Carl Tremarco’s time at Caley Thistle is at an end after being told he will not be offered a new contract.
Tremarco joined Inverness in the summer of 2013, at the end of his Macclesfield contract and on the back of a loan spell with Maltese side Floriana. His debut came in peculiar circumstances – a Friday night derby with Ross County that was abandoned after the floodlights failed at Victoria Park twice.
His first season with the Caley Jags saw him play 24 times and considering he was signed as back-up to Graeme Shinnie, is a figure he was pleased with. After the arrival of John Hughes, Shinnie was used in other roles rather than his usual left-back slot, including right-back and central midfield, allowing Tremarco opportunity to play.
The second campaign was slightly more frustrating, with just 13 games to his name in all competitions. The form of Shinnie and the team as a whole saw Hughes reluctant to change the side, however, an injury to David Raven prior to the Scottish Cup final provided an opportunity for Tremarco to start against Falkirk.
He will need little reminding of what happened on the day, with a last-man foul on Blair Alston earning him a red card. Inverness were 1-0 up at the time through Marley Watkins, with Peter Grant immediately equalising for the Bairns after Tremarco’s dismissal only for James Vincent to seal Caley Thistle’s place in history.
Shinnie’s departure to Aberdeen in 2015 gave Tremarco his chance and he nailed down the left-back slot almost immediately. He played 32 times in the league that season as Inverness finished seventh, scoring his first goal for the club in a 3-1 win over the Dons in February 2016.
Tremarco’s best season from a statistical point of view came in Inverness’ worst, during the relegation campaign of 2016-17. He scored twice in the 7-0 Betfred Cup win over Arbroath and even missed the opportunity for an unlikely hat-trick, as the Caley Jags started life under Richie Foran with great promise.
The Liverpudlian scored seven times in all competitions that season and was the club’s leading scorer until near the end, where Alex Fisher overtook him as Caley Thistle desperately fought unsuccessfully against relegation. His campaign was to end early in disappointment, with a serious knee injury suffered against Motherwell in April curtailing his contribution and also holding him back for the following campaign.
A goalscoring return in the Challenge Cup win over Aberdeen reserves saw him back in the fold during 2017-18 and he went on to play 29 games under new manager John Robertson. He got his vindication in the Challenge Cup final, scoring the winner against Dumbarton three years on from his heartbreak at Hampden.
Once Gary Warren was moved on in the summer of 2018, Tremarco succeeded him as captain and was a popular choice with the club’s support. He played every game in their run to the Scottish Cup semi-final, where the national stadium was again cruel to Tremarco as injury struck again during their 3-0 defeat to Hearts.
His 200th game for the club came against Dunfermline in February 2020 and even at 34, he still maintained a grip on the left-back spot with 34 games under his belt. However, the ending of the season and ending of his Caley Thistle career means he missed out on captaining the club in the Challenge Cup final against Raith Rovers.
Tremarco finishes his Caley Thistle career with 204 appearances and 16 goals, the longest spell at any club during his career. Aside from his captaincy and playing responsibilities, Tremarco also coached the club’s under-16s and ran his own coaching school, The Other Foot, in Ross-shire.
