DEFLATED Morton boss Dougie Imrie has challenged his fragile squad to try and find a reaction when they face off against Ayr United at Cappielow this weekend.

The Cappielow supremo says that his young squad are hurting after being on the end of a bruising 6-0 reverse at the hands of league leaders Falkirk.

And he says he'll need every single member of his squad to play their part as he looks to turn the tide.

Imrie singled out young stopper Lewis Budinauckas who's come in on an emergency basis but has been on the end of three crushing defeats as he looks to make his way in the game.

He told the Tele: "Yeah, we've got a lot of bodies out injured, but that's what you build a squad for.

"We've got key players out injured, but we've got bodies there who should be capable of stepping in.

"I feel for young Lewis. I'm really sore for him. He's just a kid making his way in the game and he's conceded six goals. That won't be good for his confidence.

"Our two first team goalkeepers are injured, our left centre back is injured, as is our right back. It's taken its toll in the last few games, but we'll regroup and go again on Friday against Ayr.

"Everybody's fragile just now - but we will look for a reaction.

"I'm asking the same players to run through the mill for the cause, and we've brought in a lot of young players.

"We've brought in one or two players with top level experience to try and help them, but when you lose two or three goals in a game they can probably lose their way, like we saw against Falkirk.

"That's not me taking anything away from John McGlynn or Falkirk. They were ruthless. But we caused our own problems."

Imrie expressed his sympathies towards the 250 away supporters who made the trip to Falkirk only to endure a thoroughly miserable afternoon.

But he issued a rallying cry as he looks to regroup ahead of Friday's clash.

And he hopes that he can continue to welcome bodies back sooner rather than later after a tough few weeks for the club both on and off the park.

He added: "I'm feeling really low at the moment, and I can understand the fans' frustrations. They're paying their hard earned cash to come and back us, and they don't deserve what they saw at Falkirk.

"I know what these boys are capable of, and I'm not making excuses, but we've lost a lot of players over the last few weeks through injury.

"Yes, we've had a couple back, but they're nowhere near match fit. That's why I looked to put Morgan [Boyes], Lamar [Reynolds] and Austin [Samuels] on the pitch - to get minutes in the legs for next week.

"We need to regroup and go again, because it's been a tough three weeks with the amount of games that we've played.

"That's the lowest I've felt as Morton manager."