LEWIS Strapp says he's ready to fight for his place after finding himself out of the Morton starting line-up.

The full-back was an ever-present last term, playing 37 times in all competitions, and was honoured for his performances with the fans’ player of the year as well as the players' young player of the year awards.

Strapp has had to watch from the sidelines and has been limited to substitute appearances in recent weeks due to the form of youngster Alexander King.

The 22-year-old insists he has to work hard and grab his chance with both hands to get back into Dougie Imrie's plans.

He told the Tele: "I think Alex is doing well, but it obviously is frustrating.

"I am 22 and I want to play every week. I have played here for however long, and I would like to think I have done well.

"At the moment we haven’t got a reserve team so you are just champing at the bit to play.

"But all I can do is in training work my socks off, and keep my head down, and just hope that the gaffer gives me another chance and I’m sure I’ll take it."

Strapp has featured in all of the Ton’s six league matches so far this season, but he hasn’t started since the 2-1 defeat to Raith Rovers last month.

After featuring in a different defensive role in pre-season and the first competitive match of the new campaign against Falkirk, the youth academy graduate says his versatility could help him be in first team contention again.

He said: "You see it in football all the time, it just takes an injury of something else.

"In pre-season, I didn’t really play many games at left-back, I was playing at centre-back because I was going to play in there against Falkirk in the cup game.

"So, looking into that, I am versatile, I can go in there if the manager needs me.

"Obviously Alan Lithgow is back fit, it is just a case of waiting to see how the team get on."

The defender believes there is also an option which could see both himself and King feature in the same starting 11 as shown at Easter Road in the Premier Sports Cup and again when he came off the bench against Ayr United on Saturday.

Strapp said: "In that game at Hibs, I think we did well. King played in front of me, so it is obviously an option for the manager.

"If the team is playing well, we are not going to change it, but it is his decision."

Strapp is confident Morton can bounce back from Saturday's disappointment against Ayr United with a win against Queen's Park.

He added: "The manager always has that bit between his teeth.

"He gets really involved on the sidelines and he wants to do really well. The boys have obviously got a fighting spirit, and that is replicated through the manager all the way down through the players.

"We do see a reaction, it is quite a common theme, but we don’t want to lose any game.

"Saturday will be big for us, we want to show Queen's Park what we are all about.

"We want to make sure they know that coming up into this league, it is going to be hard and tough, and hopefully it ends with three points."