Partick Thistle managing director Ian Maxwell says a six-figure donation will help make the club's youth system "more professional", writes Craig Hynd.

Lottery winners Colin and Chris Weir gave a further £500,000 injection to the academy which carries their name. The couple, who scooped a £161m prize in 2011, have already invested £750,000 to help to bring through talented youngsters.

Rising star James Penrice, who signed a fresh deal until 2018, featured for Alan Archibald's men towards the end of the campaign along with Kevin Nisbet. Now Connor Cullen, Dominic Docherty, Neil McLaughlin, Michael McMullin and Matthew McInally hope to make the step up after signing full-time contracts at Firhill.

And Maxwell wants to emulate the production line of clubs like Falkirk and Hamilton, telling STV: "We're very, very grateful for it. It just gives us a chance to keep progressing with the work the academy has made over the past two or three years.

"It makes us far more professional. I think up till that point, like a lot of clubs at our level, we were playing at the academy side of things. It lets us get to where we need to be in terms of coaching staff, increasing the number of teams, increasing the amount of engagement.

"Even things like kit, equipment, balls, transport to games and training facilities, it lets us do everything properly and we're seeing the benefits of that at academy level."

Steven Lawless, Freddie Frans and Gary Miller are considering contract offers with answers expected by the end of the week as Archibald continues his summer rebuild.

Maxwell added: "We'll know by the end of this week what's happening with those guys, obviously this season's fast approaching giving it's a shorter summer, but listen we'd be delighted if they'd all stay and continue from last season.

"Listen, Steven's got an offer and he knows what it is, he just needs to come back to us and make a decision on what he wants to do, and as I say, we're probably getting to the point where we'll need to know that sooner rather than later."