David Carson is keen to make up for lost time after missing most of Caley Thistle’s most recent Championship season.
The midfielder, who has been excelling as a right-back, was out of action until February last term because of a knee injury, which he sustained in pre-season.
His comeback came around the time Neil McCann became interim boss in place of John Robertson, who took time out for compassionate leave.
As his assistant, McCann recruited Billy Dodds, who is now the head coach, and all of these factors contributed to Caley Thistle moving from the lower reaches of the Championship to the brink of the promotion play-offs.
Not only did Carson’s impact help drive the Highlanders on, the 25-year-old’s displays earned him the Championship player of the month prize for March.
Carson in for the long haul this season
The ex-Morpeth Town playmaker, who moved north in 2019, signed a three-year deal in April, and he’s determined to make every minute count for the Caley Jags this term.
He said: “Last season was hard for me because I didn’t play until February. I am loving my time at the club and we are strengthening every year. We have a goal to get back to the Premiership and I am delighted be involved.
“The hard work starts now, because I want to make sure I achieve something in my next three years here.”
Carson and his team-mates got the ball rolling on Tuesday with a 2-0 home Premier Sports Cup win over Peterhead thanks to goals from Manny Duku and Aaron Doran.
Stirling Albion come calling this weekend and Carson knows that starting the new campaign on the front foot will serve them well.
He explained: “We haven’t started off well in the two seasons I have been here. The league is the most important thing for us, but these run of games in the cup set you up nicely with a competitive edge.
“We are in a group (with Hearts, Peterhead, Cove and Stirling) which we feel we can qualify from to get into the knockout stages.
“The ties will get minutes into the boys, which will be massive and get that competitive edge back for Arbroath away at the end of the month in the first game of the (league) season.”
Dodds recognises everyone’s roles
For Carson, the recruitment of Dodds as Robertson’s long-term replacement hits the spot and he has been enjoying the work alongside head of performance Ross Hughes too.
He added: “It’s been brilliant working with Billy. The impact he had last season alongside Neil was great. We went on a really strong run of form.
“Doddsy has come back in as the gaffer and is implementing what he wants. He recognises everyone’s roles and it’s really about taking that form into these competitive games.
“He has passed on his knowledge and it is up to us to go out there and implement that game plan.
“We have got a lot of good work in this summer. We got three pre-season games to get some good minutes in.
“Ross Hughes has come in to do the sports science side of it and he has put in a number of good sessions to get the boys firing.”
Carson is also enjoying working alongside his new team-mates and feels the added quality puts them in the promotion hunt.
He added: “If you look at us bringing in Tom Walsh, Michael Gardyne, Billy Mckay – it shows we have strengthened in good areas. We have a strong side on paper, but we need to forge the relationships on the pitch.
“If that happens, I have high hopes of us being up there at the play-offs as a minimum.”
