Billy Dodds is urging his Caley Thistle players to roll up their sleeves and fight for the right to contest the Championship title.
Speaking after Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Morton, the Inverness head coach felt his side were too “timid” in their quest to nail a point or three against their visitors from Greenock.
A largely low-key affair in the Highland sunshine ended with the Ton clinching the win thanks to an 85th-minute penalty from Grant Gillespie.
The ball struck home defender Wallace Duffy on the hand as he challenged Jack Baird and referee Nick Walsh pointed to the spot.
Dodds had no issue with the penalty decision and felt his young side, without the influence of captain Sean Welsh or defender Danny Devine yet, were lacking in battling spirit.
The defeat came just a week after a sore 4-1 defeat at Partick Thistle, which had it gone the other way, would have taken ICT top of the table going into last weekend.
You win this league by ‘scrapping’
As it is, Morton moved into fourth spot, with the Caley Jags dropping to eighth.
ICT head to Premiership Motherwell on Wednesday for the second round of the Premier Sports Cup before the league trip to sixth-placed Raith Rovers at the weekend.
Dodds saw a lack of leadership qualities at times from his young group against Morton.
He said: “I don’t question any of my players in terms of attitude and application, but you can tell who your true leaders are – men.
“They go ‘okay, this is more difficult than usual’ and realise this is a scrap today.
“The attitude has to be to win 1-0 or make sure you don’t lose it.
“A few looked as if they didn’t quite like it and were too timid. I want them to be men.
“In this league, you don’t win it by being timid. You win this league by scrapping most of your results out.
“It is disappointing we’ve lost the last two games because we could have got ourselves into a right good position.”
Imrie – My team defended as a unit
Elated Morton manager – and former ICT midfielder – Dougie Imrie, who signed a new two-year Cappielow deal on Friday, felt defensive strength helped his men secure all three points.
He said: “I think Inverness had a few half chances, shots from distance.
“But they had no real clear-cut chances and that’s testament to my team. All over the pitch they defended as a unit and that’s two clean sheets in a row now (after the 0-0 draw with Dundee).
“That’s the platform. I keep saying to them, if we can keep clean sheets we’ll pick up points and nick goals to win games.
“It is a fantastic result up here today.”
Dodds made four starting changes
It was a key low on quality overall, with the heat no doubt playing its part in that.
Dodds made four changes to the side which fell to the loss at Partick, with Duffy, David Carson, Steven Boyd and George Oakley brought in, while Morton were unchanged.
Boyd, to his credit, looked alert and nippy early on before ICT defender Robbie Deas made a timely interception to prevent Jai Quitongo from going one-on-one with keeper Mark Ridgers.
The hosts were dealt a blow on 25 minutes when forward Austin Samuels, with three goals so far this term, was taken off after one challenge too many led to an injury.
Both goalkeepers had their say in keeping it scoreless before half-time.
Inverness midfielder Roddy MacGregor struck a shot sweetly, and from distance, but Brian Schwake was equal to it.
Then Ridgers saved a powerful Jaze Kabia effort before pushing a Cameron Blues follow-up over the crossbar, although it was deemed to be offside anyway.
Late penalty decided low-key contest
Ridgers was called into action in one of the few moments of note in the second half when he superbly stopped a net-bound Quitongo drive after on-loan Livingston ace Kabia provided the cross.
MacGregor headed wide as ICT found a spark and a push to ask questions.
However, Duffy’s handball was deemed to be illegal with a chance from nowhere.
Up stepped Gillespie and he powerfully crashed his shot past Ridgers to secure a second successive Morton away win at the Caledonian Stadium.
CALEY THISTLE (4-4-2) – Ridgers 7, Duffy 6, Harper 6, Deas 6, Carson 6, Billy Mckay 6, MacGregor 6, Oakley 6 (Daniel MacKay 66), Allardice 6, Samuels 6 (Shaw 25), Boyd 6. Subs not used – Cammy MacKay (GK), Devine, Delaney, Calum MacKay.
MORTON (4-4-2) – Schwake 6, Pignatiello 6 (Hynes 80), O’Connor 6, Baird 6, Kabia 7 (McGrattan 80), Blues 6, Muirhead 6, Quitongo 6, Crawford 6, Gillespie 6, King 6 (Strapp 67). Subs not used – Green (GK), Lyon, Lithgow.
Referee – Nick Walsh.
Attendance – 1,924.
Man of the match – Jaze Kabia.
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