Billy Dodds reckons Caley Thistle’s promotion chasers lacked belief at times as they slid to a 1-0 defeat at Championship rivals Kilmarnock.
The Inverness head coach was frustrated as his team were edged out 1-0 at Rugby Park thanks to a ninth-minute strike from Kyle Lafferty.
It’s a defeat which saw Killie overtake the Highlanders into second position, now holding a two-point lead.
FT: Kilmarnock 1-0 ICTFC
Kyle Lafferty's first-half goal separates the sides.
Thanks to Caley Away for your great support today pic.twitter.com/LvPe5OCUgi
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) January 29, 2022
Leaders Arbroath are one point in front of Kilmarnock after their game against Partick Thistle was postponed by the windy weather on the east coast. Dick Campbell’s pace-setters host Derek McInnes’ side this coming Friday.
Squandered possession when ICT were on the attack led to former Caley Jags winger Daniel Mackay, on loan from Hibs, breaking away and crossing for Lafferty to finish.
Losing possession led to the winner
The cheap goal in a game where Inverness threatened as time went on frustrated Dodds, who felt it was a movie he’d seen before.
He said: “I thought, to be honest, in the first half two or three of our players didn’t believe we are going to be the personnel to go on and win the Championship.
“I wanted them to believe and I said to them we must match Killie’s energy because I know they brought that to the Dundee United match last week. That’s how they started against us.
“Then we make basic errors, like when we gave the ball away from a throw-in higher up the pitch. Daniel Mackay just whips it around Cammy Harper and we can’t adjust.
“So, from us having a throw-in from halfway to further up the pitch, we end up picking the ball out of the net and I have shown them that on three or four occasions this season.
“As far as the second half goes, and I’ve said to them, there are two or three letting us down. They need to stand up and be a man.
“In the second half, we pushed and had a couple of wee half chances. They hit us on the counter and they had half chances but I felt we pushed them to try and get the equaliser but it just wasn’t to be.”
ICT will be looking to return to winning ways when they host Morton next weekend.
