MORTON manager Gus MacPherson has warned his players they will have to be at their best to get through the play-off campaign which starts against Montrose today.

The Ton gaffer believes that the difference in standard between the Championship and League One has reduced massively over the last couple of years.

He cites the example from March when his side needed a last gasp penalty and extra-time to overcome East Fife in the Scottish Cup.

The 52-year-old is expecting another tough test when his side travel to Links Park later today.

He told the Tele: “We’ve been watching the games in League One for the last three or four weeks.

“Myself, Andy Millen and other individuals have been covering games and we continued to do that over the weekend, with it going right down to the wire on Tuesday night.

“We know that the gap in quality between League One and the Championship is getting narrower every year.

“Even the part-time clubs have some great players and I think we’ve seen that with Alloa, Arbroath and East Fife in the cup as well, so Montrose will be no different.

“There are part time players out there who have good experience on the pitch as well and that certainly spoke for Arbroath last week.

“It doesn’t matter about if teams are part time or in League One, you’ve seen it with the teams who were in the Championship this season, they’ve got players who can hurt you.

“You find with the full-time clubs they have younger players who are starting to make their way in the game and the part-time clubs have the players with the experience and the know-how on the park.

“That’s what we’ve got to try and overcome with Montrose and then either Airdrie or Cove.

“No matter what way you look at it there is very little difference between the Championship and League One just now, so we’ll need to be at our best if we want to make it out of the play-offs and keep the club in the division.

Morton have struggled badly to score goals all season and know they will have to end their barren run if they are to survive the end of season shootout.

MacPherson admits that he’d take a goal of any kind at this moment in time after yet another stalemate last Friday at Gayfield.

He said: “You’d take any goal to win a game at this moment in time.

“It doesn’t matter whether it comes in the first minute or the 91st minute, it’s all about trying to win the game.

“I’ll say it again, first and foremost we've got to earn the right to win and we have got to compete and create opportunities.

“That’s what you need to do in any game if you want to come away with a victory."