Ryan Christie shrugs off Bournemouth promotion poser as he confesses Scotland World Cup exit pain will linger

In the fullness of time Ryan Christie will be able to look back on what he’s achieved this year with pride and satisfaction.

But right now, with the wounds inflicted by yet another Scottish hard-luck story still so fresh, there’s no time for patting himself on the back.

Christie rolled the dice when he opted to leave Celtic for Bournemouth last summer, giving up the chance to play a part in Ange Postecoglou’s Parkhead rebuild as he took his chances in the English Championship.

But the gamble has paid off with the Cherries on their way to the Premier League.

The 27-year-old will fulfil a major ambition as joins the list of elite stars plying their trade in the top division down south.

But as one door opens to the promised land, another one has slammed shut and Christie is now facing up to the harsh reality that this winter’s World Cup is out of reach after Wednesday’s crushing Ukraine defeat left Scotland once again locked out and looking on as the big boys prepare to get down to business.

Asked if he could take consolation from his club achievements, he said: “I’m sure maybe in a couple of days I’ll step back and look at it like that but it’s still pretty raw right now.

“The main thing about this summer and this camp, it was the chance to go and achieve something special.

“Especially at Hampden, it’s a tough one to take as everybody wanted to reach that next milestone.

“The gaffer has said to us after the game it’s about how we react to this.

“It’s a tough one to take. I think all the boys are just frustrated because you wait so long for this game to come around and we were so desperate to go and make history again and we’ve fallen at the first hurdle. It hurts.

“I don’t think there was anxiety because of what it