Caley Thistle legend Ross Tokely reckons now is the time for the Inverness club to turn the early heat on their Championship rivals.
Inverness, who reached the Premiership final in May, kicked off the new league season with a 1-1 draw at home to promoted newcomers Queen’s Park a fortnight ago.
They coped well with the wind – and their opponents – to leave last year’s runners-up Arbroath with a 0-0 draw at the weekend, and this Saturday they host Jim McIntyre’s Cove Rangers.
The League One champions will be eager to bounce back to form. They began life in the second-tier with a fine 2-0 win against Raith Rovers, but fell short in a 1-0 loss at Morton at the weekend.
ICT played Cove at the Caledonian Stadium last month when they needed only to avoid defeat to win their group in the Premier Sports Cup.
They were held to a 1-1 draw, but won 5-3 on penalties to secure a bonus point and advanced to the second-round where they scored a trip to Premiership hosts Motherwell on August 31.
Former ICT star Tokely played for the club from 1996-2012, helping the Highlanders soar through the divisions and into the top-flight.
The ex-defender, who racked up almost 600 games in Inverness colours, was a voice behind the mic of the club TV last season.
Caley Jags need to post home wins
And Tokely feels the need for a victory this weekend to push up the table should spur Caley Thistle on to put the League One champions to the sword.
He said: “Caley Thistle have to be winning their home games. They have to win games at home to Cove Rangers and Queen’s Park.
“Then you’re looking to pick up points, such as on Saturday at Arbroath, and aim to win more games away from home to add to the tally and to build a bit of momentum.
“It’s really important for Caley Thistle to pick up their third win of the league season.
“Inverness controlled the game against Cove in the cup and could have been one or two up inside the first 10-15 minutes.
“They allowed Cove to get back into it. I felt Inverness were playing in second or third-gear, knowing a point was enough to qualify for the second round.
“I’d expect Inverness to rise to higher levels this weekend and attack Cove, while keeping the back door shut.
“In my book, Cove’s only danger is Mitch Megginson. He’s clearly a dangerous striker and you give him a chance and he’ll stick them away.
“I felt Cove looked light in numbers and, if Inverness play as they can, I think they’ll win on Saturday.”
Beware of counter-attacks at home
No side has won their opening two fixtures in the Championship, with Partick Thistle, Ayr United and Morton leading the way on four points.
Tokely feels seeing off Cove really would kick-start ICT ahead of next Friday’s trip to Glasgow to face Partick Thistle.
He added: “Three points in any game is massive this season.
“Partick Thistle, for example, got off to a winning start at Dundee then struggled with a draw last week against Hamilton.
“Teams will come to Inverness, as they did last season, and sit in and hit on the counter-attack. That’s where Inverness have to be very careful.”
Supporters’ trust gets board backing
Meanwhile, ICT’s board have backed the club’s supporters’ trust in their bid to increase their membership and play a key role in enhancing the match day experience of fans, through fundraising activities.
Gordon Fyfe, a club director and supporters’ liaison officer, got behind the trust’s fresh appeal for more Caley Jags fans to have their say.
He said: “The board of directors recognise fully the importance of our loyal support.
“The supporters’ trust has a 10 per cent voting stake in the club and therefore has a ready-made platform for representing the voice of fans.
Fantastic to have the Clubs support to build our membership. We'd love to see you at our Open meeting on Saturday 13th at 12 midday at the Caley Club or at our desk on any home match day. Any questions at all please drop us a message. We look forward to seeing you soon https://t.co/C3r3I1lMJE
— ICT Supporters Trust (@ICTSupTrst) August 8, 2022
“To play a more meaningful role in the development of the club and become truly representative of our fans, the trust needs to engage with the wide base of our support, including our enthusiastic and growing band of younger supporters and those who provide terrific vocal support at away games.
“We are happy to support the supporters’ trust in their efforts to boost not only their board, but the wider membership and wish them well in their campaign. A strong and active trust can only be good for the club.”
New trust chair Jennifer Aitchison is confident getting more supporters involved will have a direct, positive, impact all round.
She said: “An active supporters’ trust can do so much to help the club in providing a better matchday experience for fans and in raising funds for specific projects.
“We want fans to join the trust to help us support the club and to better represent the views of you, the supporters, of our great club.”
Anyone wishing to join the trust should visit www.ictsupporterstrust.org. Annual membership is just £5 for adults and £1 for under-16s.
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