Caley Thistle legend Ross Tokely insists the Highlanders’ turnaround in fortunes is a result of the club sticking with head coach Billy Dodds when the going got tough.
Inverness have rallied with a hat-trick of impressive victories over Arbroath, Raith Rovers and Dunfermline Athletic in the Championship.
Those results, more in line with their early season form, followed an 11-game winless run throughout winter where sections of the then-unhappy ICT support were calling on Dodds to go.
The boss stood firm, backed his players and the board stood strong, no doubt confident the former Scotland, Aberdeen and Rangers striker would get their promotion chase back on track.
Following Arbroath’s 0-0 draw at Partick Thistle on Saturday, Caley Thistle are now just seven points behind the second-placed Red Lichties with a game in hand.
They are three points and one place above Partick, having played one match less, while Raith are six points behind Inverness and will aim to reduce that by beating Dunfermline on Wednesday.
ICT had the weekend off due to opponents Queen of the South facing Raith Rovers in Sunday’s SPFL Trust Trophy, which Rovers won 3-1.
They now have five games in April to finish their regular season. A trip to eighth-placed Ayr this Saturday is followed by the home clash against Kilmarnock on Friday April 15.
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The long trek to basement side Queen of the South on Tuesday April 19 comes before an away clash at Morton, who are in seventh spot.
Their final fixture before they, hopefully, contest the play-offs is at home to mid-table Hamilton on Friday April 29.
Tokely, whose 589 appearances for ICT is a club record, is part of the ICT TV commentary team, so has seen plenty of the side this season.
Club stood strong amid fans’ unrest
He feels Dodds and his employers deserve credit for handling the heat when the pressure was on as the side reap the rewards with a push towards second spot.
He said: “Billy has been really positive throughout the season. Maybe not all clubs would have kept with Billy and perhaps acted and been ruthless.
“However, over the years Inverness have backed their managers and they realised the club were still sitting in a good place within the play-offs.
“The board stayed strong when some fans were not happy. Fans can be fickle, but they will have seen in these last few games a real change in confidence and they are also more resilient, which has been key.
“Billy backed his players and they have responded to that in the best way. He stuck by them and they’ve produced the goods in the last three games.
“Billy never said a bad word about the players in interviews. I don’t know what is said behind closed-doors, but he’s always backed the team even when things were not going great, so all credit to him.”
Second spot up for grabs – Tokely
A fantastic 3-0 victory against title-chasing Arbroath and a 3-2 win at Raith Rovers thanks to a last-gasp Logan Chalmers double were key results as the side stopped the rot.
Tokely, who was part of the St Duthus side which won the North Caledonian Cup on Saturday, is urging the players to go for a faultless finish to the season, with part-time Arbroath drawing six of their last nine games to fall four points behind Kilmarnock.
He said: “It’s a case of keeping the momentum and confidence going if they can, and I think catching Arbroath is achievable.
“It’s just such a shame they had that bad run and it lasted so long. It really is a case of ‘what if?’, because they’ve been playing so well, including their 2-0 win against Dunfermline.
“In the last two home games, against Arbroath and Dunfermline, they have defended very well. Kirk Broadfoot and Danny Devine have been strong and also Wallace Duffy impressed me against Dunfermline.
“There can be several games that change your season and moments like those two late goals in Kirkcaldy propelled them forward and they will believe they have a real chance of finishing second.
“They have five games to go and they should aim to win them all. It would be really important to finish second because you’d have two less play-off games to play. That could make a big difference.
“It will be tough because games against Ayr and Queen of the South are tough. I watched the cup final on Sunday and Queens are a decent side, so they’ll have to be ready for tough games all the way until the end.”
Experienced duo key to winning form
Former right-back Tokely believes two of the side’s more experienced men are having a positive impact amid this fresh winning run.
He added: “Aaron Doran has been key to the run since he’s been back. He has quality, adding a different dimension to the team.
“Shane Sutherland has been on the right wing and that’s where (former title-winning manager) Terry Butcher liked him.
“I used to play just behind him on a number of occasions and he’s very dangerous. He’s been excellent.”
