Steve Paterson would welcome the opportunity to share his vast experience to Caley Thistle’s benefit.
Paterson is Inverness’ longest-serving manager having spent seven-and-a-half years at the club.
After arriving just 12 months after Caley Jags were formed, he guided them from the bottom tier of Scottish football to the First Division, and laid the foundations for promotion to the top-flight before he moved to Aberdeen in 2002.
Paterson’s standout moment with Caley Thistle came in 2000, when he masterminded their famous 3-1 victory over Celtic at Parkhead in the Scottish Cup.
The 65-year-old has not been involved in football in recent years, since ending a spell with Dufftown in 2017.
With Caley Thistle currently in the Championship and aiming for a top-flight return, Paterson says he would happily provide a sounding board for anybody at the club looking to lean on his experience.
Paterson hoping to attend matches more regularly
Paterson said: “I got back going to Caley Thistle and took in quite a few games with Tommy Cumming, the groundsman, before he sadly passed away.
“I’m still good pals with Graeme Bennett, along with Charlie Christie and Barry Wilson.
“Graeme is back on the board and Charlie still works for the club as academy director. Mixing with these guys is great, because they are all good pals from my past.
“I think this coming season, when they will be going to try and get back into the Premiership, I think I will go up much more – every couple of weeks maybe for home games.
“It’s quite a nice balance with my day job working in residential care and social work.
“If I can get involved or help in any way, I would be delighted to do that.
“I’m not looking for a job or anything, but if there’s anything I can do to support guys like Graeme, Charlie and Barry I would certainly be there to help.
“The club is part of me.”
Timing of final comes as major boost for Caley Jags
Inverness are preparing to face Celtic in this weekend’s Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park.
Although the Hoops are firm favourites to complete a domestic treble, Inverness are dreaming of recapturing the trophy they memorably won under John Hughes in 2015.
Along with being a glamorous day out for Caley Jags’ supporters, Paterson says the final will come as a huge financial boost to the second-tier Highlanders.
He added: “For Inverness to get back to a Scottish Cup final is a fantastic achievement.
“The big day will take care of itself, and they are huge underdogs.
“It has been a very difficult time for the club over the last couple of years. It couldn’t have come better really.
“I suppose you could argue, would you rather win the Scottish Cup or get into the Premiership, and I’m sure it would be the Premiership.
“Equally it’s huge, not just to get a day out for the fans but financially it has obviously been a massive boost given they have had a rocky time off the park of late.”
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