He led the way for Montrose despite his tender years, barking out orders and leading by example with the ball at his feet.
The testing, windy conditions didn’t faze St Johnstone kid Cammy Ballantyne either.
In the No 10 role, the 20-year-old ran the show in Saturday’s thrilling tit-for-tat five-goal Angus derby win over Forfar.
It was their first victory of the season, one which puts them in the promotion play-off spots.
And Ballantyne was at the heart of everything good the visitors did.
From executing cross-field balls to fashioning opportunities of his own, all of his creative attributes were on display, complemented by his pace, endeavour and sheer willingness to get on the ball.
He linked well with attackers Craig Johnston, Graham Webster and Lewis Milne throughout; the talented Saints ace dropped deeper in the second half but continued to make his side tick.
He wasn’t the only top-flight youngster in action.
Dundee United loanee Chris Mochrie also starred for the Gable Endies as they downed their League One rivals 3-2 thanks to a last-minute Liam Callaghan winner.
A brace from captain Paul Watson put Montrose in front twice, only for Jordan Allan and Chris Antoniazzi to equalise for the Loons – who fielded Dundee’s Sam Fisher and Saints’ John Robertson.
But it was the youthful but vibrant midfield of Stewart Petrie’s team – Ballantyne, Mochrie and Hearts’ Harry Cochrane – that caught the eye.
Unsurprisingly, Montrose player-coach Sean Dillon was impressed with Ballantyne’s display, saying they are delighted to have him on loan for the second consecutive season.
“Cammy is doing really well for us. He’s a great fella,” the 37-year-old said.
“We’re delighted we pushed to make sure we got him back from St Johnstone again.
“He did really well for us last season.
“I don’t know Chris and Harry as well but I got to know Bally last season having worked with him, he’s got real quality and did really well on Saturday.
“You’d never think he was so young. Everything about him is top class, for me.
“From the way he trains, how he thinks about the game, he speaks well and it’s very difficult to pick up on any negatives about him.
“He’s been brilliant to work with so far.
“But the other two are so well-respected already in the game and by their clubs.
“The way they all linked the play, Bally in particular, you can see the way he operates and he’s not afraid to talk to people.
“He asks questions of his opponents and team-mates – it’s great to see.
“It wasn’t like he was a mute in the first season but it shows he’s growing and is relaxed around the squad.
“He’ll talk to the staff about his own ideas and how he’s feeling. It’s really good.”
Chris makes a Mochrie of Forfar defence
Tangerines fledgling Mochrie (17) started on the right for Petrie’s men but, after having little influence out wide, drifted in and out to good effect.
The Dundonian kid looked dangerous with the ball at his feet, showing good close control and running in possession.
Full of driving runs and skilful dribbling, Mochrie would often skip past two or three before picking a pass or winning a foul for his team.
Like Ballantyne, Mochrie was always looking for the ball and, in an attacking sense, knew where to be.
He put himself about a little but it seems there’s work to be done on the defensive side of the game for the slight teenager.
However, Mochrie’s class shone through when he moved to the middle of the park late on, showing some nice touches as he forced a save out of Daniel Hoban in the home goal.
And his influence would, ultimately, help Montrose win the day as he slid in a pass for Callaghan to curl home the winner in the 93rd minute.
It was a telling contribution which pleased boss Petrie and Dundee United legend Dillon alike.
Petrie said: “He’s a talented lad but he’s got to learn the defensive side of the game.
“When the ball is at his feet he’s excellent but he’ll learn the game.
“There’s more ways to win a game than that, he’ll learn the defensive side, because it’s a derby after all and in horrible conditions.
“He’s certainly an asset to us.”
Dillon added: “Chris is a bit quieter but he hasn’t been at the club that long.
“I’d been keeping an eye on his progress with him being at United and he’s another one we were really pleased to get on loan.
“It’s still early days, you never know how these things are going to pan out over the course of the season, but I’ve been absolutely delighted with him.
“His quality is top of the range and I’m delighted we’ve been given the opportunity to look after him and help develop him for when he goes back to United.”
Tayside kids can make first-team impact
Irish defender Dillon believes both have what it takes to make it at their parent clubs and insists playing with experienced pros like Watson and Iain Campbell can only benefit their development.
He said: “I definitely see them playing for their clubs eventually. Whether it’s straight after their done with us or not, I don’t know, but I have no doubt they’ll go on and play at the highest level.
“They’ve been really good for us since coming in, Cammy more so because we’ve had him longer.
“Looking at them both, though, their technique and ability there’s absolutely no doubt about that.
“Attitude-wise, they’ve all looked good and worked hard to get themselves as involved in the squad as possible.
“They’ve thrown themselves in and got involved. We don’t want lads just turning up on a Tuesday or Thursday for training and that be that – we want them having a bit of craic with people.
“There’s nothing worse than having somebody on loan and by the time March comes around they’re only just starting to get used to the group.
“His quality is top of the range and I’m delighted we’ve been given the opportunity to look after him and help develop him for when he goes back to United.”
Sean Dillon on Chris Mochrie.
“It’s a great dressing-room to be in – the captain Paul Watson has been brilliant for me since I came in and it’s the same for the kids.
“Yano (Iain Campbell) and Ross (Campbell) just go at it hammer and tongs every time we train. The craic is great and it’s a good mixture – young lads, old lads and everyone in between thrown into the mix.
“I’d like to think it’s a good environment for anyone coming in but certainly for Chris, being a little bit quieter and quite young still, it helps.
“It’s hard to believe how young he actually is! It’s funny, we were laughing about it recently, with the squad we try to do as many social things as we can away from football.
“We’d have regular days out or evenings out in normal times but Chris is too young for that!
“We’ll help them but they’ll certainly help us as well in regard to trying to keep up with them!”
Fisher will be valuable for Dundee
Nineteen-year-olds Fisher and Robertson didn’t shine as brightly for Forfar but boss Stuart Malcolm was still pleased with their contribution, particularly that of the Dark Blues centre-half.
Fisher proved to be a sizable physical presence, winning many headers, tackles and interceptions but also showing good distribution and running with the ball at feet.
Robertson made an impact, too, before being subbed off on 70 minutes – with his initial effort leading to Allan’s goal.
Malcolm commented: “Sam’s excellent and collectively we’re a young team, nobody is getting individually blamed for anything.
“We just need a bit more knowhow collectively to see games out.
“Sam’s been excellent for us and is going to be a very good centre-half.
“He’s come here to get games, learn and play league football and games like Saturday are part of it.
“He’s going to be a very valuable player for Dundee one day.”
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