UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifiers
Scotland v FYR Macedonia
Friday, 2nd September 2016, kick-off 7.30pm
Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh
In 2015 Ryan Christie hit all the headlines, winning the Scottish Cup with Inverness Caledonian Thistle and signing for boyhood heroes, Celtic for £500,000.
The 21-year-old’s career is now rapidly gathering pace and after impressing for his club side in front of new boss Brendan Rodgers, Christie has big plans for the future.
Having featured for Scotland Under-21s eight times so far, notching a goal in the 2-1 victory over Northern Ireland last year, Christie wants to experience more success at international level.
The ambitious youngster said: “The 21s gives you that wee taste of international football and all you want is to do it more.
“When you pull on that jersey and sing the anthem it is an awesome feeling and has more of an impact on you than you think it will. It’s a brilliant experience and every time you do it you get a tingle up the back of your neck.”
Reflecting on the campaign so far, Christie said: “It’s been frustrating because in a lot of games we’ve played well but not got the points we deserved.
“It’s been a strange group as everyone has been beating everyone else and in some cases we’ve been the unlucky team.
“When we played Iceland at home we were the dominant team for large periods but just struggled to score.
“We’ve not given up hope or anything like that as we have two big games, playing Macedonia tonight and Ukraine on Tuesday.
“A lot of the players chosen in the squad are flying at the moment for their clubs which gives everyone confidence.
“We have a big game tomorrow night and six points is definitely the aim for the next two matches.”
Christie has been a Celtic player for more than a year now and scored a crucial goal in a 4-2 win over St. Johnstone two weeks ago with the midfielder desperate to impress Hoops boss Rodgers.
“We’ve got a big squad at the moment so everyone is trying to get as much game time as possible,” he said.
“When you do get on the field it’s important to make an impact so that the gaffer has the confidence to play you more.
“I was really happy to get that goal at McDiarmid Park and seal the game up.
“The way we’ve started the new season has been brilliant and I’ve developed as a person and a player since signing for Celtic, moving down to Glasgow.”
For the full interview, pick up a free programme at Tynecastle Stadium tomorrow night as Scotland Under 21s take on FYR Macedonia, kick off 7.30pm. Entry is just £5 for adults and £2 for concessions.