Former Caley Thistle star Richard Hastings reckons one rare heavy loss won’t put his old club off track in the Championship.
Friday’s 4-1 defeat at Partick Thistle was a surprise to many, given ICT had begun the season without a reversal in the league or the Premier Sports Cup.
It came six days after a rousing 4-1 win at home to Cove Rangers, which was drawing praise for its high level of quality throughout.
Mistakes at key times gave impressive Partick a hand, but it was a sore defeat in front of the BBC Scotland cameras.
It was nowhere near the levels head coach Billy Dodds expects, despite key men, such as Sean Welsh and Danny Devine, still being sidelined through injury.
This was only the second time since Dodds became the boss in the summer of 2021 they’d lost by more than a single goal.
Only St Johnstone’s 4-0 win over ICT in the Premiership play-off final in May can compare if only in terms of the scoreline.
No need to panic after one bad defeat
Hastings, part of the ICT side which famously knocked Celtic out of the Scottish Cup in 2000, is sure these numbers demonstrate the quality within the ranks of a team eyeing the title this season.
He said: “When you hear of stats such as only losing once before by more than one goal under Billy Dodds, although it doesn’t help right after the defeat, it won’t do any harm moving forward.
“What it shows is they are a tough team to beat and they are always competitive. If you’re only ever losing some matches by one goal, you’re in every game and you’re not letting matches get away from you.
“They’ve started the season reasonably well and you take stock after each game, in terms of how many points you’ve got and how you’ve performed and that puts you in better stead for the season ahead.”
Dodds knows full potential of squad
Hastings, who is the boss of Highland League side Inverurie Locos, knows displays can dip from nowhere, but he is sure they won’t worry about one off-night overall.
He said: “As a manager, it can be baffling when your team performs to such high standards then a performance such a Friday’s comes along.
“I was reading Billy Dodds’ post-match comments and it was a shock to him. Equally, he knows what his squad is capable of and he’ll expect them to bounce back on Saturday.
“It’s going to be a hard and long season for all teams in the Championship.
“They’ve had a decent start and they will put the Partick game down as a blip and look to get back to winning ways.”
Players need time to settle in new city
Dodds was swift in the transfer market this summer, bring back winger Daniel Mackay on loan from Hibs along with their returning striker George Oakley.
However, defenders Max Ram and Zak Delaney and wingers Nathan Shaw and Steven Boyd are completely new to the Caley Jags.
And Hastings is sure signing them ahead of the competitive season starting this summer will have benefited them.
He said: “You do want players you’ve identified in early. If you can then bring them in straight away, that is ideal because – for the players – it’s not just about getting used to your team-mates and the management.
“Players have to get settled into a new city and environment. You might have family and you have to look for schools. Early recruitment helps get the new players settled in a lot easier.
“It also means the manager can then see the players perform in pre-season. Daniel and George coming back is great, because they know what it’s all about.
“I’m sure Daniel, for example, will want to make the most of playing more regularly.”
Making home advantage count over season
Morton make the trip from Greenock to the Caledonian Stadium this weekend, managed by former ICT midfielder Dougie Imrie.
Hastings reckons mid-table Inverness, who are locked on five points with Ton, have to turn the screw on visitors this term.
He added: “Teams in the Central Belt are used to such short journeys, so Caley Thistle have to try and use home fixtures to their best advantage.
“No side looks forward to the journeys up the A9 and you just never know what the weather will be like.
“The boys up here are used to training regularly in all weathers, so it can be an advantage.”
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