Former Caley Thistle skipper Darren Dods is urging Caley Thistle to show a ruthless edge when they take on Celtic in next weekend’s Scottish Cup final.
Dods starred for ICT in the top-flight for three years from 2004 when he was snapped up by John Robertson from St Johnstone.
The now Cumbernauld Colts assistant to another ex-ICT star David Proctor arguably enjoyed the best period of his career in the Highland capital. He also played for Hibs, Dundee United and Falkirk.
The 47-year-old stressed it’s all about seizing the moment when it arrives.
He said: “In these games, when you get a chance, you have to score it. It could be they make a mistake, and you have to be ready to score.
“When Celtic get a chance, you hope they put it by the post, or it’s defended. If that happens, confidence can build within the Inverness team.
“If Celtic score first, the pressure mounts, with their crowd backing them.
“If Inverness take an early chance and hope Celtic don’t capitalise on theirs, you have an opportunity.
“Even if it remains level for some time, you can gain confidence, know you’re still in this.
“If Inverness can get to half-time level, they’ll feel they have an opportunity.
“Celtic’s support will turn up expecting to see a few goals, but if that doesn’t happen, they can get a bit disgruntled.
“That can work in Inverness’ favour, then they can have a right go in the next 45 minutes.”
Hampden final will be a ‘hard shift’
With the Glasgow side almost certain to dictate play for much of the afternoon, Dods feels it’s even more important to chase them down all over the park, then strike when given an opening.
He said: “It will be a hard shift. Most of the time, Celtic will have the ball. They can have 75% possession against Premiership teams.
“Inverness will have to work to win the ball back, but when Inverness have it, they need to try and create a chance, beat a player and have a shot at (goalkeeper) Joe Hart.”
Stage all set for ICT players to shine
One of Caley Thistle’s star performers this year has been on-loan St Mirren winger Jay Henderson.
He’ll return to the Paisley club afterwards, keen to push for a place in the top-six side’s plans for next term or to land another positive career loan stint.
Dods has been impressed by the 21-year-old and reckons the final is the ideal match for any players keen to either win new deals or attract a move elsewhere to show what they can do against the country’s best team.
He said: “The final is a great showcase for players like Jay Henderson and the other lads to show either their parent clubs or other teams what they can do.
“The game is live on TV. If they are younger and they might want to move on somewhere else, it’s a great platform.
“A lot of those players will have enjoyed that semi-final against Falkirk. Inverness were hard to break down and were ruthless to take their chances.”
Close to beating Celtic again in 2007
Dods recalled how close he was to being involved in another Scottish Cup scalp against Celtic – before two last-gasp goals in the Highlands turned a tie in the favour of Gordon Strachan’s visitors.
He added: “I remember the game when they beat John Barnes’ team in 2000 and they followed it up a few years later when Dennis Wyness scored against Martin O’Neill’s team on a Sunday night at the Caledonian Stadium.
“I remember playing against Celtic in the fifth round of Scottish Cup in 2007 and Graham Bayne put us 1-0 ahead and then they scored two late goals (from Steven Pressley and Kenny Miller).”
Inverness was smart move for Dods
Dods played 112 games over three seasons at ICT, all in the top flight.
He explained how the call from the north came at the ideal time to get his career on track and it turned out to be a winning move.
He said: “I really enjoyed my time at Inverness. I left Hibs and had two good seasons at St Johnstone. Experienced players moved on and my career plateaued, so I came to Inverness and got a new lease of life.
“John Robertson and Donald Park gave me the chance and Craig Brewster took over then we had Charlie Christie in charge. Those were exciting times for the club, which had not long been promoted.
“We had a close-knot squad, with Ross Tokely, Grant Munro, Barry Wilson, Liam Fox, Ian Black, Richie Hart, then Mark Brown in goal. We just missed out on the top six in the first and second seasons and then we made the top six the season after that.
“The first year, we were ground-sharing with Aberdeen, but we did really well and had the right blend. It all came together.”
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