RICKI Lamie reckons his aggressive approach makes him a hate figure with opposition fans but insists he has no plans to alter his style of play.

Defender Lamie took no prisoners in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Ayr United and left the field at full-time with insults and accusations from the Somerset Park crowd ringing in his ears.

The 21-year-old admits he is a magnet for opposition fans’ ire but says he is so used to being singled out for abuse that it just rolls off his back.

He told the Tele: “I came away with a few bumps and bruises on Saturday, but I dished a few out so you just take them and get on with it.

“The home fans weren’t too happy with me, but I never get a good reception there. I never get a good reception anywhere really, from when I was seven years old!

“I think that’s because of the way I play. I wouldn’t say I’m a dirty player; I’m wholehearted and always give 100 per cent.

“A lot of fans like that, and if you were in their team they would love you, but if you’re not, they hate you. It’s one of those ones.

“But I always get stuck in no matter what. I heard some of the things that were getting shouted at me at full-time, but you just take it with a pinch of salt.

“I don’t let it faze me, because as I say, I get it every second week — and sometimes every week, even at the home games!

“But it’s just something you expect as a defender. You put a couple of challenges in and the opposition crowd will get on your back, especially if it’s a decent crowd.” After making the majority of his Ton appearances at left-back this term, Lamie has started at centre-half in his last two outings.

The former Airdrie defender believes it is his best position but will have no qualms with returning to full-back if that’s where manager Jim Duffy sees him playing.

He added: “I’ve enjoyed it in the centre of defence.

“If anybody asks me what position I play, I’d always say I’m a centre-half.

“But as I also say to everybody, if the gaffer asked me to put the gloves on and go in goals, I’d do that.

“If he said go and play up front, I’d do that. It’s all about playing on a Saturday.

“But to go back, if you were to say to me: ‘What’s your preferred position?’ I would say I’m a centre-half to trade.

“I’ve had three partners in my three games there. I played Brechin with big Stefan Milojevic, with Sean Crighton against Stenhousemuir and Tam O’Ware on Saturday.

“What’s good is the gaffer gets us playing together in training and there have been a wee mixture of partnerships in bounce matches, so you get to know each other a wee bit better.

“It’s alright playing together on the park, but it’s not until you get that understanding that you’re a partnership.” Lamie was happy with the way Morton defended against Ian McCall’s men at the weekend and felt they were just lacking the bit of luck needed to take all three points.

He said: “It was one of those games where it was starting to get a wee bit ragged in the second half, but we were solid enough.

“We limited Ayr to very few chances but they then got that break of the ball at the corner.

“Big Grant [Adam] has come to get it and got caught in a bunch of bodies.

“It then broke for the big centre-half [Morgyn Neill], who wasn’t even facing the goal but threw a leg at it and did well to guide it in.

“I thought it was going over but it dropped in and that was a kick in the teeth for us, especially because I felt we had dominated and could have been at least two up.

“It was just that wee break of the ball in front of goal that was missing. It’s been missing for a good few weeks; that wee bit of luck to get us kicked off again.

“It was frustrating to draw. I thought that might have been us when we scored right at the start of the second half but we just couldn’t find that second goal.”