Caley Thistle are first in the Championship – but Roddy MacGregor reckons they can get even better.
The Inverness team are three points clear of Kilmarnock ahead of hosting second-bottom Morton this afternoon as they seek five home wins on the spin.
However, attacking midfielder MacGregor feels after a 2-1 league loss at Hamilton and a 4-2 comeback SPFL Trust Trophy win at League Two Elgin City, they’re determined to hit new heights.
🔜 We look to make it our fifth home win in a row this Saturday as we face Morton
🎟️ Tickets available from https://t.co/6z5nBMn9qE
Buy in advance to avoid any delays on the day! 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/KKXxYXmWpA
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) October 14, 2021
He said: “I still don’t think we have hit top gear this season. We still have more to come from us.
“We’ve had a few injuries this season, and the team have still been strong, but we have more to give and I hope we can put in a more complete performance at the weekend and that includes a strong start to the game.”
Plenty of football to be played
And MacGregor, who has scored long-range crackers against Stirling Albion and Raith Rovers this year, explained the group are not feeling the heat of being the team in front as the first round of games draws to a close.
He said: “It feels good to be top. We’re not looking at it as being under pressure. There is still a long way to go, and we’ve not yet played a quarter of the fixtures. We know there’s still a lot of play for.
“It really is a case of one game at a time for us. All we can do is keep racking up as many points as we can and come April or May that will stand us in good stead.”
After six wins and a draw, the Caley Jags slipped up at Hamilton two weeks ago when a late Michael Gardyne goal wasn’t enough to rescue the two first half goals they leaked.
Thriving with regular game-time
The 19-year-old, who signed a two-year contract extension at ICT in September, explained he feels more like a senior player as he stands at 13 appearances for the season.
He added: “It’s been really good, and I’ve played a lot of games. I think I have done reasonably well and hopefully I can just stay in the team and help the team as much as I can.
“This season, I feel as if I’ve stepped it up a wee bit. I have gained more experience over the last couple of years.
“I have tried to take that responsibility on and become a figure in the team, not just a young boy.”
Swift start is order of the day for ICT
Inverness-born MacGregor, meanwhile, is not taking Morton’s league position of ninth for granted and insists Caley Thistle have to burst out of the traps in a bid to take control.
He said: “We have not started great against Hamilton and Elgin before coming into the game a bit. We’re looking to go out from the start all guns blazing on Saturday.
“Morton are always a tough nut to crack. It will be no different on Saturday. They might not have started as well as we have, but they still have good players.
“It will be a tough game for us, but we’ll be looking to do our best and get the three points.”
