MORTON manager Dougie Imrie says he hopes to start contract talks with his squad next week as he looks to put his plans in place for next season.

There are 10 players contracted by the club whose deals will run out after tomorrow night's game against Arbroath.

Imrie admits that discussions over players' futures had to be put on the backburner while they looked to ensure their status in the second tier - but the 38-year-old revealed the ground work for 2022-23 will begin next week.

He told the Tele: "It has been difficult.

"With the situation it has been hard to speak to people, but that is just down to business.

"We will get the game out of the road on Friday night and at the start of next week we will start talking to people and see where we go from there.

"We will see what we have got and see what we need to bring in."

Despite a 1-0 home loss to Inverness Caley Thistle on Saturday, results elsewhere ensured the Greenock side would avoid finishing in the relegation play-off spot.

He said: "We would have liked to of had it done a lot earlier, but we are there.

"I always knew that it would go down to the last week or two.

"This is a tough league for any team in it and just to get over the line was pleasing, but it think for us it was always good that we had the points on the board.

"It is always difficult when you are trying chase because you know that you need to win.

"We knew if results went our way, we would have been okay. You want to try and do it on your own accord, but it wasn’t to be.

"With the teams dropping points we knew we were safe. Now going to Arbroath we can relax and play with a bit of freedom now."

With a sixth-place finish still a possibility, Imrie wants his team to get a positive result at Gayfield to carry into the start of the new campaign.

He said: "We want to finish sixth, we still have an opportunity to do that.

"For us it will be pretty much the same. I am not sure what Arbroath will do themselves, they go into the play-offs now so they might rest players.

"But for us we want to try and finish as high as we can.

"It is always important. I think if you can win the game, you can take that momentum into next season and we go from there.

"If we go to Arbroath and we lose that will be three games on the bounce we have lost.

"You have got to try and stop that rot."

The Morton boss has praised Dick Campbell's side after their hopes of winning the Championship title ended against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park last week.

Imrie added: "Arbroath have been fantastic this season. I have to take my hat off to Dick Campbell.

"The way his team have gone about their business this season has been fantastic.

"They will be disappointed that they didn’t manage to get over the line.

"It will be a good game and it is one we are looking forward to."