Caley Thistle legend Ross Tokely reckons head coach Billy Dodds has plenty to ponder after Billy Mckay’s weekend treble put him in the frame for a crack at Morton on Saturday.
The striker smashed home a sparkling hat-trick for the Championship leaders to turn around a 2-0 SPFL Trust Trophy scoreline against League Two hosts Elgin City and young on-loan St Mirren forward Lewis Jamieson added another in a 4-2 win.
The attention is now on the home tussle with Morton as ICT know a win will keep them at least three points clear of Kilmarnock at the top after their first nine matches.
Mckay, who returned to the Caley Jags this summer after being freed by Ross County, is on five goals for the season after hitting a double in the last round of the cup against Buckie Thistle.
He’s fully recovered from his summer knocks and is putting pressure on Manny Duku and Shane Sutherland for a place in the side against the Ton.
Decision time for Dodds and his staff
Second-tier title-winner Tokely, who holds the club appearance record of 589 matches, admits it’s a great problem for Dodds to have.
He said: “Football is all about opinions and fans have their own views. In the end, it comes down to Billy Dodds and his coaching staff.
“He will decide whether Billy has done enough now to earn a start. He’s got good combinations because Billy could play up front with Shane Sutherland or Manny Duku if he wanted to go with two strikers. They have options.
“They were light on the bench on Saturday, but hopefully he’ll have more players back this weekend. The guys have done well in the cup. It gives them game time and helps them to find their role in the team.
“Billy had a slow start because he wasn’t fit at the start of the season and he missed a bit of pre-season.
“He is not getting a chance yet in the starting 11, but he’s getting his chance in the cup games. He’s showing the manager what he can do and is looking really sharp.
“I know Billy well and if you put anything into the box, he’s got a way of finding the net.”
ICT struck back to avert upset
For the second week in succession, ICT were two goals behind in the first half.
Two weeks ago, they lost 2-1 at Hamilton in the league, but thanks to Mckay and Jamieson they got past Elgin to line up a last eight cup clash with Raith Rovers next month, the team they share the trophy with.
Tokely was encouraged by the way the players showed resolve to ensure they were not going to slip up again.
He added: “It showed good character to come back from 2-0 down. I heard Barry (Wilson, first-team coach) say they can’t afford to give teams a one or two-goal lead.
“In the Partick Thistle game, they were 1-0 behind then and could have been two down but came out and showed a reaction to win 3-1.
“They have got to start dictating matches early doors and get the lead, which of course they have done most weeks. If you’re a goal or two down, you have a mountain to climb.”
Gus MacPherson’s Morton are ninth in the table and have not won a league match since beating Hamilton Accies 1-0 at New Douglas Park on August 7.
However, a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win against Montrose took them through to the quarter-finals of the SPFL Trust Trophy.
The Greenock team are the only opponents ICT have yet to face as the first round of fixtures are completed this Saturday.
Quarter measures shaping up well
Tokely pointed out that splitting matches into quarters is a common-sense approach as the Highlander seek to reach 22 points and stay on front before away trips to Raith Rovers and Partick Thistle.
He said: “We always used to break the season into quarters. Terry (Butcher) did that when he was in charge and we did it in the Championship.
“It’s not a bad thing to be top after a quarter if they can get another strong home performance and three points. They would then be happy with their first quarter’s work and if they can replicate that for the next two quarters then they won’t be far away.
“It’s small steps and that’s what they should do. The Championship is a very tough league, but they can take confidence and belief forward from what they’ve achieved so far.
“It is a big game on Saturday to lay down another home win before they move on to the next quarter.”
