Ross County youth academy graduate Dylan Smith has taken next step on way to becoming Staggies captain with Scotland armband, says manager Malky Mackay
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Malky Mackay says that being given the captain's armband for Scotland's under-19s was the next step towards Dylan Smith's development into a Ross County skipper in the future.
The 17-year-old defender was named in Billy Stark's 19s squad for the first time, and was named captain against Czechia.
Mackay believes it will have been valuable experience for the teenager, and says getting the armband was testament to the work put in by Smith himself and the youth academy in Dingwall.
"From the under-17s to the under-19s you sometimes find people have a barren year, because invariably, your best 19s are the ones that play, and the ones coming up don't," Mackay explained.
"For Dylan, then, to jump from the under-17s into the under-19s and captain the team in the second game was a real testament to him.
"I'm really proud of him, and I'm proud for Steven Ferguson as someone who has been heavily involved in our academy for a long time. It's a great testament to Dylan and his mum, and also to the people at the football club who have seen his rise.
"I won't let him get carried away, but it's another step that hopefully helps him progress gradually into playing on a regular basis, and one day captaining Ross County. I'm delighted for him."
It is not the first time Mackay has spoken of Smith as a future Staggies skipper, with the youngster's bravery a key marker of his leadership potential.
"He wants to put his head in where it hurts – Dylan is very good in the air defensively in his own box," Mackay reasoned.
"He's quick, and he's brave, and for a boy of his age he reads the game well.
"There is more to come, and a lot more leadership quality to come, but as a young defender who has been thrown into the Premiership at his age, he has equipped himself really well.
"He has had a couple of moments where he has had some not so good experiences now too, but you have to go through that to become more rounded as a player and as a person.
"All these things will be valuable for him, but he has to be patient."
