David Carson now considers himself a full-back rather than the midfielder who arrived at Caley Thistle two years ago.
When he joined in May 2019 from Morpeth Town, ICT described him as a “combative central midfielder” and he swiftly showed his ability in that role, making himself a hit with supporters in super-fast time.
The 25-year-old from Newcastle-upon-Tyne still wears number eight, but after filling a gap in the right side of defence, he is tried and trusted there and expects no change to that in the near future.
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He said: “I was a central midfielder who could play right-back. That has probably changed to a right-back who can play central midfield.
“Speaking with the manager, that’s where he has put me out to play. I’m happy with that.
“It is a bonus I can play in both positions, but it is down to the manager and he’s put it out there that he wants me at right back.
“We’ve done a lot of work on that, so I’m a right-back who can play central midfield.”
He knows that job means averting danger, but Carson is also keen to burst forward when the opportunities arise.
He said: “From me wanting to come and get the ball in midfield and build attacks and get in the box, I have had to adapt.
“First and foremost, a defender needs to defend – that’s ultimately what we’re there to do.
“Then I’m working the other side of it, joining attacks, putting balls into the box – and I’m enjoying it, to be fair.”
Physical test with bodies in the box
Caley Thistle have not lost at home to today’s Championship visitors Ayr United since 2003, but a 2-2 draw up here in April, which kept The Honest men up, showed Carson enough that this will be a tough 90 minutes.
He added: “I know they had a lot on the line that day to stay up and not slip into the relegation play-offs, but we know how they’re going to be.
“They’re a physical side. They will want to put bodies in the box and it is for us to stand up and defend against that, match them physically and, if we do, the players we have can show their ability with the ball.
“We’ve got some real ball players in the team, but we’ve also got to show we can match teams physically.
“First and foremost, we need to get a foothold in the game and then let our ability take care of the rest.”
ICT digging deep for victories
Carson, who signed a three-year contract extension in April, spent time out with injury last season until a return to the team in February.
And after opening league wins over Arbroath and Raith Rovers, he’s determined to drive the side forward against Ayr this afternoon.
He added: “You always want to start the season well and we’ve done that. We’ve performed well in spells of games and we’ve also dug in when we need to.
“We’ve shown both sides of the squad’s capabilities. We’re delighted and we’re going to take that into Saturday.”
