Caley Thistle will be refreshed rather than leg-weary when they return from a short break to have a fresh crack at glory next season.
That’s the view of 2015 Scottish Cup-winning defender Josh Meekings, as the players get a breather before a short summer break sees them plunged back into competitive action early.
The Inverness side’s promotion hopes went all the way to the last 45 minutes when they crashed 4-0 at St Johnstone on May 23 – that was two days after the Scottish Cup final where Rangers defeated Hearts 2-0 after extra-time.
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The Premier Sports Cup, also known as the League Cup, gets started in early July, with ICT drawn in the same group as Livingston, Cove Rangers, Kelty Hearts and Albion Rovers.
Their first cup fixture is away to Kelty Hearts on July 9. That means their players will need some sort of pre-season action in late June, so will be back at work by the middle of the month.
Players equipped for earlier start
However, Meekings insists boss Billy Dodds, supported by head of performance Ross Hughes, will ensure the squad are ready to fire, despite six play-off games following a 36-fixture league campaign.
He said: “I’d imagine the players will be told this summer to rest as much as possible. When they return, they won’t be too far off it, in terms of fitness because the break is so short.
“The players will get all the information they need to. Clubs are more advanced than we were just seven or eight years ago.
“Although we were competing in the Premiership, we didn’t quite have all these facilities and information to hand like they do now. That shows the club is moving in the right direction.
“If the club aspires to being in the Premiership, these are the things you need to put in place if you want to be successful and then sustainable in the Premiership.
“Physical preparation is becoming more of a factor in professional football. The best in the world are absolute machines now.
“The top-end players are playing 60-70 games per season, which is incredible.
“While we don’t have the facilities the really top clubs have, they are more advanced behind the scenes and I’m sure they will be fine for when they return.”
Rest, recovery, then action…
Meekings and his team-mates were on cloud nine in the summer of 2015 after lifting the Scottish Cup and preparing for a Europa League debut.
Despite no silver lining this time, he insists the circumstances are the same for the players in terms of it will be more about fine-tuning when they return to work rather than needing to run themselves into the ground.
He said: “(Manager) John Hughes just told us not to do anything silly in the pre-season after we won the cup. If we maintained our weight and physical shape then we’d be fine compared to having five or six weeks off.
“It’s important for the players to get as much rest as possible right now.
“Although, because of the later finish to the season, you don’t have to do quite such gruelling sessions. You have a really good base after having such a demanding season.
“It’s a case of getting the feet up and getting ready to go again. It’s also important to mentally switch off, especially after the last few games they’ve had, which have been mentally draining as well as physically.
“I’m sure they will be managed properly. They have the sports scientist, Ross Hughes there now, who I worked with at Dundee for a time. He knows his stuff and I’m sure the players will be well looked after.”
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