Ross County v Morton: Alba Cup

Oct 12 2008 By Gavin Berry

RYAN McGUFFIE reckons the Challenge Cup is the perfect escape from Morton's misery in the league.

And he hopes a win over Ross County in today's semi-final can kickstart his side's season.

The Greenock club sit rock bottom of the First Division after crashing to a 3-0 defeat against County last weekend.

But Davie Irons' men have looked a different team in the cup competitions and knocked out league leaders Queen of the South in the last round.

They also sent SPL side Hibs spinning out of the Co-operative Insurance Cup before losing out in extra time against another top-flight outfit, Inverness.

Now McGuffie wants to serve up more knockout heroics at Victoria Park with a revenge job on the Highlanders in their Challenge Cup semi-final.

The midfielder said: "The pressures of the league are away for 90 minutes. So we have to enjoy it.

"We aren't playing as well as we can in the league and this is a distraction.

"Hopefullywe can do something at Ross County and reach the final.

"The 3-0 defeat last week was amixture of County playing well and us not doing ourselves justice.

"They knocked the ball about well and scored when they had their chances - that was the difference.

"We had four or five good chances and if we had scored them we might have won.

But credit to County for converting their chances.

"The first goal is important in every game - goals dictate the way matches go and conceding first last week didn't help."

McGuffie can't put his finger on why Morton have fared much better in the cups than the league this season.

But he reckons reaching next month's Challenge Cup showpiece would give his side the boost they need to start climbing up the First Division table.

He said: "We have a good squad and seem to be a decent cup team - although we've not had the results in the league until now.

"If you take away the 5-0 defeat by Airdrie we've been doing quite well in the league but not getting the results.

"We seem to be getting beaten by the odd goal or drawing games but we're not too far away from being a decent team.

"We have the potential to go to Victoria Park and win - there's no reason to be scared.

"We have to learn from last week's defeat but this is a new game, a cup encounter.

"If we cut out individual errors we could be mid-table."

McGuffie is in his second season at Cappielow after moving from crisis club Gretna in January following six rollercoaster years.

And he's pleased with his form since the start of the new First Division campaign.

Ryan said: "I've scored four goals in the first quarter which is decent for a midfielder but I'd rather the team were winning more.

"We just need a lift - a win or a bit of luck that will provide the spark to ignite our season."

During his spell with Gretna, McGuffie experienced the thrill of scoring in the Scottish Cup Final against Hearts in 2006.

The Challenge Cup can't come close to matching that for a sense of occasion but the Morton star will still be treating this tournament with respect.

He said: "The Scottish Cup Final is a massive game but you can't compare every match to that.

"Every game is important and you must try to do your best every time you step on to the field.

"This is a chance to reach the final of a major competition and it would be great for the Morton fans.

"It's a semi-final and we must go out there thinking we can win.

"We're confident we can do whatever it takes to get through."