MORTON defender Markus Fjortoft has warned his team-mates not to get caught up in the emotions surrounding Friday’s nerve-shredding clash against Arbroath.

Ton head to Gayfield knowing that only a win will do to avoid the dreaded relegation play-offs and the Norwegian is keen to keep the game plan as simple as possible.

Morton's wasted opportunities and conceding from a set-piece were sources of frustration for Fjortoft in the 1-1 draw against Alloa.

But he insists they are determined to put things right and come away with a crucial result against the Red Lichties.

He told the Tele: “We need to acknowledge that it’s just a game of football.

“We cannot allow ourselves to let the moment get the better of us, we need to play how we know we can.

“These are the games you live for as a footballer, albeit you’d want it to be at the other end of the table instead of the bottom.

“You definitely live in the moment because you’re so immersed in it and you maybe get caught up in it a little bit, that’s what we cannot afford to do.

“Let’s not kid ourselves, it was disappointing on Saturday.

“We knew that if we had won then we’d put ourselves in a good position going into Friday’s game.

“We didn't do that, but it’s a collective effort and we should do better when we’re in on goal and defending - it goes both ways.

“We’ve allowed ourselves to be disappointed on Saturday night and Sunday but now our full focus lies on Arbroath on Friday because we’re still very much in the mix.

“Trust me, we’ll have fire in our bellies going up there because we know we need to go up there and get a result.

“That will be our message and that’s all we will be thinking about heading into Friday.

“Arbroath are a very good team, I saw their last two results and you can see that they’re scoring goals.

“It will be a tough test but football and life in general comes down to moments, and this is one of those key moments for us.

“We need to keep our defensive shape and keep creating chances.

“That’s a positive because we are creating so many chances just now and I’m sure that we’ll be able to start putting them away.”

Fjortoft hopes that he can cause the Arbroath defence problems after netting twice in his last three appearances.

The defender believes that he showed shades of his old man - former Norway international and Middlesbrough star Jan Aage - in firing Ton level with a volley against the Wasps on Saturday.

He added: “It’s something I set myself a goal of, contributing more.

“It was a bit unconventional on Saturday with the volley but I think I should be scoring more.

“I was a bit unlucky at the start of the season and I’m just glad that my luck is changing now and hopefully it can benefit the team going into the final day.

“It adds another element to our play because set-pieces are just so important at both ends of the park.

“My dad was good at those volleys, so it must’ve been something like an awakening in that moment. I remember him doing them all the time when I was a kid.”