Raith Rovers boss Grant Murray has warned his players to be wary of former Scotland striker Garry O’Connor when they visit Cappielow this weekend.
The 30-year-old former Hibs and Birmingham hitman put pen to paper on a deal with Morton until the end of the season and will make his debut if the necessary international clearance comes through in time.
O’Connor, who has been capped 16 times, hopes the move will kick-start his footballing career, which has stalled after spells with Lokomotiv Moscow and Tom Tomsk in Russia.
And Murray insists that they will come up against a player with a point to prove if O’Connor turns out against Raith on Saturday.
“He’s a player who has played at the top level and he’s an internationalist,” he told Courier Sport.
“You don’t get a move to Russia for the money he got a move for if you are not a good player. Obviously he’s not played for a long time but he’s probably got his hunger back and he’ll have a point to prove.
“I’m sure he’ll do well for Morton and they’ve shown a bit of faith taking him in there.
“I think he’s been on trial at a few clubs and it’s just not really worked out for him but he’ll be really looking forward to just getting settled in and getting back into football.”
Rovers head west at the weekend looking to bounce back from the 3-0 defeat at Livingston and then the 2-0 loss at home to Dundee, which has left them 10 points off top spot.
The Dundee defeat was particularly hard to take, with Jim McAlister’s goals both coming in the dying moments of a match that saw Rovers reduced to 10 men thanks to Jason Thomson’s sending off.
“A 2-0 defeat at home to the league leaders was, I think, a harsh reflection of the game,” Murray continued.
“But if you don’t take your chances when they come along, it can come back to bite you. I was disappointed to lose the first goal because I thought we matched the league leaders in every department.
“Going down to 10 men against any team is difficult but going down to 10 men against a team that is used to winning games of football is even more so.”