MORTON Women's head coach Colin McEachnie says player sponsorships and the team's growing fanbase will help his side reach the next level.

McEachnie took over from former manager Gary Forbes towards the end of last season and he is now relishing his first full season in charge.

The Ton boss is currently overseeing pre-season with his side as they prepare for their first season in the newly-formed National Championship.

Companies have shown their support by taking up individual sponsorship packages - and the Ton manager says the marketing plan has exceeded their expectation.

He told the Tele: "The player sponsorships we had in our sights towards the end of last season.

"We needed a bit of help from Megan Skinner at the community who's in charge of marketing and we have far exceeded our expectations with that.

"We budgeted about six or seven to be fully taken up.

"We’re now at the stage where we have now only got five or six players who don’t have two player sponsors. They are fully sponsored for the season ahead, so it has played a big role in the team's success.

"None of the teams we have got coming up are not at the standard that you would expect to see in the top two leagues in Scottish football.

"Throughout this campaign we play Hamilton, Montrose, Boroughmuir Thistle, all top teams.

"Queen's Park, who are under new management as well, are obviously putting a bit of money into both men’s and women’s football just now.

"They have gone full time and they are challenges that we look at.

"If we come away with a defeat at the end of the day then we look at what we need to improve on and we build on it the next time.

"Where these teams are is where we aspire to be in the next two or three years."

The club have also put season tickets on sale for 2022-23 and McEachnie hopes to see fans turn out in big numbers after the team attracted more supporters at Parklea last season.

He said: "We certainly can’t argue with the support we had towards the end of last season.

"At the start of the campaign we were kind of averaging 20-25 gates.

"Towards the end of the season we were close to the hundred mark, even over that against Edinburgh Caley, so if we can continue to have the feel-good factor off the park then people will come and watch and enjoy the product.

"The product on the park is obviously coming on, but we have put a team in place behind the scenes, just between the women’s team and the whole community as one, to try and grow that.

"We are now working closer with the club than ever before.

"Our captain Rachel McConnachie was involved for the kit launch for the men’s team, which was a joint effort between the men’s and the women’s first team.

"Bridges like that are key to us getting the success that we want on the park."

Following a revamp of Scottish Women’s Football, the manager admits the club faced an anxious wait to see which league they would be competing in next season and insists they deserve their place in the the SWF's top league.

He said: "For us there was a wee bit of nerves in the weeks leading up to the announcement on the National Championship.

"We had conversations with Scottish Women FA and other teams in the league.

"If we weren’t in it, we would be hugely disappointed because the work that has been put in over the years.

"On our pathway and the stature of our club, for us to be involved in the first National Championships as the restructure of women’s football is massive, for us and for women’s football in our area, to make sure that we continue to play against the best teams."