Caley Thistle midfielder Ryan Christie has lifted the Premiership’s young player of the month award for the second time this season, after being recognised for his form in February.
Following a spell of three games in January in which the 19 year-old was left on the bench by manager John Hughes, Christie returned to the side for the 2-1 win against St Mirren on February 14, scoring the Caley Jags’ crucial second goal.
Christie was outstanding in his side’s 3-3 draw against Kilmarnock a week later, and played his part in a 1-1 draw against Dundee United three days later, but could not prevent Inverness going down 2-1 against Motherwell on the final day of the month.
Christie previously won the award in August, and has since gone on to establish himself as a regular in Inverness’ thriving first-team having made 31 appearances this season, 19 of which he has started.
The attacking midfielder, who is the son of former Caley Thistle player and manager Charlie Christie, was delighted to win the accolade for a second time.
Christie said: “It’s brilliant to get the award for the second time. I was amazed the first time I won it, but to win it twice, it’s really good to see people are always watching me. I know if I play well I’ll get rewarded.
“I’ve been very fortunate with the amount of games I’ve played this season. At the start of the season, if you’d told me how many games I would have played I would have been over the moon.
“It’s been tough-going, and I’ve been out of the team a couple of times. But the manager has told me he’s not afraid to keep me in there for long spells, and as long as I keep my consistency up and keep playing well I’ll stay in the team.
“There are a lot of good young players in the league this season. To be credited with the award definitely gives me confidence going into the next couple of games.
“It’s certainly not a distraction. I’m always chuffed when I win this award. It’s brilliant, not just for me but for the club. People can see now how we are punching above our weight, and these kind of awards help people look up and see how well we’re doing.”
The attacking midfielder has played a major role his side’s success this season, with the Highlanders currently seven points clear in third place, and on course to qualify for Europe for the first time in their 21-year history.
Inverness also have a Scottish Cup semi-final to look forward to at Hampden Park next month, and will face either Celtic or Dundee United, who meet in Wednesday’s quarter-final replay at Parkhead.