Aaron Doran says Caley Thistle have plenty in reserve as they aim to be the halfway leaders in the Championship on Saturday.
ICT made the division sit up and notice at the weekend as they smashed lowly Morton 6-1 at Cappielow just four days after losing there on penalties in the Scottish Cup third round replay.
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Doran’s swerving cross came off home keeper Jack Hamilton and crossed the line after 15 minutes, sparking the goal rush in Greenock.
Their lethal show kept them one point clear of Raith Rovers, who beat faltering favourites Kilmarnock.
Dick Campbell’s Arbroath pulled off a fine 2-0 win at in-form Partick Thistle to move third, just three points behind ICT.
Home form key for promotion bid
Championship victories over Queen of the South, Killie and now Morton have kept the Highlanders out in front and Doran is determined to remain there.
The 30-year-old said: “That’s three wins in a row in the league and it’s put us where we want to be.
“We have also had decent home form lately, so we need to keep that up. We want to win every game at home try and stay in front.
“Other teams are sticking in there, so it’s going to be tough. However, if we keep doing the business, hopefully we can maybe extend that gap at the top.
“We have a strong squad and we can see what the subs bring to the table when they come on. Reece (McAlear) came into the side and scored a great goal against Morton then Lewis (Jamieson) came on and scored another really great goal.
“There is competition there and we know these players will deliver for us. We are happy as a squad and we need to keep pushing one another to ensure we stay at the top.”
Vocal home fans make difference
Back-to-back home matches against Hamilton this Saturday then Partick Thistle one week later see the Caley Jags over the Christmas period.
The club encouraged fans who love to sing and make a noise to gather in the West Stand of the Caledonian Stadium for the recent 1-0 table-top victory over Killie.
Doran admits their vocal backing made a difference and he wants it to continue as the team target a title push.
He said: “That’s the first time I’d experienced that in my time at the club and it created a bit of a buzz.
“They were really loud, so hopefully the fans can do that most home games and the team will respond and play the way we can to stay top and keep pushing up the league.”
That opening goal against Morton last weekend hit the post then keeper Hamilton before nestling in the net.
Crossing advice spurred Doran on
The Dubliner explained that he was encouraged by head coach Billy Dodds to deliver telling crosses to trouble the Ton.
He added: “The gaffer told me and Tom Walsh before the game to get as many crosses into the box as possible. I got my head up and crossed it and thankfully it went in and the goal started off the performance. We scored five more goals and it was a great day for the team.
Caley picked up their biggest away win in over a decade at the weekend 👀
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“Last Tuesday, I also put in a few crosses, which caused a bit of trouble, so I just wanted to do the same. It was a good ball in and thankfully it hit the back of the net. It was a good start for us.”
As Dodds said after the game on Saturday, Doran felt a heavy scoreline in their favour was just around the corner and he was delighted it came in some style at Cappielow.
He said: “It was a really strong performance. Over the last six or seven games, we have played some really nice stuff at times and we didn’t get the results we deserved.
“On Saturday, we got the result after playing really well. We felt a result like this would happen at some point, given the way we’ve been playing and thankfully it was at the weekend.”
ICT simply wanted improvement
The dressing room row overshadowed the build-up to Saturday’s league match at Cappielow.
In last Tuesday’s replay, ICT were based in two portable united when a failed generator led to freezing conditions and team talks held in the dark.
Dodds even threatened to pull out of the weekend’s return to Greenock if the problem was not fixed.
Thankfully Morton gave over the gym facility to the visitors and all was well.
For Doran, the manner of their 1-1 replay draw and penalty shoot-out loss was the main motivation ahead of their goal spree.
He added: “We didn’t bring (the facilities element) into the game. We just wanted to improve on our overall performance on the pitch from last Tuesday.
“We showed the way we can play on Saturday, including the subs who came on. It was a great day all round.”
