First-team coach Barry Wilson admits Caley Thistle have been unlucky with a triple-defensive blow at the start of the competitive season.
However, he reckons the Inverness club are still entering the 2022/23 campaign in better shape than 12 months ago.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Premier Sports Cup tie at Premiership hosts Livingston, Wilson explained three defenders are out for the trip to his former side.
Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy have been carrying knocks, and Max Ram, on his ICT debut on Saturday, lasted just 15 minutes of the 1-0 opening Premier Sports Cup tie win at Kelty Hearts before being forced off with a thigh injury.
Wilson reckons there is depth in the pool, but senses a case of déjà vu when it comes to injuries hitting certain areas of the team at the same time.
He said: “I’d say we’re looking stronger than last season. We have more options.
“We were quite strong in the defensive department, but then on Saturday we lost Max Ram.
“Danny Devine has been out and Wallace Duffy is out, so we have three centre halves out. That means we’re limited as to what we can do on Tuesday night regarding the back four.
“Last year, we weren’t too bad for injuries, but it was often the same position.
“We had (midfielders) Scott Allardice and Roddy MacGregor out from Christmas to near the end of the season.
“That coincided with our bad run. We asked a lot of Sean Welsh and Reece McAlear last year, and more often than not they delivered.
“But we couldn’t freshen things up like you would want to.
“It is obviously the same right now with three centre halves out. You’d prefer to be getting everybody up to speed, but the squad is looking good, balanced, with plenty of young fresh legs about us.”
Zak Delaney, who was another summer signing, replaced Ram at the weekend and was praised by head coach Billy Dodds afterwards for playing with composure.
He linked up well with Robbie Deas, with Cammy Harper on the left and David Carson on the right.
Caley Thistle are dangerous up front
But, despite being three short in the back-line for the trip to Livingston, Wilson is more than happy with ICT’s threat and bite going forward.
He said: “We have plenty of options in the attacking line.
Back at Caley. Back scoring goals. 💪
🔴🔵 @George_Oakley23 on target#PremierSportsCup | @ICTFC pic.twitter.com/MKLg9mr9y3
— SPFL (@spfl) July 11, 2022
“We had Dan Mackay coming off the bench and being nice and direct and positive on Saturday.
“We have Nathan Shaw on the other side and we had George Oakley coming in and scoring the winner.
“We’ve got plenty of variations, we’ve got strength and pace – I think we’re looking good, particularly in the final third.”
ICT and Livi begin cup with victories
Livingston survived a second half two-goal scare as League 2 side Albion Rovers hit back, but the Premiership side held on for a 3-2 cup win, meaning they and ICT have three early points on-board.
Oakley’s 88th-minute clincher was ideal going into matchday two of the competition as they seek to qualify for round two the first time since 2017.
Wilson said: “It’s good to test ourselves against a Premiership side this early.
“That was the importance of the late winner as well – we go there with three points on the board, the same as them.
“Eight or nine points generally qualifies you from the group, so it is a good start and, if we can pick something up on Tuesday, it sets us up for our two home games at the end.”
Rapid run of fixtures in League Cup
Wilson, meanwhile, doesn’t like the quick-fire matches in the Premier Sports Cup in July where teams are battling to be section winners, or the strongest runners-up, in order to book knockout positions.
ICT have not reached the second round of the competition since 2016/17, which was the second year in which the format changed from a straight knockout first round,
When asked whether he is a fan of the current set-up, he said: “No – I don’t know anyone who is.
“You’re forced to come back early. It is impossible to get your players up to speed for the start of it in that length of time.
“Getting competitive games before your league season is the only plus.
“I don’t like it – you could be out of a cup before the league starts.
“Playing Tuesday-Saturday can put a heavy load on players very early. I’m not a fan.”
Fitness told in tough tie at Kelty
Looking back at the weekend’s late victory at Kelty, Wilson felt the team looked stronger as time ticked by, allowing them to grab the late winner scored by Oakley, who rejoined ICT on a two-year deal last week.
He said: “I thought our lads did well. Barring maybe a five-minute spell in the second half when they had three or four shots on goal, I thought we handled the game really well and dominated possession for long spells.
“We just felt it was a matter of getting that first goal. Had we got it early, we could have made it easier for ourselves.
🔜 Tomorrow we're back in Premier Sports Cup action as we face @LiviFCOfficial away from home
Tickets available in advance now from👉 https://t.co/n76pHro18e
Match Info 👉 https://t.co/uVJo8RKMTo pic.twitter.com/WVtE1MTxUs
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) July 11, 2022
“But we kept going and after that poor spell we dominated possession again, created chances and Billy Mckay hit the post, while we had another one cleared off the line.
“I thought we looked positive and we looked fit towards the end of the game. We got our just rewards with George Oakley’s winner.”
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