TEN promising Morton teenagers yesterday signed new full-time contracts to commit their futures to the Cappielow club, the Tele can reveal.

Craig Knight, Jordan Cairnie, and Cameron O’Neil, all 17, put pen to paper on two-year deals, as have Under-17s graduates Lewis McIntyre, John Tennent, Dylan Stevenson and Thomas Orr.

The trio of Steven Lamont, Aidan Ferris, both 17, and Luke Irvine, 18, have been handed initial six-month contracts which will afford them an opportunity to impress and win lengthier deals.

A two-year extension has also been tabled to Mark Russell, but the Tele understands the 18-year-old has requested time to discuss the offer with his parents.

Left-sided Russell forced his way into the first-team squad last term, making five starts and eight substitute appearances as well as being an unused sub on 10 occasions.

He was handed his first start at left midfield in the Scottish Cup loss at Inverness Caley Thistle in November but made the majority of his subsequent appearances at left-back.

Fellow full-back Knight also made an impact, with the Inverkip native awarded two starts and one substitute appearance by Kenny Shiels.

Forwards Cairnie and Ferris, made one sub appearance each, while O’Neil, Irvine, and Lamont are yet to make Lamont are yet to make their breakthrough, although O’Neil and Irvine have been unused subs.

In terms of the Under-17s offered deals, McIntyre is a 16-year-old goalkeeper who has featured on the first-team bench three times this term.

Tennent, 16, is a talented centre-half who caught the eye in Ton’s Scottish Youth Cup run, while dynamic central midfielder Stevenson, 17, served as skipper.

Striker Orr, 17, has featured regularly in the Tele’s Morton Futures page of late after bagging an astonishing 41 goals for Derek Allan’s team last term.

Should Russell accept his deal, those 11 individuals will make up David Hopkin’s development squad next term, training with the former Scotland international on a daily basis.

As revealed in Tuesday’s Tele, defender Nicky Jamieson left the club of his own volition to take up the offer of an accountancy apprenticeship.

Due to their ages, Aidan Fulton, David McNeil, Jack Smith, and David Verlaque are no longer classified as development squad players and it remains unclear whether they will be retained.