A MORTON side peppered with kids eased into the Renfrewshire Cup final with a comfortable 4-0 win over Carlton YMCA last night.

Youth-team stars Steven McAfee and Declan McDaid added second-half goals to a Simon McNeil own goal and a Stewart Kean strike to see off the plucky Paisley amateurs.

The duo, who have both been attracting admiring glances from a host of big clubs, were joined in the starting line-up by goalkeeper Alistair Deans, 18, right-back Martin Orr, 18, and centre-back Ross McLaughlin, 17.

There were also starts for two of last year's graduates, 19-year-olds Nathan Shephard and Ryan Kane, while there was a surprise inclusion in trialist Darren McGeouch, who previously spent two seasons with the club under Jim McInally.

The relative inexperience of the team contributed to a shaky start for Morton, but their superior ability eventually began to tell and they came inches from taking the lead in the 17th minute.

Carlo Monti sailed through a ruck of players and unleashed a thunderous drive from the edge of the box which crashed off the underside off the bar and out to safety.

Shephard, Kean and Darren Young were all well off target with a series of attempts before Kean finally drew a save from keeper Charles Smith in the 25th minute.

The opening goal arrived in rather fortuitous circumstances on the half-hour mark when hapless Carlton midfielder McNeil bundled Shephard's attempt to cut into the box past his own goalkeeper to make it 1-0.

It was two just six minutes later. A lightning move involving a neat interchange of passes between McGeouch, Graeme Holmes and Young presented the unmarked Kean with the simplest of chances which he duly accepted by rolling the ball into the net from eight yards.

Although Carlton were proving to be one of the tougher opponents Ton had faced in recent Renfrewshire Cup semi-finals, the hosts had never really been forced out of first gear.

The half-time introduction of 15-year-old McDaid in place of Shephard, however, was enough to intrigue the sparse crowd of diehards who were keen to witness the much-hyped starlet.

And he didn't disappoint as he showed pace, superb control and flashes of individual skill to underline the potential which has attracted the attention of the likes of Celtic, Aston Villa and Coventry.

However, it was fellow substitute and Villa target McAfee who made his impact first, slamming home from close range in the 76th minute after Smith had parried Peter Weatherson's side-foot finish.

McDaid played a crucial part in the goal by releasing Weatherson with a visionary pass, and the roles were reversed when the Dunoon kid hit the fourth with five minutes remaining.

Weatherson miscontrolled as he attempted to cushion a Monti free-kick, but the ball broke perfectly for McDaid to thrash a right-footed half-volley beyond Smith's despairing dive to complete an encouraging night for Morton.

Ton boss Allan Moore was pleased with his side's performance and had special words of praise for his young stars.

He said: "Tonight was the perfect opportunity to bring a couple of our youth boys in, and the lads who were involved did really well and played their part in a good result.

"It was good experience for Martin and Ross at the back, and it was great for both young Declan and Steven to come off the bench and score, as it serves as a huge boost to their confidence.

"We might take the opportunity to include one or two of them against Stirling on Saturday depending on who is available." Morton (4-3-3): Deans 7; Orr 7, McLaughlin 6, McKinlay 6, Monti 8; McGeough [Trialist] (7), Holmes 5, Young 6 (McAfee 59, 7); Kane 6, Kean 7 (Weatherson 46, 7), Shephard 6 (McDaid 46, 8). Subs not used: J Docherty, Stewart (gk).

Carlton YMCA (4-5-1): Smith 6; Allison 6, Gallacher 7, McGhee 6, Brown 5; McNab 5 (McCann 59, 4), McNeill 5, Taylor 6 (Pattison 74, 2), Paxton 6, Colquhoun 7 (Hagan 78, 2); O'Hare 6 (Craig 59, 3). Subs not used: Deveney (gk).

Referee: Steven Kirkland. Man of the match: Declan McDaid