Inverness midfielder James Vincent was delighted to net his first goal since last August in Caley Thistle’s 4-2 win against Hamilton Accies on Saturday.
Vincent’s relief was shared by forward Billy Mckay, whose double meant he ended a run of 1,070 minutes without a goal as the Caley Jags moved to the top of the Premiership for a day before being overtaken by Celtic yesterday.
Vincent, 25, is now targeting more goals for John Hughes’ side after finally breaking his duck for the season.
He said: “I’m delighted to get off the mark, I needed it. It’s my first for more than a year, so hopefully I can get a lot more than last season.
“It was a brilliant flick from Marley Watkins and I managed to get on to it to score.
“I thought Marley did well, he set up Billy’s two goals as well. We worked a lot in the week on what we wanted to do. We know Hamilton are a good side and they are where they are for a reason. We wanted to press them high up the pitch and stop them playing. It worked.”
Vincent missed several games after suffering a groin injury earlier in the campaign, but the Englishman believes a close team spirit has made it very easy to slot straight back into the side.
Vincent added: “Everyone is there for you when you’re injured. It’s never a good thing.
“I was out for over a month at the start of the season, but I got back in against Dundee United. I’ve just been happy to keep my place since then.
“Everyone pulls in the same direction. We all look out for each other and I think it shows on the pitch.
“I think it’s to do with where we live in Inverness. We all live close, we’re all friends up here, whereas at previous clubs I’ve had local friends and then I’ve had clubmates.
“It’s different here, we’re all friends so that keeps us strong on the pitch and strong off it.”
Hughes always had faith Mckay would hit the goal trail and never doubted the player’s abilities.
Northern Ireland forward Mckay now heads into the international break full of confidence, which Hughes believes never wavered.
Hughes said: “It’s obvious he wasn’t scoring goals and hitting the heights he did last year. But it’s not like he was lacking confidence.
“Billy is a large presence in the dressing room and we can’t believe he’s not hit double figures yet. But he’s still got that to come.”