ALEX RAE was captivated by the magic of a Renfrewshire derby even before he entered into the heart of it.

And now the St Mirren manager is hoping his players embrace the occasion just as much as him as they take on Morton today in their Ladbrokes Championship opener.

A fixture that is normally played out at this time of the season in the Renfrewshire Cup has even extra meaning this afternoon with three valuable league points at stake.

Rae of course is no stranger to a fiery derby having played in several Old Firm clashes with Rangers as a player, yet he knows only too well how much this local rivalry means to both parties involved.

With that in mind, he has urged his Saints stars to revel in the big occasion at St Mirren Park today and kick off their campaign with a victory.

“As a player you just want to get up and running and as a coach it’s no different,” said Rae.

“The fact that our first game is a derby gives it that wee bit of added spice as well. It’s a baptism of fire for us.

“We’ll take whatever game comes in front of us. The fact is that it’s a derby but we still have to go and get a result. It’s the nature of the game.

“It’s a really good way to start the season. Even before I got the job at St Mirren I was at one of these derbies around October last year. The atmosphere was brilliant.

“I expect the same here. Both sets of fans have a sense of renewed optimism with it being the first game so it makes for a really good game.”

Both sets of supporters are expected to turn out in big numbers today in Paisley. Not just because it’s a landmark fixture for both clubs, but with excitement and anticipation building for what each camp’s fans hopes is a memorable campaign.

St Mirren were the team that dropped down to the second tier a year ago before Rae came in to steady the ship at the turn of the year, leading them to safe waters with games to spare.

Many Buddies are now hoping that this is the time for their beloved Saints to kick on and mount a title push, or at least climb into the top four to secure a promotion play-off spot.

Rae shares their ambitions, but it is keen to play it cool while he measures up some formidable opposition.

“To be honest it’s still early days,” he said. “We are looking at teams from a far and you don’t know what their personnel is going to be.

“We are just taking each game as it comes to us. We are hoping to improve on last year and I think we have got a fighting chance of that.

“We also have to be realistic of the money the other teams are spending. With Hibs, Dundee United, Dunfermline will spend money, Falkirk have always been a well-run club. Then you have ourselves, Morton, Raith Rovers.

“It’s going to be a really good league this year.”

Rae has a strong squad to pick from for the game, but will be without Rocco Quinn and Gary MacKenzie.