MORTON’S new head of development John Sutton is delighted after five youth starlets signed on for next season.

Gavin Watt, Lewis McGrattan, Kieran Brophy, all aged 17, and 16-year-olds Shaun Rodgers and Jonathan Lyon put pen to paper this week, with the club confirming the deals last night.

The talented quintet were influential for the under-20s title winning team and all regular starters in the side during the run-in, where the Ton teenagers picked up nine wins in their last 11 outings.

Sutton hopes they can thrive in the full-time training environment next season.

He told the Tele: “I met them when they signed on and I know there are high hopes for them at the club.

“They’ve done well in the under-20s previously and they are looking forward to making the jump to the under-20s.

“I know they were training very hard at the academy but making the jump to the under-20s will be tougher and we’re looking forward to seeing where the challenge will take 
them.

“They had a really good season, especially towards the end. 

“Winning the league is great experience for them and will help them out if they break into the first team.

“It was a great achievement and it’s a real test for us now and I think that’s really exciting for all the players, you talk to them and they’re all up for the challenge.”

The five players join the likes of Reece Lyon, Alexander Easdale, Lewis Strapp, Ben Eardley, Darren Hynes, Nathan Durham, Jack Purdue and Danny Farrell who are already signed up for the under-20s team next season.

Purdue, Hynes and Eardley all got minutes in the Morton first team towards the end of the season, with Strapp getting lots of first-team experience last year, spending the first half of the season with Elgin City.

Sutton has high hopes for the youngsters. He wants them to continue their progress and begin to feature more regularly in the first team when the time is right.

He added: “A lot of them have had a taste for it and are all wanting to kick on for the first team. It would be great if I got them for a lot of the games, but I’d much rather that I didn’t get them and they’ve moved onto the first team.

“We’re still waiting on the new manager, but I think a lot of them haven’t done themselves any harm with their performances last year when they did get a chance.”

The new head of the development squad is also looking forward to getting his first full-time coaching job under way, and is counting down the days until he starts back for pre-season next month.

Sutton said: “It’s been good meeting the boys, as there often is in pre-season a lot of optimism.

“I’ve been talking to Derek [Anderson, Morton’s director of youth] and we’ve been making plans, but I’m just looking forward to getting started and getting down to Parklea.

“We had a chat and a coffee with a few of them and they talk a good game, so we just hope they’re able to take that onto the pitch.”