Caley Thistle fans are largely supportive of the club’s plan to pitch the under-18s into SPFL Trust Trophy action at Hamilton on Saturday.
Billy Dodds is planning to use the kids – many of whom are still at school – in Saturday’s last-16 cup tie at New Douglas Park due to an ongoing injury crisis.
Announcing the decision, Inverness pointed to a lack of assistance from the SPFL, who recently rejected the club’s bid to bring back loan players from Highland League clubs to ease their squad struggles.
The SPFL are standing by rules which state the loanees are ineligible to return to their parent club until the next transfer window opens.
They said, while they have sympathy for any club suffering with injuries, it is essential to apply rules consistently and fairly to ensure the integrity of competitions.
Hamilton Accies v ICTFC | 10.12.2022
Club Statement and Ticketing Info 👉https://t.co/rADtXcwyT6 pic.twitter.com/Hgyd1v3YC3
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) December 5, 2022
The SPFL Trust Trophy game is the first of two successive trips to Hamilton for Caley Thistle, who have slid to sixth in the Championship table and are in need of a lift after seven winless league games – the latest being the 1-0 weekend loss to Dundee.
On balance, the fixture on Saturday week in the league matters more to both Inverness and rock-bottom hosts Hamilton, which is why Dodds and his staff will rest as many of their weary squad as possible this weekend.
Stevie Riley, of fans’ podcast The Wyness Shuffle, explained most fans understand the reasons why the club has opted to use the U18s in the Trust Trophy clash – and thinks they were correct to announce it in advance.
He said: “It was decent of the club to give the fans early notification of their decision on this. They have thought of the fans.
“I’m based in the central belt, but if you were setting off from Inverness on Saturday morning and spending a fortune to get down and you didn’t know it was mainly under-18s, you’d be a bit peeved.
“Some fans are, I wouldn’t say angry, but a wee bit annoyed that we’re not taking a run at winning this trophy, but when you look at the bigger picture and how much of an impact injuries have taken in recent weeks, then it’s sensible.
“If you must lose one game in the next two, you’d rather it’s on Saturday – we need league victories more than this.
“Although they say it’ll be mostly the under-18s, we will probably still see the likes of new signing Ryan Barrett, goalkeeper Ryan Esson and Steven Boyd, who was on the bench against Dundee.
“I know many fans won’t make the journey and I understand why.
“Those who do go will hopefully back the team and you might see a few future first-teamers.”
Starlets shining for Caley Thistle
Riley reckons the Inverness youngsters are more likely to relish this crack at Accies rather than fold under pressure.
He said: “I’m interested to see some of the young lads and how they do.
“The likes of (defenders) Matthew Strachan and Aaron Nicolson and (midfielder) Callum MacKay all look like good players.
“It’s also given time for the boys to mentally prepare for it – they are not being told on Friday that they’re playing, they will be ready for it.
“These under-18s, under Ryan Esson, are playing well above their levels.
“They had a good cup run last year, beating teams at elite level. It’s testament to the coaches.
“They might well be told this could lead to more than a one-off game.
“If they do well this weekend, they might get a chance the following week.”
‘Shattered’ squad needed a break
Since beating Cove Rangers 1-0 in mid-October, a 3-2 victory over League Two opponents Stirling Albion in the Scottish Cup has been Inverness’ solitary win.
Amid the injury crisis, players have been playing through the pain and with knocks, including captain Sean Welsh and defender Danny Devine.
Riley thinks the first-team players need a week out of the firing line, which led to the call from Dodds to go with the kids.
He added: “This will be a good and welcome break for a number of our first-team players, many of whom are simply shattered.
“In normal circumstances, players could play 60-70 minutes and knock their pans in.
“At the moment, they can’t come off (due to the lack of experience on the bench). It means players are picking up knocks, such as Billy Mckay last week.
“So, all things considered, if we lose on Saturday, I won’t lose any sleep over it.”
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