LEWIS Strapp hopes his performance in Morton's penalty shootout win over Ayr United earn him a regular place in Dougie Imrie's starting line-up.

The left-back has been limited to substitute appearances in recent weeks due to the form of youngster Alexander King.

Strapp returned to the first team on Thursday night for the first time in over a month with a man-of-the-match display as nine-man Ton battled to a 1-1 draw against the Honest Men before progressing to the next round on penalties.

The 22-year-old says he was happy to be back part of the starting side and hopes his display gives his manager a selection headache ahead of Saturday's trip to Partick Thistle.

He told the Tele: "I am just glad to be back in the team.

"I have been champing at the bit to get going. If I can keep myself in the team then I am happy.

"As a left-back I want to be playing.

"If there is someone playing over me then I am fighting to get that shirt and I hope the gaffer can see that I am putting in the work and trying my hardest to get back in that team.

"When I was out of it for a couple of weeks, I was missing the game time.

"Without having a reserve team here I wasn't playing games during the week on a Tuesday if I didn’t play on a Saturday.

"On the fitness side of it, I felt good going into the game on Thursday, so I hope I caught the manager’s eye and that puts me in contention for starting the next game."

Morton had Jai Quitongo and Jack Baird controversially sent off while Ayr United also saw Paul Smith sent off as well.

Strapp believes Morton showed their battling qualities after being reduced to nine men and he insists they didn't allow Baird's dismissal to prevent them going forward in the final eight minutes of the tie.

He said: "It was a hard-fought game, and then some of the decisions make it a bit tougher for us to defend, but even when the boys were sent off, we were still getting forward and getting chances.

"Jaze [Kabia] had a good chance right at the end and maybe Darragh [O’Connor] could have just tapped it in.

"But it was a good result and the boys are buzzing to see us in the hat for the next round."

Having suffered back-to-back defeats against the Honest Men and Arbroath in the league, Strapp says it was crucial they got back on track with a positive result on Thursday night.

He believes it will give them a major boost returning to league business this weekend as they switch their focus to the trip to Partick Thistle this coming Saturday.

Strapp added: "After two defeats, it is good to bounce back and get a win, especially playing at home.

"Even though it was on penalties, it is still good to get a win.

"It gives us confidence going into the game against Partick on Saturday."