Morton manager Jim Duffy has committed his immediate future to the club by signing a new deal that will keep him at Cappielow until the summer of 2019.

It is a further boost for the ‘Ton on the back of their demolition of rivals St Mirren in Saturday’s Renfrewshire derby.

Duffy was named the Ladbrokes Championship manager of the year last season after leading Morton to the promotion playoffs, where they fell to Dundee United.

Club chairman, Douglas Rae OBE, told gmfc.net: “I’m delighted Jim has signed a contract extension. He is an outstanding manager and very good with the players. He’s strict, he works them hard, but he’s a very, very fair man. A top guy.

“He’s very loyal, very intelligent, very honest, and very supportive in everything in connection with the club. He’s also a great tactician and great at reading games.

“I’m really very happy with the job he has done and he knows that, because I keep telling him. He’s really been remarkable.

“One could not look for, or I’m sure get, better.”

Duffy meanwhile was understandably delighted to get the Morton’s first win of the season under their belt after an opening day draw with Dumbarton.

He was proud of how his men exploited the extra space they were afforded after Saints’ Jack Baird was ordered off as he conceded Morton’s second spot-kick of the day.

“These games are always very difficult and very competitive, and you just really want to try and get a positive result,” Duffy said.

“To win 4-1, a comprehensive victory, is a bit sweeter, and the players deserve an enormous amount of credit for that.

“I felt going in 1-1 at half-time was harsh on us, but we managed to settle down in the second half, and the penalty and red card was obviously instrumental in the game.

“But I have seen many, many games where that doesn’t affect the outcome quite the same – so for us to capitalise on the space and take advantage of the extra man was really pleasing.

“Overall, it was a top-class performance from the team. You don’t get too many days like that, so we’ll enjoy it and hopefully the fans did as well.”

Experienced midfielder Michael Tidser was the man entrusted with penalty duties on the day, and he kept his cool to convert both and give the home side a platform for what ended up a comfortable victory.

“Michael is our penalty taker and that’s what you want: someone who’s confident,” said Duffy. “You can never guarantee, but the thing I like about Michael taking penalties is that he knows exactly what he’s going to do.

“There’s no indecision and no messing about. He’s got that real conviction. If the keeper makes a good save – fine.

“He’s got that strong mentality and that’s also important when taking penalties, particularly in games like a derby.”

On a day of positives, Duffy was also encouraged by what he saw from a new front pairing of Bob McHugh and Jai Quitongo.

“We’ve looked at things, and some areas were good, the midfield three in particular were working really well and were getting on the ball,” he said.

“We were creating an awful lot of chances and had a lot of shots in every single game bar the Motherwell game, but we haven’t really looked to link the play between strikers.

“There were no real partnerships, so we changed it today with Bob McHugh and Jai Quitongo up front in a two, and that worked really well. They were both a real threat right through the game.”