AFTER an unexpected free Saturday Morton return to action tomorrow by welcoming bottom of the table Arbroath to Cappielow.

Last weekend's full fixture schedule was cancelled following the sad death of Queen Elizabeth II, meaning that Ton's scheduled fixture against Queen's Park will now have to be rearranged.

Her Majesty will be honoured before tomorrow's match and then it will be down to business as both sides look for the three points.

Dougie Imrie will want to see a reaction from his side following the home defeat they suffered last time out against table-toppers Ayr United.

He has placed a big premium on making Cappielow a venue that opposing teams will not relish visiting, and back to back defeats cannot be countenanced if they are to re-establish a reputation of their home ground as a fortress.

They will also be meeting an Arbroath side which doesn't look like quite the same proposition as last season - the Red Lichties have struggled so far this term and Ton should be aiming to capitalise on that and claim a win.

Dick Campbell's team have collected two points from 18 thus far, scoring only three goals, while their defensive mean streak appears to have deserted them.

In recent weeks they have suffered a series of stalwarts moving on, with Jason Thomson, James Craigen and Nicky Low all departing Gayfield along with Luke Donnelly.

Injury and suspension have deprived them of last season's Championship player of the year Michael McKenna and central defensive rock Thomas O'Brien and it has all taken its toll.

It's still very early days and they will believe they are capable of turning things around, but perhaps this could be an opportune moment to face them.

Midfielder Low had of course been linked with a move to his home town club for some time, but he will be plying his trade in League 1 with Kelty Hearts instead over the coming months, with his parent club presumably against him making any switch which could benefit a rival outfit.

In looking to replace him they recently brought in Scott Allan, who would be a very useful addition if he can stay injury-free, although his spell has got off to a frustrating start after he was sent off in the home defeat against Partick Thistle.

Morton will have a new face in their squad tomorrow after adding Liam Grimshaw, who was last with Motherwell before being released from Fir Park in the summer.

He has spent an anxious and frustrating two months on the sidelines and will join the fray hungry and eager to make an impression after spending a successful week training at Parklea.

The 27-year-old ex-Man United youth product has also enjoyed stints with Morecambe, Preston and Chesterfield, so he has plenty of experience under his belt.

He could well prove to be a shrewd acquisition, having made over appearances 100 with 'Well, where he established himself as a firm fans' favourite across two spells.

It will be interesting to see exactly how Imrie will utilise Grimshaw - who has featured in midfield and on the right side of the defence for the Lanarkshire men - once he is fully match fit and has regained his sharpness.

But the short term nature of his deal should work well for both parties, as it gives him every incentive to impress and hopefully help Ton up the table.

With his arrival, the squad is stronger and closer to being complete as the search continues for the elusive extra firepower which Ton still need to add to bolster their attack.

Unfortunately they are part of a crowded market on that front and the manager has rightly made it clear that he will not be rushed into doing something just for the sake of it, so supporters might have to show a bit more patience just yet.

In the meantime it will be up to the likes of Jai Quitongo and Robbie Muirhead to provide the principal attacking threat, with the latter now off the mark after his consolation strike against Ayr a fortnight ago.

With only eight goals scored between the two sides clashing tomorrow it might only take one to settle it, and that would fit in with the pattern we have seen in the fixtures between them.

Over the last three seasons they have tended to be tight affairs.

There were two doggedly-fought draws at Cappielow last year, abridged by a narrow 2-1 win for Arbroath just before Christmas, while Morton's much-changed and youthful looking selection went down 3-0 in the final game of the campaign where nothing was at stake.

Give the nature of the match that night and what has happened since, little, if anything at all, should be read into that result.

Morton could set down a marker of sorts tomorrow with a victory - and that would also set them up nicely going in to the Championship hiatus brought by the international break.