MORTON Women’s manager Gary Forbes wants his side to lay down a gauntlet in their SWF Championship opener against Glasgow Women this Sunday.

Forbes’ side head to Alliance Park for their league campaign curtain raiser, where they’ll face off against one of last season’s SWPL 2 relegated sides.

The game, on paper, looks a daunting test as Forbes prepares to take charge of his first competitive game since sealing his return to the club last month but the Ton gaffer reckons his side are relishing the challenge that’s been presented too them.

 “I think it’s important for us that we do go and compete with the likes of Glasgow Women and Stirling Uni, who will be widely regarded as the big hitters in the league this season.

“But we’re aware that Glasgow Women have lots of quality in their ranks. We’ve seen the signings that they’ve made during the summer on top of that.

Morton Women battled to stay in the Championship last seasonMorton Women battled to stay in the Championship last season (Image: Gary Bradley)

“There’s a lot of familiar faces in there, from teams who’ve played at this level before, as well as players who we know here from Morton.

“We know the quality that they’re going to bring, but it’s a challenge that our side will relish.

“That’ll be the message for the players as well, go and show us that you can compete at this level. We want teams to remember playing against us and not in a good way, in the hope of going and picking up as many points as possible along the way.

“If we were to get a result, we’d be laying a gauntlet down, but it is going to be a tough ask in terms of the quality of the opposition and probably where we are in terms of preparations.

“It’s not something that’s a million miles away. The girls believe that they can go and do it. We’re instilling that confidence into the players again.”

Last season saw Ton finish eighth in the third tier under Colin McEachnie as they avoided the drop to League One – however Forbes has laid the challenge for his player to be heard loud and clear ahead of this weekend’s opener.

Morton captain Laura Darroch celebrates with teammatesMorton captain Laura Darroch celebrates with teammates (Image: Gary Bradley)

The Parklea side finished 13 points behind nearest opponents Westdyke but Forbes wants to try and consolidate their place in the division this time around.

He added: “For us it’s about making sure that we’re competitive in every match that we play,  but also improving on the points total from last season.

“We’ll make sure that we’re essentially comfortable in the league and ensure that we’re established in the Championship this season, building on the good work that’s been done by Colin and his team before us.

“I think success for us will be making sure that we’re a stable team because that’ll allow us to paint the picture as to what next season will look like.

“The immediate challenge is that we’re competitive at this level and are building from week to week, ensuring that we have an impact for the longer term. It’s really important that we can make it happen.”