The dust is still settling after Caley Thistle missed their chance of making the promotion play-offs from this season’s Championship.
But there must be plenty of action behind the scenes rather than on the pitch as the Inverness club prepare for their seventh successive year in the second-tier.
Friday’s final-night 2-1 defeat by Ayr United meant Billy Dodds’ weary squad, who have been in sensational form since late February, cruelly finished in sixth position.
Last term, they made it all the way to the play-off final before they ran out of steam in their sixth successive play-off game against St Johnstone in Perth.
This time, they have a few weeks to prepare for a shot at Scottish champions Celtic, who will win the treble should they beat ICT at Hampden on June 3.
These next few days will see the players put their feet up, but the boardroom might be busy as chairman Ross Morrison, chief executive Scot Gardiner and sporting director John Robertson thrash out where they go from here.
A loss of £835,000 from the latest accounts has been helped hugely by Caley Thistle beating Falkirk 3-0 to reach the cup final.
Sunshine trip to prepare for final
The club stand to take in a reported £1million from their unexpected run to the showpiece.
They will use some of that money to allow Dodds and his squad to take a short warm weather break, possibly in Spain, as they seek suitable opponents in the build-up to facing the Hoops.
In the coming weeks, there are key decisions to be made with Dodds and the majority of his senior players out of contract.
Dodds urged supporters to look at the bigger picture on Friday night. He knows there are many who feel this season has been a failure. Sixth place, on the face of it, seems like that – and Dodds knows that.
However, he’s never experienced at any club in his professional career, an injury list like he had to face this season.
It took until after the New Year for his to have anything close to decent numbers and a bench not filled with youngsters.
At one point, he even had to field an almost exclusively under-18 team in their SPFL Trust Trophy tie at Hamilton, which they lost 2-0 in December. Goalkeeper Mark Ridgers was the only senior player involved.
Who stays, who goes this summer?
Highly-rated defender Robbie Deas, who has been wanted by St Johnstone and Livingston, is widely tipped to move on, while others who have risen to prominence with a great run of form will have suitors.
Nathan Shaw, for example, in his first season in Scottish football, scored his 10th goal for the club against Ayr and might be on higher-placed rivals’ radar.
Players such as Danny Devine, Wallace Duffy, Scott Allardice, Aaron Doran, star striker Billy Mckay, Austin Samuels and Steven Boyd are all out of contract this summer, although they are still officially Inverness players when the cup final comes around.
Winger Tom Walsh and forward Shane Sutherland, who have working their way back from long-term injuries all season, are also out of contract, adding to the lengthy list.
Dan MacKay and Jay Henderson, two creators on the wings, look set to return to their parent clubs Hibs and St Mirren. Trying to get either or both back at Inverness seems unlikely.
Title tilt is a must after six long years
There is now no play-offs to focus on and there is plenty for the management and players to ponder.
If Inverness can retain as many of these players, who showed their qualities in the closing months, they will be confident of having a real go at winning the league next year.
The Scottish Cup final is a mouth-watering prospect, but the goal at Inverness must be to return to the level where Celtic are opponents back in the top-flight. Looking from the outside in has been no fun for the ICT faithful.
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