Caley Thistle have reached the midway stage of the Championship season and it has already been a rollercoaster ride for supporters.
As Boxing Day’s home clash with Partick Thistle signals the start of the second half of the campaign, ICT are level top with unlikely front-runners Arbroath.
There is a five-way battle for not just promotion, but the title, with Raith Rovers, Kilmarnock (who have just sacked boss Tommy Wright) and Partick all firmly with their eyes on the prize.
Billy Dodds, who was brought in by interim manager Neil McCann last season, was always the hot favourite to take on the head coach role when it was up for grabs in the summer.
John Robertson, who was in his second spell in charge of the club, took time out for personal reasons at the start of 2021, and he returned to the Caledonian Stadium refreshed, but moved into the new role of sporting director.
McCann, who guided the club from the wrong end of the table to the cusp of the promotion play-offs, aided by Dodds, had other job commitments, but ICT didn’t have to look too far.
To secure former Scotland, Aberdeen, Dundee United and Rangers player and well-kent media man Dodds was a shrewd move.
He had a bit of thinking time and soon took over the hot-seat.
The main transfer moves he made was to secure recently released Ross County stars Billy Mckay and Michael Gardyne, along with ex-Scotland and Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot, who left Kilmarnock in the summer.
Frantic start in Premier Sports Cup
Dodds was barely in the door when the group stages of the Premier Sports Cup were upon them, with four games within 12 days in July.
A 2-0 home win against Peterhead was followed by penalty shoot-out defeat to League Two Stirling Albion after hitting back from 2-0 down for a 2-2 draw.
A 3-1 defeat at dangerous Cove Rangers was a further blow and put them all but out of the League Cup and their quickfire run of games ended in a 1-0 loss at Premiership Hearts, which at least had an encouraging performance.
Caley Thistle, who have struggled annually to get into the knock-out stages of the League Cup, will have to wait for another year.
So, it was straight on to league business for ICT as the dust barely settled on their League Cup disappointment.
Here, we look at the first 18 games of this 36-fixture Championship season.
July/August
The Championship season began on July 31 away to Dick Campbell’s Arbroath and a hard-fought 1-0 win at Gayfield set the tone for a brilliant start to the campaign.
Shane Sutherland’s cool finish, along with backs to the wall defending earned ICT a winning start.
Back-to-back 1-0 home wins were also hard-fought against Raith Rovers and Ayr United.
A wonder strike late on from Roddy MacGregor inflicted what is even now a rare defeat on Rovers, while a lucky Tom Walsh goal sunk the Honest Men, who he left to rejoin Caley Thistle in July.
The Highlanders were looking and being talked about as the real deal, especially when they made it four victories from four with a 1-0 win at favourites Kilmarnock, who dropped down with Hamilton from the top-flight in May.
September
After beating Buckie Thistle 4-0 in the SPFL Trust Trophy, ICT swept to an impressive 3-1 league win against Partick Thistle, who are real promotion contenders. They hit back from a goal down as Broadfoot, Sutherland and Aaron Doran all netted.
Their perfect start to the league season came to an end at East End Park as rock-bottom Dunfermline Athletic held them to a 0-0 draw and, indeed, could have won it if it hadn’t been for some fine stops from Inverness number one Mark Ridgers.
The month finished at home to Queen of the South and a Sean Welsh goal had Caley Thistle on course for victory.
A Lee Connelly reply in the second half almost cost them, but a late Gardyne volley secured three points, keeping ICT in front of the chasing pack.
October
This was always going to be a busy month, with six games crammed in, including a 4-2 SPFL Trust Trophy victory at Elgin City.
That followed their first league loss when they slipped to a surprise 2-1 defeat at Hamilton, who played most of the match with 10 men when Reegan Mimnaugh was sent off after just half an hour.
Gardyne’s goal followed a second-half one-way show from Inverness, but it came too late to prevent a pointless day in Lanarkshire.
Mckay and Gardyne were forging an impressive scoring partnership and both netted a week on from the Elgin tie in a no-nonsense 2-0 home win against Morton, which pulled them five points clear at the top of the league.
Caley Jags have not lost to Raith Rovers over 90 minutes in 21 years and they expected a testing time at Kirkcaldy next up in this second v first clash.
A Ross Matthews red card on the stroke of half-time when it was 0-0 offered ICT hope of going on to win, but they fell a goal behind to Aidan Connelly before skipper Sean Welsh rifled home a leveller for the visitors.
