RYAN Christie seems far too young and polite to go ballistic, but the opposite is actually the case.

As his Inverness Caledonian Thistle side prepare to converge on Glasgow for another epic cup mission at Ibrox on Tuesday night, the newly-crowned SPFL Premiership young player of the month for August is sitting in Caledonian Stadium, recalling his attendance at the club's famous 3-1 cup win against Celtic at Parkhead in February 1999, when his dad Charlie helped spawn one of the most famous football headlines in history, the night Super Caley really did go ballistic because their opponents were so atrocious.

It's understandable if his memories of the occasion are somewhat hazy; he was only four at the time, travelling down to the match on a supporters bus in the company of his mother Sharon, and turning up somewhat bleary eyed when he made it to his primary one class the next morning. Not only that, but he genuinely went ballistic in another sense the previous Saturday, throwing a proper childhood tantrum when the first attempt to get the match played was cancelled some 45 minutes before kick-off due to a broken piece of Parkhead roof.

While some players speak unconvincingly of their undying affection for the club that they play for, Christie Jnr is steeped in the history of the Highland club, having been present at every major milestone the club has reached in the last 15 years, even the 18-month period when his father was manager. He is the kind of poster boy every Scottish club should dream of.

"I was only four at the time so I can't remember much about that game, just everyone around me being delighted," said Christie. "I quite liked watching Barry Wilson. Dennis Wyness up front, they were all good. Even when my dad was manager here, I watched all the games.

"I was in the youths at that time, but it was never really in my mind that I could go this far in the game until I was a bit older. That was when I decided to give it a right go."

That, if anything, is an understatement. Christie and Inverness are giving it a go all right. The Highland club currently sit atop the Premiership, albeit only on goal difference from Hamilton and Dundee United following yesterday's 3-1 defeat to Partick Thistle. And a hat-trick of awards this week - John Hughes was named the league's top manager and Ross Draper the top player - are all testament to the excellent start they have made. On a personal level, Christie is approaching 20 first-team appearances already, including a substitute showing in last season's League Cup final. He spent last week experiencing his maiden exposure to Billy Stark's Scotland Under-21 side, playing the last quarter of the match in the 3-0 victory against Luxembourg. "It was a great experience," he said. "It was great just training with guys like Ryan Gauld, just to see how really good they are."

Having a famous footballing father can be both a blessing and a curse. While Christie brushes off the inevitable comparisons, he also knows his father - with whom he still lives - can prove an invaluable sounding board. With Premiership sides such as Hull City credited with an interest, particularly pertinent will be his advice on when is the optimum time to move on to bigger and better things. Christie Snr moved from Inverness to Celtic in 1985, but never made the first team.

There is a valid comparison between Christie and Gauld, as both have the imagination and technique to play off the striker, and a mature head on their shoulders to take the inevitable fame in its stride. "Right now I am really enjoying playing in the first team. I don't feel it has been too much of a step up," he said. "I haven't felt a pressure [to live up to my dad]. I always knew my career would be nothing to do with what he did in his. I still live at home so he will be the first one to tell me if I have done something wrong. He told me to not even think about transfer speculation until something is put down in front of me."

Christie's current manager would love all the hype to die down, but deep down John Hughes knows he has a special talent to showcase, a player capable of getting supporters on the edge of their seats. Whether it is the likes of Scott Arfield at his Falkirk team, he has always gloried in the progression of young talent, and he sees no reason why Christie shouldn't hit double figures this season if he stays injury free. The development of his physique would only make him more formidable.

"The scouts coming here are from the top end of the English Premiership and it doesn't surprise me," said Hughes. "I am also getting lots of phone calls. He's still in his diapers, but he's playing a man's football and he doesn't seem overawed."

As for Tuesday, Rangers - regardless of off-field woes - deserve to be favourites. "They've got [Nicky] Law, [Ian] Black, [Marius] Zaliukas, [Lee] McCulloch, [Darren] McGregor, [Lee] Wallace, [Kenny] Miller, [Kris] Boyd and [David] Templeton so that's an SPL team playing at Ibrox so they are huge favourites," said Hughes. "But bring it on."

Caley Thistle famously struggle for crowds, and there was a perceived disconnect with the local area as former manager Terry Butcher enlisted job lots of players from the English lower leagues, but Christie is a local boy made good. He still pinches himself when he is mobbed by kids during visits to schools or youth clubs. "They seem to enjoy it, and I get a buzz too," he said. "I remember being one of those kids."