ton fans had hoped to see their team record three points and climb to the summit of League One.

But just as the promotion race was beginning to hot up the temperature outside plummeted, leaving the shaded stand-side of the pitch at Cappielow frostbound and unplayable.

While Ton boss Jim Duffy and sidekick Craig McPherson took advantage of the postponement to carry out a spying mission on tomorrow’s opponents, their other principal challengers, Forfar, were busy leapfrogging them into second position with a good win over Peterhead.

Last week’s disrupted programme means that the top three have now played the same number of games, so at least Ton know exactly where they stand.

It is incredibly tight at the top, with the slimmest of points margins separating the sides, suggesting that this could be a fight which goes right down to the wire.

One team who do have games in hand and could yet force themselves into the equation are Ton’s opponents tomorrow.

Ray McKinnon’s men are playing catch up with their fixtures and will be hoping that they can grab two victories when they come round.

But the opportunity to do some immediate damage to Morton this weekend is one they will not want to pass up, as it offers them a chance to eat into the six-point gap which currently exists between the clubs.

They will feel this is an achievable goal too, given the previous matches between the pair this term.

City readily chalked up a 3-1 win over their visitors in the early October sunshine at Glebe Park, and it was a comfortable and well-deserved victory.

It must be said, though, that Morton hardly made it difficult for them that afternoon.

The Greenock men looked an insipid, listless bunch and defended diabolically during the 90 minutes.

It was very much more of the same when the Angus side rolled into Greenock two months later for the return fixture.

They stormed into a 2-0 lead and ought to have been out of sight as Morton’s rearguard parted like the Red Sea at times.

But City’s profligacy in front of goal came back to haunt them as Ton eventually claimed a share of the spoils thanks to a spirited second-half comeback.

With only one point out of six against them, Morton have undoubtedly had problems against Brechin and indeed they remain one of only two sides in the division they have been unable to defeat so far, along with bogey team Ayr United.

They should therefore be under no illusion about the scale of the task facing them tomorrow afternoon.

City’s squad features a number of players who are more than capable performers.

Up front, Andy Jackson is someone that Morton fans need little introduction to, and he showed he retained his poaching prowess with a goal in the clubs’ draw late last year.

Out wide, Bobby Barr has the ability to cause real problems for opposition defences when he is on song.

A player of decent ability who could perhaps have maintained a career at a higher level, he will have to be carefully policed and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ton double up on him at times if required.

Alan Trouten is another established key figure who helps the team tick along but maybe Brechin’s biggest asset is what they bring to the table collectively as a unit.

They advertised those credentials well last Saturday when they were unlucky to exit the cup after a narrow defeat at Championship side Falkirk.

It was a performance which will have given the watching Duffy, right, and McPherson plenty of food for thought.

But they will want to put the emphasis on what their own side, significantly bolstered following the recent transfer window, can do. The attacking threat they now carry is well documented but there may be a need to temper it somewhat tomorrow.

First and foremost Ton will have to be resolute in defence and strong in the middle of the park to give themselves a platform to build upon.

With that in mind it would perhaps be a surprise to see Peter MacDonald, Ross Caldwell and Declan McManus all start the match, but what a potent and welcome option this is to have.

Tomorrow looks like one of the trickiest fixtures Ton are likely to face between now and May.

If they can come through it then they will have every right to feel confident about the challenges which lie ahead.

TEAM LATEST FOLLOWING last week’s free Saturday, most of the players who were nursing minor niggles have managed to recover and are expected to be available to face Brechin City.

Ricki Lamie, however, is still struggling with a groin problem while fellow defender Stefan Milojevic remains unavailable as he completes the second of a two-match suspension.

Skipper Peter MacDonald has not trained this week due to an ongoing back problem and will be assessed again today and tomorrow.

Elsewhere, Thomas O’Ware jarred his neck in training on Tuesday but is expected to be available for selection at Glebe Park.

TRAVEL NOTES THE Morton Supporters’ Club bus to Brechin tomorrow leaves the club at 11am with pick-ups en-route.

To book a seat phone the club on 01475 888273. You can also email gmsctravelsection@hotmail.com or leave a message on the club’s Twitter page at https://twitter.com/GMSCTravel THE Albert Hotel Morton supporters are now taking bookings for tomorrow’s Scottish League One game at Glebe Park against Brechin City.

The coach will leave the hotel at 11.30am and pick-ups are available en-route.

To book a seat call or text Jim on 07983 600945.