Brian Irvine has high hopes for his former Ross County protégé Josh Reid.
Former Staggies defender Irvine coached Reid in the club’s youth setup and believes he has the perfect setup in Dingwall to succeed.
Reid was handed his debut on the first day of the season, starting as an 18-year-old and impressing in the 1-0 win over Motherwell.
He kept his place for the triumph over Hamilton Accies and then Kilmarnock, with manager Stuart Kettlewell showing faith in the club academy product.
Irvine, who represented County between 1999 and 2003, hopes Reid continues to flourish in a Staggies shirt.
He said: “I worked with Josh in the under-18s and I’m delighted for him. They’ve always rated him – he was one they had high hopes for, he’s from Dingwall and ticks all the boxes for the academy.
“He’s a local talent but a good player as well. It’s a perfect scenario for the academy system. If you can get lets of players like that, it makes their budget for the youth system all worthwhile.
“For a player, you need a manager to be behind you. Stuart Kettlewell has obviously got high hopes for him and that means a lot to a player’s confidence. Equally, he’ll give him opportunities that if a manager was unsure of him, he wouldn’t get.
“It’s the perfect scenario for progression. If he makes his name at Ross County, who knows where he might end up. He’s doing everything right just now – all the signs are very positive.”
Kettlewell stated over the summer his desire to give Reid greater first-team action. County brought in experienced full-back Carl Tremarco to compete with the teenager but also to aid his development.
County take on St Mirren this weekend, having started the season near the top of the Scottish Premiership.
It has been a start which has impressed Irvine, with County bedding a new-look defence that started with two clean sheets.
Irvine added: “I think it’s been one of the stories of the season so far. It’s a tremendous start. It’s shown how they’ve worked on their defence. For County, it’s a perfect start.
“They’ve certainly started as if they don’t want to concede. Two clean sheets and two wins, you couldn’t ask for more.”