MORTON meet Airdrie today looking to bounce back from their defeat to fellow-promotion hopefuls Forfar.

Jim Duffy's side have been relatively consistent since the turn of the year, and the defeat to the Loons is one the Morton boss is keen to attribute to little more than a blip in form

Citing the need to be more clinical in front of goal, Duffy has called on his side to get back to winning ways. He said: "There wasn't all that much wrong with the performance against Forfar - who lost to Peterhead in midweek - but we lost the first goal and then lost the second when we were chasing to get back into it.

"So, although we were disappointed to have lost the game, I don't think there was an awful lot wrong with the way we played. I always think that there is no point in losing a game 1-0, so we were throwing everything forward and they picked us off.

"We just need that little bit of quality in the final third. I say this every week and I say it because I mean it - in this league anyone can beat you.

"We know it will be a tough one at Airdrie today. They are on a good wee run of form and they'll fancy themselves after seeing us drop points last week.

"We need to make sure we are ready to go again."

Joe McKee will miss the game after requiring 10 stitches to a head wound sustained in a reserve game on Tuesday, but other than that, Duffy has a full squad to choose from.

And, having got themselves to the summit of the league, Duffy is in no position to relinquish the spot.

Getting there is one thing, staying is another, and the Morton boss is well aware that the next few months are when his players need to show how much they want to win promotion.

"We are closing in on what we would call the business end of the season," he said. "Some people prefer to be chasing the pack while others prefer to be leading it.

"Both bring a different type of pressure, but I think it is far better to be where we are than now. There is a lot that is in our hands.

"It has been up and down this season, but we have shown over the last few months we can put together a sustained run of results.

"If you can get that consistency then you are always going to give yourself a good chance. The challenge now is recovering from a setback, dusting ourselves down and going again.

"There is nothing given in this league - you need to prove you are worth it over the course of the season."

And Duffy is still confident Morton are capable of leading the pack.

"Our aims at the start of the season revolved around winning the league and that hasn't changed," he said. "That remains our focal point.

"There is no doubting the desire we have, but the important thing is handling the pressure that comes with the position we have ourselves in.

"We believe we are good enough, but the challenge now lies in going out and showing that through results."