ANTON McElhone has urged his Morton players to use their draw against Hearts to kick-start a push for the promotion play-offs.

Ton brought a valuable and well-earned point back to Greenock after a 1-1 draw against Robbie Neilson’s high-flying Jambos on Saturday thanks to Craig McGuffie’s second-half strike.

The interim boss insists that there was always a belief within the squad that they could take something from the league leaders.

McElhone says his side should set their sights higher up the table after the heroic display.

He told the Tele: “We’re always proud of the players and none more so than Saturday.

“That could be the turning point for us going into the last part of the season, we want to be good and we want to be positive.

“We want to try and push up and we’re a few points from the play-offs. We just need to keep going and keep our heads up - let’s go for it.

“We can't ask for much more from the players.

“They’ve gone and set their tone after having a break last week with the call-off but the players have shown why we trust them.

“Craig McGuffie was knackered and he’s managed to score with a fantastic finish, Kyle Jacobs came back into the midfield for the first time since December too and that helped us massively.

“You’ve got to be proud of them because they come in and work hard. Hail, rain or shine they just come in and get on with it.

“They’re so committed and they’ve stuck to their game plan, they’ve stayed compact and hard to beat and hit them on the break.

"We’re disappointed on the park but look at who they’ve flung on to get a game.”

McElhone praised his players for their efforts against the odds and has called for them to embrace the underdog tag.

He insists the self belief within the squad can carry them far in the final 11 games.

He said: “We’ve stood up for ourselves and limited them to very few one-on-one chances.

“We’ve weathered the storm, this is the champions-elect we’re talking about with the facilities and resources. We’re just lowly Morton, nobody gives a monkey's about us but our objectives are to keep climbing and to try and reach the play-offs.

“That’s our objective, nobody rates us but I rate us, the team rates themselves, so let’s go for it.

“It would’ve been nice if we could’ve held on to it but we showed the same character like we did up at Dunfermline and then against Inverness to battle away.

“When you’re losing games, a point is huge, it’s enough to get us going.

“They’ve got the heart and the desire to come out and play for the club and that’s what we’re looking for.

“There won't be many teams that will come to Tynecastle and take points but to come here for the first time in such a long time and take a point is a really proud moment for all of us.”