FOLLOWING his late consolation strike against Dundee United last Saturday, Partick Thistle striker Kenny Miller joined an exclusive club. The 40-year-old has now scored in four different decades in his long career - no mean feat, by any means.

When Miller moved to Rangers from Hibernian in the summer of 2000, Zak Rudden was just a few months old. The new Thistle striker spent his childhood idolising Miller as he banged in the goals at Ibrox, and admits that playing alongside the veteran forward feels a little surreal.

"I never thought when I was younger that I would ever be playing alongside him but here I am," Rudden said.

"Kenny actually coached me at reserve level [at Rangers] for a while, so I know him quite well. I’m always listening to him, I’m like a sponge.

"He’s an experienced player. I played up top with him in training the other day and he was telling me what to do which was really helpful.

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"He’s some role model to have. I want to learn everything I can, watch him in training, watch what he does and learn as much as possible."

Rudden sealed his switch to Firhill earlier this week after a series of loan moves, most recently with Plymouth Argyle in England's League Two. And while the 19-year-old was sad to leave the club where he had been with for 10 years as a youth player, Rudden is in no doubt that the time had arrived to leave Ibrox in search of regular first-team football.

"It was time to go," he said. "I was going out on loan a lot and I didn’t know if I was coming back to the first team or the reserves, so it’s time for me to go out and get experience playing first-team football.

"I’m delighted that I left on a really positive note. I got a phone call from Gerrard just after I left and a couple of messages from the youth coaches and Stewart Robertson, just wishing me all the best. So I’ve left on a good note."

Rudden accepts that the path from Rangers' development squad to the first team can be difficult - not a single player under 21 years old has made a league appearance under Steven Gerrard this season - but the new Thistle man believes that is down to the nip-and-tuck nature of this season's Premiership title race.

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"I think there are big expectations now so I think it’s hard for young players to get through," he said. "But Gerrard will definitely give you a chance if you are good enough."

Rudden is likely to be handed his debut against Celtic in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup this afternoon as Ian McCall's side take on the champions at Firhill. Some players would possibly feel apprehensive at the prospect, but Rudden is raring to go - even if his past experiences of facing Celtic at youth level haven't exactly gone to plan.

"It’s a big game. I like getting thrown in at the deep end so I’m buzzing to get out there and play," he added.

"[Playing against Celtic as a Rangers youth player] was terrible! It wasn’t very good to be honest.

"I always ended up missing games against Celtic, too. I scored when I was really young but when it came to Glasgow Cups, I kept getting beat every game! There were two Glasgow Cup finals and we got beat in both of them so no, it’s not been very good."

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As part of the deal to bring Rudden to Firhill, Rangers inserted a buy-back clause in his Thistle contract. McCall was quick to downplay the significance of this and said that it would only matter if Rudden performed exceptionally for the Jags. While Rudden refused to rule out a return to Ibrox one day, the forward insisted that he is focused purely on performing well for his new club.

"You never know [what could happen]," he said. "I’m here to go out and get game-time and do my thing, so I’ll see where it takes me.

"My ambition isn’t to go right back to Rangers. I’m here for a reason. I left Rangers for a reason so hopefully I can show that I can go on to bigger and better things."

Meanwhile, McCall confirmed that Thistle are in talks to sign Inverness centre-back Jamie McCart but distanced himself from rumours that a loan deal for Rangers’ Lewis Mayo was on the cards.

“Mayo is a fine young player,” he said. “There was an approach back in December but that’s dead in the water because of the situation with the other centre-back there that got injured.

“We’re talking to [McCart’s] agent and a number of other players. But he’s an Inverness player so I wouldn’t want to even think about talking about that. But we’re being really proactive in trying to get players.”