MORTON consultant for club development Warren Hawke has invited supporters to play a role in shaping the Cappielow club’s future by attending the annual youth academy fundraiser this summer.

In a departure from previous years’ successful sportsman’s dinners, the club have opted to stage a quiz night at the Chartroom in Inverkip.

The event, which will take place on Saturday 7 June, is entitled ‘The Brain Drain Grand Quiz 2014’ and will be hosted by radio football pundit Peter Martin and celebrity quiz masters.

Former Ton striker Hawke says it has all the makings of a wonderful evening in its own right but with the added bonus of contributing towards the development of the Cappielow club’s future stars.

He told the Tele: “Sportsman’s dinners are great but we thought let’s change it because we thought it would be a nice wee change.

“It’s going to be a quiz and an all-round good, fun evening. We’ve got a few surprises, a bit of nostalgia with regards to the quiz and some quirky items.

“Peter Martin is the host and if Peter’s the host it doesn’t matter what the theme or format is, the people in the room are going to have a fantastic night. He’s phenomenal.

“And if more women want to come along, fantastic. The name itself — sportsman’s dinner — sounds quite exclusive.

“Everything we’re doing at the club at the minute is about being more inclusive — we’ve got a vibrant girls department now — and we want to open out everything. “We want to open this event out to people of all ages too. The night is really a revamp of a model that has worked over the years.

“We might go back to it in future, but we thought we would try something a bit different this year and hopefully it works and people want to come along and support the youth academy.

“Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about, raising funds for the Greenock Morton youth academy. Last year we raised a fantastic total of more than £14,000.

“This night is a huge part of making the academy viable. To run an academy of the standard that Greenock Morton now has and to continue to progress, we need to invest more and more.

“There are various elements of fundraising that we do over the year to ensure that we can continue to invest in the right areas.

“This event is a very, very important part of that and we’d invite readers of the Telegraph’s Morton Futures page to come on down.

“If you’re available on the night, it’s not expensive, come down and you’ll have a cracking night and hear about the academy’s development.

“Every penny that is raised from this night will be invested in the youth academy at Greenock Morton Football Club.” HIGHLIGHTS AYR United found Morton’s Under-12s a tough nut to crack as they failed to break down their impenetrable rearguard last week.

David Garrett’s side kept a well-deserved clean sheet against the Honest Men, leaving the coach raving about their defensive display.

He beamed: “We faced Ayr United last Saturday and the boys played good football from the first whistle.

“Our goals were scored by O’Brien, who got two, Garrett, McGowan, Marner and McFadzean.

“The defence, expertly marshalled by Stafford and Millar, was solid. It was great to keep a clean sheet in what was a controlled and dominant display overall.” UNDER-17s boss Derek Allan was delighted to see his injury-hit squad halt a sequence of three successive defeats when they faced Airdrie last weekend.

The oldest academy group welcomed the Diamonds to Parklea on Sunday and ended their run of poor form.

Striker Thomas Orr played a significant part in the victory, netting a hat-trick to take his tally to 34 goals in 17 matches.

And Allan said: “We had lost the last three games and find ourselves struggling with injuries just now.

“After that run of defeats we asked them all to perform better and they all did well against Airdrie. Signs are good for players making their way through the system. We have had four Under-15s playing with us this last month and that bodes well for seasons to come.

“Of those, striker Scott Miller started the game. He played for 60 minutes and did well but came off with a minor injury.

“David Anderson came on in the second half and didn’t look out of place, especially considering he was two years younger than most on the pitch.” THE way in which defender Mark McGachy has recovered from a recent injury problem has impressed Under-11s coach Ross Gourdie.

Former Port Glasgow Juniors youth McGachy was left sidelined and missed two matches before returning to action against Dundee.

And Gourdie says he has been thrilled with the 11-year-old’s reaction, in particular the way he has slotted back in without missing a beat.

He told the Tele: “Special mention must go to Lee Finlay and Marc McGachy. Lee for his excellent work-rate and an unselfish midfield display in which he created several goals. Marc has just come back from a nasty injury which has kept him out the team for a few weeks.

“But since returning a couple of weeks ago he has, like Lee, shown a great work-rate, good defensive skills and continues to read the game well.” FIXTURES Saturday 5 April: Under-11s v St Johnstone (h) 12pm, Battery Park. Under-12s v St Johnstone (h) 12pm, Notre Dame. Sunday 6 April: Under-13s v Queen of the South (a) 12pm, Under-14s v Dunfermline Athletic (a) 11.15am, Under-15s v Queen of the South (a) Postponed. Under-17s v Queen of the South (a) Postponed.