Morton midfielder Ross Forbes wants to return to playing at the top level of football before his career ends, but he is already preparing for when the curtain comes down on his playing days.

Forbes is no stranger to having to work for a living, taking on a part-time job to supplement his wages when he was at Partick Thistle.

That’s why he appreciates the opportunity to learn a new skill, such as the one afforded to him on the PFA Scotland six-week tiling course he is currently taking part in.

“I’ve played football since I was 16,” Forbes said.

“When I was at Partick Thistle I worked part-time doing night-shifts on the railways. That was a taste of something else and I enjoyed it.

“I was part of the ‘safety critical team’, to do with health and safety. If I could I’d like to go back to that at some point. It was to do with the tracks.

“If you see roadworks at night and people are putting out cones, I’d be the one putting out signs with flashing lights. So, if trains come, then they would see where the work site is and know where to stop.

“I was doing that at night and playing football during the day. I was full-time with Thistle at the time. I just did it on a Saturday night. My mate was the boss and I like to learn new stuff.

“You can be stuck in the football bubble but it gave me a new perspective on things. It makes you mature as a person.

“As a footballer you are protected from the outside world a bit. Some people wouldn’t know how to go out and get a job. If you had to go for an interview and you’d never done it before, that would be strange and a tough experience.

“I still obviously want to play at the top, whether that’s with Morton or someone else. I’m thinking more about what comes after football. I’ve got a mortgage to pay. If it comes to the end of my contract and no –one wants me, where do I go from there?

“I’m trying to prepare for that as early as possible.”

All of this is not to say that the 27-year-old doesn’t believe good things lie ahead of him – and his club – in the remainder of his football career.

He believes the close-knit nature of the Cappielow squad has set them up for another successful season in the Championship.

“It’s a good dressing room and bunch of boys,” he said. “We make an effort to eat with each other at least once a week. We like to have a good environment. It’s showing in the performance.

“We didn’t speak about [challenging for promotion] last year and we finished fifth after getting promoted.

“There are a lot of good teams in the league this year. It’s up to us to get people speaking about us. We’ve done really well, especially in the cup.

“The manager signed well last summer. People asked why he hadn’t really signed anyone but he waited and got Denny Johnstone and Declan McManus on loan. We’ve had the same this year. The boys trust the gaffer. He did really well getting Aidan Nesbitt in.”