Ex-Caley Thistle captain Gary Warren will lead the praise for his former team-mate Aaron Doran this month.
The stalwart defender will be a guest speaker at the evergreen 31-year-old’s testimonial dinner at the Kingsmills Hotel on March 11.
Supporters will hope this event continues the celebrations as it comes the day after ICT entertain Derek McInnes’ Premiership visitors Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup quarter-final.
Warren, who won the Scottish Cup in 2015 alongside Doran, is back in the Highlands, defending for Clachnacuddin after a few years back in England with Exeter City, Torquay United and Tiverton Town.
For Warren, who is Ross County’s head of the professional academy, his glittering playing highlights came when with Caley Thistle.
The @AaronDoranTest1 is hosting a dinner in the Kingsmills Hotel on Saturday 11th March
A great night to be had for all ICTFC supporters
Email adtestimonial@gmail.com to book pic.twitter.com/FGYOit1D7C
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) January 11, 2023
Not only was there the Hampden triumph against Falkirk, they finished third in the Premiership that season too, were League Cup runners-up the year before, and Challenge Cup winners in 2017/18.
Warren looks forward to taking to the stage to speak about Doran, who will enjoy an evening in the spotlight following a Q&A session last year also hitting the right notes.
Great character within the club
And he explained why the Dublin-born midfielder was a class act on and off the pitch.
He said: “Aaron was shy at first when I met him, but once you got to know him he had that typical bubbly Irish sense of humour. He has been really respected by so many players at the club over the years.
“He’s always been a great character to have around the place and never been one to shout his mouth off. Aaron’s quiet and unassuming.
“He’s always had that bit of quality which sets him apart from other players. His assist rate was impressive and he put a lot of goals on for me and many of his team-mates.
“He was a really important figure in that number 10 role, coming off the left or right-hand side.
“Although he didn’t have blistering pace, he’d be really sharp over five to 10 yards, which made a difference, and was a real top match-winner to have in your team.”
📅 Rearranged Fixture
Our home match against Arbroath will now take place on Tuesday 11th April, 7:45pm kick-off.
The match was originally scheduled for Saturday 11th March but has been rearranged due to our participation in the Scottish Cup Quarter Finals that weekend. pic.twitter.com/u8h77V0gpZ
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) March 1, 2023
Doran often grabbed key winners
Doran has scored some sparkling goals in his Inverness career, including a good few against Ross County.
Warren explained he’d be the match-winner in games which were often in the balance.
He said: “He had a knack of scoring really important goals against big teams. We’d often have games in the central belt and he’d come up with the winner in a 1-0 victory.
“He’d often combine really well with Andy Shinnie for a time, which was really successful, along with Billy Mckay.
“Aaron always worked well wherever he played. He’d always dig in for you, so while he was really good going forward, he’d dig in at the back as well, which is so important.”
Doran has shown loyalty to ICT
And Warren hopes ICT’s respect for Doran stretches beyond whenever he hangs up his boots.
He added: “I’m looking forward to the night at the Kingsmills Hotel. It should be a really good one for the supporters.
“I’m looking forward to sharing some stories from over the years, speaking about memories from Aaron’s career and how much he has done for Inverness and the role he’s played.
“You don’t get players playing for so long at the same club these days. Hopefully the club give him a role for when he does finish playing. It’s important the club recognise what he’s given to Caley Thistle.
“He’s been very loyal. He probably could have moved on at different stages, but decided to stay, that’s a big thing.”
Anyone interested in attending Doran’s testimonial dinner can email adtestimonial@gmail.com for more details.
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