Scott Kellacher is wary of two new Championship rivals – but insists Caley Thistle are chasing another red-hot start to their season.
The Inverness assistant manager was reacting to the fixtures which pitches his men in against newly-promoted Queen’s Park on July 30 as their opening game.
They then travel to last season’s runners-up Arbroath, who they beat in the Premiership play-off semi-finals, before hosting League 1 champions Cove Rangers, who have just appointed Jim McIntyre as Paul Hartley’s replacement.
ICT finished third in the Championship last season and went all the way to the play-off final last month before losing to St Johnstone.
It was early points banked – seven wins and a draw from their first eight games – which set the tone for a strong campaign.
Assistant boss wary of Spiders
Kellacher respects Queen’s Park, who have ex-Ross County manager Owen Coyle in charge, who head to Inverness on matchday one.
The Spiders knocked out John Hughes’ Dunfermline Athletic then defeated Airdrieonian to make the step up.
Kellacher said: “You are always quite excited when the new fixtures come out every summer. You want to know who you’re playing first up.
“Queen’s Park will be our first opponents. You only need to see how well they performed in the Championship promotion play-offs to know they will be tough. They will be on a high after coming up.
“They have brought in a few new players as well and we know it will be a hard match for us.
“After that, we are away to Arbroath and we all saw how well they did last season – they were fantastic, so we know how hard a game that will be.
“We know by playing Cove in the League Cup last season (in a 3-1 away defeat) how strong they can be. It is never easy against any team in the Championship.
“But we will be looking to get off to a strong start. We have confidence in our players and we will look to be as positive as we can be.
“The start we had last year was absolutely brilliant and it really set us up for the season. Every team will want to get off to a great start and we’re no different.
McIntyre return is good for game
Kellacher welcomes Ross County’s League Cup-winning manager McIntyre to the league after landing the Cove job this week, but will be eager to get one over him when they meet on August 13.
He added: “Jim is a great guy and it really is good to see him back in the game.
“He is a good guy and a good coach and I was delighted to see him get the Cove job.
“Guys like Jim need to be in the game because they’re really good at their jobs. Good luck to him and I hope he does well – apart from when Cove play us.”
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