MORTON boss Dougie Imrie has moved to further bolster his forward line by securing former Inverness Caley Thistle and Aberdeen forward Austin Samuels on a short-term deal.

The 23-year-old's  deal, running until the end of January 2025, was announced shortly before the teams were announced for Friday night's SPFL Trust Trophy fourth round clash against Hamilton Accies, which Ton went on to win 1-0.

Samuels becomes Imrie's 14th signing of the season, marking just how much major surgery Imrie's side has undergone over the course of the summer and underlining his determination to take the club in a new direction with a new passing, possession based style of football.

Samuels has been training with the club over the last few weeks after leaving the cash-strapped Highlanders following their relegation at the end of last season.

He made 50 appearances for ICT, netting seven times in all competitions, and was also part of the squad that reached the Scottish Cup final in 2023.

Before his time in Inverness, the former Wolves kid spent time on loan at Kidderminster Harriers, Bradford City and Aberdeen before making a permanent switch to the Highland capital.

Samuels, who made his debut when he came on in the 64th minute of Friday night's tie at New Douglas Park, becomes the second striker to sign on the dotted line for Morton since the dramatic departure of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas almost a month ago.

Imrie  said: “Austin is a promising young player that will add real quality to our attacking options.

"He’s still just 23 years old but joins with valuable experience in this league."