Billy Dodds would rather take Caley Thistle on a Premier Sports Cup run than surge straight into a second-round showdown against a Premiership big gun.
To ensure they are seeded, ICT must firstly get the win against Championship newcomers Cove Rangers to blast out of Group G with a 100% record.
Inverness head coach Dodds won the League Cup as Jim McIntyre’s assistant at Ross County in 2016.
This weekend, defeating McIntyre’s Cove Rangers at the Caledonian Stadium would put the Highlanders into the knock-out stages for the first time in six years.
Being a seeded side means they would avoid the top five clubs, who are competing in European competitions – champions Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Dundee United and Motherwell.
Progression matters most to Dodds
While the board might want a potential TV payday, Dodds is more interested in going as far as he can in the competition.
He said: “I think it would be good to be seeded.
“Maybe the club will tell me differently if we get a big team taking through a big support, or if we get to play at a big stadium.
🔴 🔵 With three wins from our three matches in the Premier Sports Cup, we have one final group match against Cove Rangers this Saturday!
🎟️ Tickets for Saturday's match available now
Adults: £10, Concessions: £5, Under 12s: Free
Info👉 https://t.co/sfUj0bDh6w pic.twitter.com/lbYXfaPD9O
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) July 21, 2022
“We might still get that, but if we’re seeded and get someone else we can get further into the competition.
“I want to get as far as I can, and that’s not just me, it’s my team who feels that way as well.”
Cove are ‘a dangerous team’ – Dodds
While Caley Thistle were beating League 2 visitors Albion Rovers 4-0 on Tuesday, Cove’s hopes of progressing from the group stage were ended when they lost 3-2 at home to League 2 champions Kelty Hearts.
Dodds insists his close friend McIntyre will have Cove well-drilled to go out and deliver a second successive League Cup win over ICT, having done so under Paul Hartley last term.
He said: “Cove had a disappointing result against Kelty Hearts but they showed against Albion Rovers and Livi they are more than capable.
“Jim is my big mate and he will have them organised – I know exactly what they will do and how they will set up.
“We will have to be at it because Cove are a dangerous team and we need to ensure we take something from the game to qualify.”
Defenders hit goals against Albion
Caley Thistle began their cup charge with a 1-0 win at Kelty and followed that up with a 2-1 win away to Premiership opponents Livingston before seeing off Rovers in midweek.
Cove began with a 2-1 win at Albion Rovers before being edged out 2-1 at home to Livi before their second defeat of the groups against Kelty.
Striker Billy Mckay opened the scoring early on for ICT against Albion Rovers, with Cammy Harper making it 2-0 by half-time with a swerving free-kick.
Fellow defender Wallace Duffy chipped in with a third just after the break before Harper added his second of the night in a 4-0 win.
Picture perfect free kick 📸
Cameron Harper for Caley! 🔴🔵#PremierSportsCup | @ICTFC pic.twitter.com/PvAovYqZdR
— SPFL (@spfl) July 20, 2022
Dodds is delighted the goals are coming from all directions, with special praise reserved for his scoring defenders.
He added: “I think we shared goals around a fair bit last year as well, everybody chipped in.
“I would like my strikers to score as many as they can, and obviously I would love a 15-20 goal striker.
“Then your midfielders chip in, and your defenders, but good on big Wallace.
“He only had an hour in him because he missed a bit of pre-season, but it was a great finish.
“When I saw it again, it was so hard to take and execute, but I thought he did it brilliantly.
“If you’re going to have success during the season, those positions have to chip in.
“Then you get to Cammy Harper, who has been doing it in pre-season. I’m so pleased with him and for him, because the one thing I wanted Cammy to do – I won’t hide it – was to get better defensively.
“He has been brilliant so far.
Congratulations to Cameron Harper, who has been named as the Star Man in the @PremierSportsTV Cup #TOTR https://t.co/DDiU31pbnT pic.twitter.com/h5F47yuXEj
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) July 21, 2022
“He really looks as if he’s turning into a man, and I love that, because I don’t have to coach Cammy on how to have technical ability going forward or bending in free kicks.
“He did that against St Johnstone behind closed doors, and then he had that one the other night against Albion Rovers.
“I’m honestly delighted for Cammy so far, but he has to keep working hard.”
Harper’s two-goal display against Rovers earned him a place in the Premier Sports team of the round.
- Caley Thistle academy graduate, left-back Lewis Nicolson, 18, has signed a new two-year extension to his current contract, which takes him through until the end of the 2024/25 season. He was one of seven academy players who featured in Tuesday’s 4-0 home win against Albion.
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