Caley Thistle head coach Billy Dodds reckons Scottish football has a tough call to make on whether to have an early winter shutdown due to rising Covid cases.
Top-flight clubs have been asked their opinions by the joint response group on testing protocols and the impact of further restrictions as the Omicron variant takes control.
There is no break for Championship clubs, but Livingston manager David Martindale led the calls for the planned break to be advanced to this week in order to avoid enforced disruption over Christmas and New Year.
🔜 We face Hamilton Accies at the Caledonian Stadium this Saturday!
🎟️ https://t.co/6z5nBMn9qE
📺 PPV £15 on https://t.co/8eSzkdu4VrMatch Info 👉 https://t.co/DXgpzhLR5C pic.twitter.com/dTgHdAR8RX
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) December 15, 2021
Dodds, whose Championship leaders host Hamilton on Saturday, believes following Martindale’s route could easily go one way or another.
He said: “We have had a pause internally when we have had a problem with Covid and a few cases.
“But ongoing, if you get a few cases later on it stacks up your fixture list. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
“Who knows? I could say I am confident and then we get a case. I’ve had it myself, you could make a decision and it backfires or you could leave it and try to get through and get the break, and then get cases later on which backlogs games.
“I wouldn’t argue with anyone if there was a circuit breaker. I wouldn’t argue with anyone trying to get these fixtures fulfilled. It’s a rock and a hard place.”
Confidence rose after goal feast
As his side gear up for hosting Hamilton Accies on Saturday, ICT are one point clear of Raith Rovers at the top of the table as the season reaches its midway point.
Successive league wins against Kilmarnock, Queen of the South and Morton have shot them back to pole position over the past fortnight.
Their first defeat of the league term was away to Hamilton in October in a strange game they largely controlled against 10 men, but could not find a way through until it was too late.
Yet, fresh from a rousing 6-1 rout over Morton last weekend, which was the club’s biggest away win for 11 years, they are in fine fettle.
Dodds admits the dazzling display at Cappielow last Saturday further enhanced the feelgood factor at the club.
6️⃣ of the best 🤩
The goals from our sensational 6-1 win against Morton at Cappielow 😍
What a performance! 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/U7sRYVpdFf
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) December 12, 2021
He said: “It’s another wee notch in your confidence, there is no doubt about it.
“I have been asking us to be more ruthless as well as other aspects and we brought it all together against Morton.
“That’s what I was happy about. They are a great bunch of boys, who want to listen and learn and carry it out. That’s why I was delighted.”
Dodds determined to stay in front
And the ICT boss is urging his players not to slip up after such a fine performance and not allow Accies to post a second win against them this term.
He added: “It’s good to have two games here because we have been on our travels. We go into it on the back of our most resounding victory of the season.
“Now we have to reinforce it. We can’t just win one or two then take a step back. That’s what I have asked of the players and I am sure they can carry that out. We have a good squad of boys.”
