MORTON manager Jim Duffy has handed short-term deals to a trio of trialists, the Tele can exclusively reveal.

Ricki Lamie, David McNeil and Jordan Allan yesterday signed contracts tying them to the Cappielow club until January.

Former Airdrie defender Lamie and ex-Dundee United youth Allan both started the recent friendly loss to Rotherham.

Lamie, 21, was deployed at left-back with Allan, 19, who had a spell on loan at Albion Rovers last term, playing in front of him on the left of a midfield four. Greenock-born McNeil, meanwhile, is already familiar to Ton fans having spent the last season and a half at the club.

The 19-year-old frontman was given the final 25 minutes against Rotherham as well as the second half of the 13-1 Renfrewshire Cup semi-final rout of Viewfield Rovers.

And Duffy has been sufficiently impressed by the unattached triumvirate to add them to his squad ahead of upcoming cup matches against Spartans and Berwick Rangers. Speaking exclusively to the Tele, he said: “I spoke to a couple of the boys on Wednesday and we’ll sign them on short-term contracts.

“I’ve had a chat with David McNeil, Ricki Lamie, and Jordan Allan, and proposed to them a short-term deal until January.

“One, it will give us a better chance to have a look at them, and two, it gives them a chance to impress.

“That’s because we can’t be totally convinced because we’ve only had a couple of bounce games, and one or two have had little knocks or bumps and not played in them all.

“They’ve all said to me that they’ll be happy to do that, so we’ll get that paperwork completed and that will add to the depth of the squad.

“Jordan’s 19, David’s 19 and Ricki’s 21, and they’ve got a bit of potential so we’ll see how they develop over the next four or five months.

“It’s not a huge financial commitment to the club and I think it’s certainly a risk worth taking.”