The midfielder got his first taste of the local cup action last season when Saints emerged victorious.

But he goes into the same fixture this weekend knowing just how seriously punters on both sides take the match.

And he is preparing himself for a warm reception in Greenock. "This is the one of the games that I was really looking forward to as soon as pre-season got underway because you know that it is really competitive," he said.

"Generally, pre-season games are just about finding your feet and trying to get as sharp as you can.

"But last season this was a game where the tackles were flying in and it felt like a proper cup game.

"Both sets of supporters are always really up for the game and they wouldn't let us take our foot off the gas.

"Because we aren't in the same league it is a chance for someone to walk away with the bragging rights because everyone loves to beat their old rivals.

"We'll be treating this one as we do any other competitive game because we want to win."

St Mirren are fresh home from a training camp in Marbella and Teale believes the squad have benefited not just from the double training sessions but also a bit of sun on their backs.

"It has been so wet here that it was great to go and do a lot of the running and double sessions in the heat," he said.

"You always feel as though it helps with any aches and pains, but aside from that, it was good for the players to be away together and start to get our sights on this season."

It will be something of a surreal campaign with no Rangers in the SPL.

While Teale believes the league will be poorer for Rangers' absence, he does expect there to be more competition among the remaining teams.

"I think that it was a tough decision to make and I am not sure that it will be to the better of Scottish football for Rangers to be down in the Third Division, but that isn't for me to really comment on," he said.

"The only thing you would say is that hopefully it might become a blessing in disguise.

"There will be a lot of teams fancying themselves now to get on up there and challenge for a European place and looking to really go for it."

And Teale would like to see St Mirren challenging in the upper reaches of the table.

"On the whole, we were relatively happy with how we fared last season, but if we could just improve on that final third then we could see a big difference," he said."