DARREN McGeouch is ready to step into Morton's midfield against Hamilton Accies today and fill the void left by the injured Michael Tidser.
Tidser underwent a knee operation last week and could be out for up to two months - and McGeouch is well aware of the importance to the Cappielow cause of his crocked team-mate, who he came through the Celtic youth ranks with.
But the talented 21-year-old is desperate to take his chance if called upon and help his side maintain their perfect home record against Hamilton.
McGeouch told the Tele: "Tidser is a good player - he always has been - and he is important to the team as well, but if I can go in and do a job then I'll be delighted.
"Both Tidser and I like to pass it and we like to go and be a wee bit creative in the last third of the park - we are similar.
"I spoke to him the other day actually, and he said he was feeling good and hopefully it won't be too long until he's back.
"I think he has done a bit of cycling, which is non-weight-bearing stuff.
"He said he is happy the operation is done and he's looking forward to getting back playing without any injury problems.
"Whether I play is up to the manager as we have wee Fred (Fouad Bachirou) and Marc Smyth, who have played in midfield as well.
"As long as I play my part then I'll be delighted to be honest.
"If that means I'm starting then great, but if I'm just coming off the bench then I'll do my best." McGeouch has made 10 appearances this season, and started in Ton's last meeting with Hamilton - a 2-1 defeat in the Ramsdens Cup.
But despite that result, the midfielder feels his side can take encouragement from their strong performance at New Douglas Park.
He said: "I played about an hour in that game and thought we played well, although we lost two goals.
"We played some decent football and made good chances against a team which has just come down from the SPL and who many people expect to go right back up again.
"I'm sure there will be a decent crowd down at Cappielow, it's a home game and we've had a good start to the season.
"You want to try and keep that going as long as you can, so the best result for us is obviously a win to keep us top of the league."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here