Three days later, ICT suffered their first home defeat of the season with a midweek 1-0 defeat against Arbroath, who are not giving up their promotion fight.
In a game played in driving wind and rain, a Michael McKenna free-kick caught out Ridgers and flew into the net for the striker’s ninth goal of the season.
Possibly their best performance of the season at this point actually ended in a 0-0 draw away to Partick Thistle.
Even home boss Ian McCall felt Caley Thistle deserved to win and they would have had Welsh’s spot-kick not been saved by impressive goalkeeper Jamie Sneddon.
November
The penultimate month of the year didn’t start well for ICT, although their opening match at Ayr United was going well thanks to first half goals from Sean Welsh and Michael Gardyne, which came either side of a reply from Joe Chalmers.
It was only a 2-1 interval lead, but ICT looked comfortable and most likely to add more to the score.
However, the Honest Men secured a draw through a Patrick Reading equaliser and the visitors blew the chance of overtaking Killie in first place.
A home game against rock-bottom Dunfermline, who were on the hunt for a new boss after sacking Peter Grant, seemed to be the perfect game to return to winning ways.
Then, on the eve of the game in Inverness, the Pars appointed John Hughes, who led the Highlanders to third place in the Premiership and their stunning Scottish Cup win in 2015.
Yogi, who guided Ross County to Premiership safety last term, was not in the dug-out, but half-time words inspired a comeback for the Fifers following a first half opener from Mckay.
The visitors blasted out the traps in the second half and a Danny Devine own goal and superb Dom Thomas goal made it two rare home defeats in succession for the hosts.
Five games without a win when you’re chasing promotion was a concern, but ICT addressed that in a Friday showdown on BBC Scotland away to Queen of the South.
A brace from Mckay was the least Inverness deserved as they bossed the Palmerston contest. A Lee Connelly goal in the second half made for a tense finish, but a 2-1 victory got the Caley Jags on track again.
A 1-1 Scottish Cup third round draw with lowly Morton was a disappointing outcome and added an unwanted replay to their tight schedule next month.
December
After crashing out of the SPFL Trust Trophy against joint-holders Raith Rovers on penalties a few days before, they were straight into a Friday night showdown with Killie.
The game in front of the BBC cameras offered ICT the chance to regain top spot, even just for a day, with Raith Rovers at Arbroath the next afternoon.
It could not have gone much better for Dodds’ men as a sublime Sean Welsh second half strike made all the difference and took ICT into pole position.
👋 Morning ICTFC fans!
🚀 Sean Welsh's screamer sealed all three points against Kilmarnock last night!
Enjoy your weekend 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/MhImXHy2Qm
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) December 4, 2021
It was a draw at Gayfield the next day, meaning Caley Thistle have a one-point advantage at the top, but fifth-placed Partick Thistle are just three points behind them in a five-way battle.
The Glasgow Jags’ rise up the table is fuelled by record-breaking eight clean sheets, driven by some top saves from keeper Jamie Sneddon.
Then it was on to Greenock for two matches with Morton, the first being their Scottish Cup replay. A below-par display ended in a 1-1 draw then a 5-3 penalty shoot-out loss.
The focus on a failed generator which plunged the visitors in darkness and freezing conditions became a major talker afterwards, highlighted by Dodds.
The league match at Cappielow a few days later came with the dressing room row ongoing and Dodds even hinting at ICT pulling out of the game should there be no suitable arrangements put in place.
Thankfully a gym at the other end of the ground got the green light for use by the visitors and Caley Thistle turned on the style with a rousing 6-1 rout keeping them one point clear of Raith Rovers.
The match which takes ICT to the midway point of the league season was Saturday’s home clash against Hamilton.
At one point of the afternoon, the Highlanders were moving three points clear at the top thanks to Cameron Harper’s goal.
However, for the second time this season, Accies delivered a stinging 2-1 result, this time with a comeback victory.
Mixed feelings, but it’s all to play for
Dodds and his players, especially after Saturday, will feel they could and should have a healthy lead at the top of the division.
However, it’s so competitive, all five sides in contention will feel they’ve also squandered opportunities to take a stranglehold.
The Championship is shaping up to be one of Britain’s most keenly-fought chases for the title and play-off places, while the bottom half is just as tight.
ICT are deservedly at the top end and have at the very least matched their main rivals in the head-to-heads.
If they can stand strong and deliver against the bottom half too then they can cross the finish line with their triumphant hands in the air.
