Players often like to tell just how impressive their team-mates look in training, but when it comes to young Ryan Christie you tend to sit up and take that bit more notice.

Players often like to tell just how impressive their team-mates look in training, but when it comes to young Ryan Christie you tend to sit up and take that bit more notice.

Marley Watkins gave the Inverness youngster a glowing endorsement not long after he'd climbed off the bench to savour the winner in the dying minutes of Saturday's victory which propelled them back into second spot in the Premiership.

Christie, son of Inverness legend and former Celtic midfielder Charlie, is being tipped for the top and his latest illustration of skill showed just why the young Inverness attacker is thought of so highly by all those who surround him at the Highland club.

Watkins, who supplied his Caley Thistle colleague with a textbook cross two minutes from time before he left home goalkeeper Scott Bain helpless with the deftest of touches to defeat Dundee at Dens Park, has also told how Christie regularly turns on the style away from the public eye.

Watkins, for one, is left wondering at times quite how the teenager does it on the training ground which he admits can leave those watching on in a state of awe.

??In training, Ryan does some stuff which can take your breath away,?? he said.

??He skins people for fun.

??Sometimes you don't know how he's even done it.

??He's got quality and ability so he just needs to keep his head and stay on the right track.

??I've come across a few talented young players.

??But Ryan is definitely up there with the best of them.

??He's got a good attitude as well. Ryan's a top lad.

??I'm sure if he sticks at it and keeps training hard, he'll go far.

??He's got a bit of spark which you need and he can open up a defence.

??We're all behind him and if he keeps learning he'll be fine.??

This wasn't quite vintage Inverness who'd just days earlier turned on the style to out-class Mirren 4-0 in their Scottish Cup replay in the Highland Capital.

But what they did do was show they've got the capacity to win while not firing on all cylinders after second-half goals from Billy McKay and super sub Christie were enough to overhaul Dundee's first-half lead which was carved out through Greg Stewart.

It was simply one of those days when the Highlander's had no other option but to roll up their sleeves and get on with the task of winning at all costs.

And Watkins insisted afterwards it was all to do with John Hughes' men digging deep to cope with the elements too which secured their hard-fought victory away to Paul Hartley's side.

He said: ??I think we showed we can grind out the three points which is important.

??Conditions weren't the best out there.

??It was windy and quite boggy on the pitch as well.

??There's a slope as well which didn't help.

??But we stuck at it right to the end.??

Watkins is relishing the fine run of form which the Highland club are on after being widely predicted to be fighting a relegation battle before a ball was kicked back in the summer.

The 24-year-old cites their close-knit spirit as the key to spurring them on every week to prove their doubters wrong.

Watkins said: ??I think togetherness and hard work every day is the key to what we do.

??That's where our success comes from.

??Nobody moans in training. We just all stick together.

??It's a very pleasing result, especially as we didn't play too well.

??It's a boost to know that we're only three points behind Celtic.

??However, we just want to take one game at a time.

??We'll try and win every game which comes our way. That's our approach.

??Lately we've been doing that so we're happy. And long may that continue.??

If this latest result is anything to go by, you wouldn't be taken aback if they carried it on for a while to come yet.