REECE Lyon says he wants to be an inspiration to young players hoping to make the breakthrough at Morton after making his 50th appearance for the club.

Ton academy graduates Lyon and Lewis Strapp reached the landmark within the space of a week against Partick Thistle and Arbroath respectively.

The midfielder insists that the pathway is there for academy kids wanting to one day play in the Ton first team.

Lyon says it was an honour to reach the milestone and now has his sights firmly set on racking up a century of appearances.

He told the Tele: "I didn’t even know about it until after the Arbroath game, but it feels as if the 50 games have absolutely flown in.

“As much as it's gone quickly, I feel as if I’d played more games, probably because I’ve come through the academy.

“It's like it was only last week I was playing for the under-17s, but now I’m 50 appearances in for the first team, I feel really lucky.

"It really is the stuff of dreams to turn out for your local team, even just once.

"I never thought I'd play professional football let alone for Morton, but ever since I was young I’ve always worked hard to get to where I am.

"Loads of boys want to play professionally but realistically it's not going to happen for a lot of them for one reason or another.

“It's an honour to do something that I love, it doesn’t even feel like a job, it's still a hobby.

“It was a proud moment for my family too. They weren't aware that it was my 50th appearance until after the game but they were delighted for me.

"It's a big milestone so hopefully I can be lucky enough to play as many games as possible and reach 100.

“With Strappy and I hitting 50 appearances within the space of a week, I'd like to think it shows that there’s a pathway there for younger players to come through.

“Even if people haven't come through the academy like us, the team is still relatively young and it shows that you’ll get your chance if you work hard.

“The team is full of young boys and there’s definitely a chance for you to play at Morton.

“Hopefully a lot of young footballers in Inverclyde can look to us and the boys in the youth academy, even Jim [McAlister] and Midge [Chris Millar] with their careers and can believe that there is a pathway there for them to first-team professional football.

“Even though there are younger boys out on loan, they’re still training with the first team.

"There is something to look forward to if you’re a young player at Morton or just in Inverclyde in general.

“You can make it.”

Lyon hopes that the landmark appearance can kick-start his campaign after two commanding performances in the middle of the park against Partick Thistle and Arbroath respectively.

He hopes that he can bring consistency to his game as he looks to remain a part of David Hopkin’s plans.

He added: “I thought I started off pre-season quite strongly.

“Then the competitive games started quite slowly for me. Thankfully the gaffer has given me another chance against Partick Thistle and I’ve tried to make most of the opportunity and he’s trusted me against Arbroath.

“Hopefully that's my season up and running now and I can stay at this level and perform this way for team consistently."