One of the better things to have happened in Scottish football in recent years is the play-offs that give the champions of the Highland and Lowland Leagues the opportunity to compete for a place in League 2.
It was clear from the off that this was was going to be a real danger to many clubs and so it has proved.
Just ask any fans of East Stirling, Brechin City or Berwick Rangers who have experienced a form of relegation which for decades they didn’t have to worry about.
The new boys have adapted well to life in the national leagues with Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts looking particularly impressive.
Now they are gunning for clubs like Caley Thistle.
Cove look very likely to arrive in the Championship next season and you sense that Kelty won’t be far behind.
We have seen Falkirk struggling in the third tier for a number of years now and that has surprised me.
However, as the new boys continue to impress we are going to see more clubs who we are more used to seeing in the upper echelons of Scottish football spending more time in League 1.
🏴 🔴🔵@samuelpearson28 with his first senior goal pic.twitter.com/yOrj8N8ebV
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) February 26, 2022
Of more immediate concern for Caley Thistle was Friday’s trip to Hamilton.
2022 has been a real struggle for Inverness and they didn’t get off to the best of starts with the Accies looking the better side in the early stages and deservedly opening the scoring.
Somehow, we clawed our way back into the game and scored with our first real chance on the half hour mark – a first for Sam Pearson and hopefully there will be more in the weeks ahead.
There were no goals in a lively and entertaining second half though both sides will feel they could have won it.
Not a bad result for Inverness but not one that will really strengthen their position in the league.
