LEWIS Strapp says the security from signing a new two-and-a-half year deal will help him to take his game to the next level.

The 19-year-old hopes that he can repay the trust shown in him by gaffer David Hopkin since he took over in the summer.

And Strapp says he wants to stay at the club for a long time after making his big breakthrough.

He told the Tele: “I’m glad to get it done. I’m happy to have a bit of security behind me because I’d only signed on for a year in the summer.

“I’m really happy about that because now it’s out the way and I can get my head down and concentrate again and keep playing games so that I can kick on to the next level.

“I think I can kick on under the gaffer, he’s been good to me since he’s come in and I’m really enjoying working under him.

“The most important part about it is that I’ve been playing games, I could’ve been anywhere else, but it wouldn’t matter if I wasn’t playing first team games.

“That’s what I learned when I was out on loan at Elgin – you can only get better with the more games you play no matter what level it is, and the new deal has given me a platform to go on and do

that.

“The gaffer has been brilliant with me — he’s helped me improve my game so much and I’m glad that he can trust me to play in there at left-back at the minute because we are a young squad.

“There’s a lot of trust there between us and I just hope that I can repay that trust he’s put in me with clean-sheets and assists and good performances.”

The youngster believes that both him and fellow academy graduate Reece Lyon penning new deals is a statement of intent from the club as they look to build for the future.

Strapp says that he can see himself staying at Morton for the foreseeable future.

He added: “I think myself and Reece’s contracts are up at the same time, so it’s good for the club because we’re here for the long haul.

“A lot of boys can go other places and then they’ll just disappear.

“What’s the point in going to a bigger club where you’ll most likely take a step back?

“I want to stay at the club for as long as I can and hopefully this can be a lift for me going into the Partick Thistle game on Saturday because it’s a huge one for

us.

“If we beat them we go eight points ahead of them and put a bit of daylight between

us.”