Tom Walsh is determined to pitch in with goals for Caley Thistle to help out on-fire striker Billy Mckay.
The Inverness winger wants to be let loose for tonight’s SPFL Trust Trophy quarter-final against visitors Raith Rovers, a side 12 unbeaten and joint-top of the Championship with Kilmarnock.
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We're in SPFL Trust Trophy action this Tuesday as we face @RaithRovers in the Quarter Finals at the Caledonian Stadium
🎟️ Adults: £10 / Concessions: £5
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Match Info👉 https://t.co/BUiOIHjmUn pic.twitter.com/BXhVdbHFL4
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) November 28, 2021
No surprise Mckay is on 10 goals
Mckay netted his 10th goal of the term in a 1-1 Scottish Cup third round draw against Morton on Saturday, which means a replay at Cappielow next Tuesday.
The main forward is out on his own in terms of goals, with Michael Gardyne (five) and Shane Sutherland and Sean Welsh (three) next in line on the scoring front.
Walsh came off the bench at the weekend and he is eager to not only help Mckay add to his tally but also kick on from his sole goal, which came against Ayr United in August.
He said: “Billy is a proven goalscorer. He has done it for years, so it’s no surprise he has hit double figures already.
“It’s great for the team to have a goalscorer like that, and I would like to chip in with more myself.
“I know that I can, it’s just a case of getting into the right areas and shooting.
“From Billy’s point of view, it’s no surprise because his instincts in the box are great – he knows exactly where it’s going to drop – so he’s really important for us.”
Side playing ‘good stuff in spells’
Walsh, now in his second spell at Inverness, is looking to nail down a regular starting spot in Billy Dodds’ team.
The 25-year-old would seem almost certain to get the nod against Rovers, who despite their great form this year, have not beaten ICT over 90 minutes for 21 years.
Inverness have been guilty of not finishing opponents off when on top, including against Morton at the weekend.
Walsh reckons it comes down to digging deep when sides are turning the tide in matches.
He added: “I think the team has played some good stuff in spells in games.
“You come up against good teams in a tough league, so we need to ride that storm if the other team has a wee bit of pressure and try to see it out.
“You know that teams are always going to have a wee spell, so we just need to see it through because we are playing good stuff.
“If we can get two goals in front, that would give us a wee bit more comfort, but we need to stay positive and try to keep focused on trying to play the same way while scoring more goals in that.
“In a lot of the games at the start of the season, even when we were unbeaten, other teams were having wee spells and we were seeing it through.
“We know we’ve got that in us, so it’s just a case of working hard, doing the things we have been working on and trying to put that into practice.”
Not looking ahead to Killie clash
Walsh knows the management have a decision to make in terms of team selection, with Friday’s home clash with Killie in their mind.
However, with a chance of reaching the semis against Kilmarnock or Hamilton, the wide star is wanting a shot at Rovers.
He said: “I think every player wants to play every game, but we know we’ve got a good squad as well so the manager might make a couple of changes.
“We’ll just have to wait and see what team he puts out.
“We know that Friday is going to come fast around the corner, but we’ve got a big game on Tuesday to look forward to so we have to take care of that.”
Teams ready to go toe-to-toe in cup
With Raith Rovers, who have only lost three fixtures all season, one place and one point ahead of ICT in the league, there’s no doubt it will take a top display from ICT to post a second win of the year against them.
Walsh added: “This is always a tough game, and with where they are in the league they are doing really well.
“It will be a tough game, it’s a quarter-final, so it will be two teams going at it to try and get into the semis.
“We’ll be right up for it, and hopefully we can get through to the semi-finals.”
