DOUGIE Imrie has warned his Morton players to be wary of Bo'ness United in tomorrow's Scottish Cup clash - as the Lowland League side have nothing to lose.

The Ton boss knows all too well the quality that the lower leagues possess, having made his name in junior football with Lanark, where United ruled the roost for a number of years.

He’s mindful of the threat that the West Lothian side possess and has called on his players to match the energy levels they showed last week against Airdrie.

Imrie told the Tele: “All the pressure is on us to go and win the tie.

“Bo'ness will be able to come and play with a freedom. We want to be in the next round and hopefully we can score a few goals and get through the tie unscathed.

“But give full credit to Bo’ness, they’re doing well in the Lowland League and have good players that could potentially cause us problems.

“After last Saturday, especially the second half showing, which was outstanding, we have to push that on into this weekend.”

The game is somewhat of a throwback for Imrie who spent four years in the junior ranks before signing for Clyde.

This kind of tie was nothing other than a pipe dream for teams at the level back then, but the new pyramid system has given lesser clubs a chance to shine.

Imrie said: “Bo’ness were a big side in the juniors back in my day. When I joined Hamilton, Ali Crawford went there for six months on loan to help him adjust to men’s football, and just look at the career he’s had.

“It’s brilliant to see the pyramid opening up like this and getting games like this more often.

“My four years at Lanark were fantastic, but we never had opportunities like this.

“Auchinleck had their chance against Hearts a few years ago, they beat Hamilton too. Stirling Uni played Dundee United, Pollok played Ayr United and beat Annan.

“There’s opportunities there now, which is good to see because there are good players in the juniors who just need a chance."

Imrie is adamant that his side will need to be at their best to win tomorrow's tie.

He said: “The gap between the two teams will probably be very little, especially nowadays.

“The Lowland League has a good amount of quality players playing there because part-time football will suit them better.

“The gap isn’t as big as people think and we need to be wary of that.

“People will read 'Morton v Bo’ness' and think it’s an easy cup tie, but it’ll be anything but.

"These players have come through academies and been at a good level, so we’ll need to play our game to the best of our abilities to get past them.”