MORTON star Gavin Gunning insists he has rediscovered his love for football at Cappielow.

The 25-year-old saw his stint at Dundee United end in ignominy when he was frozen out by former boss Mixu Paatelainen after bizarrely walking off the pitch with the ball during a fixture against Inverness in April.

He did not play for the club again following that 2-0 defeat and was released in the summer.

However, Gunning joined the Greenock outfit in September, penning a short-term deal until January, and is adamant he is finally playing with a smile on his face again.

The former Rotherham, Motherwell and Birmingham stopper said: “This is the first time I’ve enjoyed football for a long time.

“It’s not about the money, I’m just enjoying going out on a Saturday and playing. You can be at places earning a lot of money but it’s no good to you.

“I think some of it’s to with the stage of my career I’m at. It’s one of those where I’ve just grown up a lot. I still like a laugh and a joke, but when I need to be, I’m serious.

“Everybody knows I like a laugh and a joke and a bit of banter. When it comes to playing games, when I’m on the pitch, I don’t mess about.”

Gunning has made a real impact in his time with the Ton, helping the club reach the Betfred Cup semi-finals and climb up to third in the league.

But he was quick to praise the contribution of his team-mates, picking out Mark Russell, Jamie Lindsay and Andy Murdoch for special praise.

He added: “It’s been working out alright. The lads in front of me our doing really well: Jamie Lindsay, and [Andy] Murdoch has come in and has probably been one of the best players.

“You’ve got Mark Russell as well. When I came in at first everyone was saying, he was a good left-back. I think he’d say himself he was in poor form.

“But he’s kicked on and he’s in ridiculous form now. He got to be probably the best left-back in the league. 

“Even the last few weeks he’s been playing on the left wing and doing really well.”

The Ton have been in cold storage following the postponement of their William Hill Scottish Cup third round tie at Beith due to a frozen pitch.

And Gunning is fired up ahead of tomorrow’s rescheduled meeting after a weekend without a match.

He told gmfc.net: “It was frustrating that the game was off because we’ve been going quite well in the league and wanted to keep our momentum going.

“This is one of those games that’s all about attitude. They will be a hardworking team and it will be their cup final, so it will be a tough game no matter what way you look at it. 

You can’t disrespect Beith. They’ve made it to this round. For a junior team to be playing against Morton is a good achievement and they must be buzzing and looking to turn us over, thinking: ‘We can take a scalp here.’

“For us, if we win comfortably, everyone expects it and no one cares, but if they get a draw or they beat you, you get heavily criticised. 

“So it’s all about winning and getting to the next round of the cup.”