Anybody casually looking at the football results on Saturday evening may not have given the outcome of the game at Gayfield anymore than a cursory glance.
A 1-0 win for Caley Thistle was not particularly eye-catching, and may be quickly forgotten by many, but for Inverness fans it was highly significant.
Over the last couple of years they have come a cropper at Arbroath on more than one occasion so, when the new season’s fixtures came out, this looked like a real banana skin of a game to get the Championship season under way.
There was a rather scary feeling among the club’s fans that the result and performance might set the tone for the season ahead.
Form in the League Cup groups had not been the best and if there was a repeat of the kind of performances we had seen against Stirling Albion and Cove Rangers, then it was no wonder we were a bit concerned.
So, it was particularly pleasing to see Caley Thistle prevail at the end of a close, hard fought game to get three points on the board on day one.
A classy finish from Shane Sutherland, midway through the second half, did the damage and I was delighted to see it.
You have to be pleased for new manager, Billy Dodds, as well. Listening to his post match interview, I sensed he was relieved to get the win.
I really want to see him do well and think he is capable of doing just that. A tough season lies ahead and the Championship looks wide open.
Quite how it will look next spring is anybody’s guess but any team that gets off to a strong start will surely have a big advantage, so another win when Raith Rovers head to the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday would be absolutely fantastic.
