LIKEABLE forward Austin Samuels hopes that netting his first goal in Morton colours can give him a confidence boost to go and reignite his career.

The Englishman netted in the dying embers of Tuesday night's SPFL Trust Trophy quarter final defeat to the hands of Livingston, little over a fortnight after coming off the park visibly distraught off the back of his side's loss to Queen's Park.

It was a hard watch for those in attendance as Samuels let his frustrations boil over against the Spiders.

But after a rousing chat with boss Dougie Imrie, the 23-year-old hopes that his classy finish against the Lions, his first since April 2023, can help him kick on to new heights under the Cappielow boss.

He told the Tele: "It's been a long time since I scored a goal - it's a good feeling.

"When you haven't scored as much as you wanted to, it's almost a bit of a surprise when you see the ball hit the back of the net.

"The best goal scorers in the world find it normal to see their efforts hit the back of the net, so you aspire to be at that level. Hopefully that's just the first for me in Morton colours.

"Looking back to the Queen's Park game, it was a really frustrating game for me personally. When you know how good you can be, and then in reality you're not at that level yet, it's really difficult.

"The gaffer gave me some words of encouragement after that. He just told me to keep my head down and get my fitness and match sharpness back and then the rest would follow.

"Scoring on Tuesday will give me a good bit of confidence not only into my legs but into my mind so hopefully I can kick on from here."