FOUR Morton Under-17s will be offered full-time professional contracts at an induction evening held at Cappielow tomorrow night, the Tele can reveal.

John Mitchell, Ruaridh Langan, Alex McWaters, all 17, and Scott Tiffoney, 16, are the quartet in question and are expected to accept the opportunity to become development squad members.

In addition, invitations to attend training with Andy Millen’s group will be extended to Mitchell Duffy, 16, and Lewis Strapp, 15, both of whom still have another year with Derek Allan’s 17s.

As well as winning the inaugural Cub Academy Scotland (CAS) South-West Under-17s league last term, all six have regularly featured for the Under-20s and caught the eye whilst making the step up.

Head of youth Derek Anderson has high hopes for the group and says they have earned a crack at full-time football with their performances at academy level.

Anderson told the Tele: “John Mitchell, Ruaridh Langan, Scot Tiffoney, Alex McWaters are invited in on 16 June and will be offered full-time contracts.

“All four boys are very good players. They have excelled at their age group and they all thoroughly deserve this chance to progress their career.

“As well as those boys, we’ve said to Mitchell Duffy and Lewis Strapp that they are welcome to come in to get full-time training whenever they can.

“They are going to do their highers at school and they get a Wednesday off, so we’ve said to them to try and get in then and any other days they can manage, and we’ll sort them out with expenses.

“It’s great for them and it’s great for us. It gives us a right good look at them. It gets them in a year early and gives them an insight. They’ll improve as players and fitness-wise. It’s great.” Meanwhile, Anderson also revealed that the academy would be competing at an additional age level next year, as part of a newly established Under-16s league.

Within the CAS structure, Under-17 is a dual age band, with players spending two years at that level after making the step up from the Under-15s.

But this new arrangement between clubs in west-central Scotland has been agreed in order to give first year 17s more regular game time.

The 43-year-old added: “Celtic, Rangers, Hamilton, St Mirren, Partick, Queen’s Park and Motherwell plus ourselves will all compete in a new Under-16s league.

“We’ll play two games per month and will get seven fixtures in the first part of the season and seven fixtures in the second part of the season.

“This presents us with the opportunity to give regular game time to the younger members of the squad who have just come up from the 15s. It’s a very positive move.”