Caley Thistle legend Ross Tokely hailed two Scottish Cup final goalscorers as the ideal role models to help inspire the next crop of youngsters at the Championship club.
The former defender, who played a record-breaking 589 times for the club from the fourth tier into the top-flight, coaches the ICT under-16s.
And many of the group were at Hampden last week as Inverness lost 3-1 to treble-winners Celtic.
Japanese star Kyogo Furuhashi’s first half opener, his 34th of an incredible season, was added to by Liel Abada in the second half.
However, former Caley Jags starlet Dan MacKay, who was on-loan from Hibs, set up a grandstand ending with a stooping header late on before Jota rounded off the scoring for the champions.
Five academy ICT graduates were in the Hampden squad. Impressive defender/midfielder Cammy Harper started, MacKay and Roddy MacGregor came off the bench, with Cammy MacKay and Lewis Hyde unused substitutes.
Celtic’s lethal Kyogo ‘sniffs out’ goals
Tokely, 44, who still plays for Highland League team Nairn County, explained how the current young guns can learn so much from Kyogo and MacKay after they found their way to goal.
He said: “Celtic were maybe not firing on all cylinders, but they still had the quality to win it. The movement of Kyogo, who got their first goal, was so good.
“I was speaking to my (under-16s) strikers about that on Sunday. They were all at the final and I said Kyogo never touched the ball a lot, but he has the quality to sniff a goal out. He was so good.
“I also pointed to Daniel MacKay. He’s a lad who came through the club’s youth system, albeit he’s at Hibs now, but he’s now scored in semi-finals and finals of the Scottish Cup at Hampden.
“It was a cracking goal. It was a great cross from Wallace Duffy and Dan scored a lovely header, which was very similar to his goal against Falkirk in the semi-final.
“I told the youngsters that is where they should be aiming to get to, along with the likes of Roddy MacGregor and Cammy Harper.
“I was driving the message home to them that there is a pathway at the club if you work your socks off and you’re determined.
“They might one day be playing in cup finals or playing at the top level. Saturday showed it’s possible.
“It was good to see these academy lads involved in the final – every one did so well.”
Hampden appearance for Tokely
Tokely, along with former Celtic manager Davie Hay, presented the cup to the crowd ahead of kick-off at Hampden and he spoke of his pride at being invited to do so.
He added: “It was an honour to walk on the pitch with the Scottish Cup. The club asked me, and I was delighted to do it and I had a really good day.
“I missed the 2015 final because I was working in Angola at the time. I had to listen to that game on the radio, so it was nice to be part of it on Saturday.”
Keeping Allardice would be big boost
With the club working on a raft of new contracts, Tokely fears midfielder Scott Allardice might leave after three years in Inverness, following Robbie Deas out the door after the defender moved to Premiership side Kilmarnock on Monday.
He added: “I think the club will struggle keeping some important players. Robbie Deas has obviously joined Kilmarnock and he deserves that.
“Scott Allardice, in my book, might consider moving, who knows? If he did follow Robbie by leaving, that would be two important, quality, players through the spine of your team.
“The good thing about Inverness is they have always been good at picking up good players every year.
“I don’t know who wants to move on and that’s a personal thing. I never have a problem with people moving on.
“They must try and recruit players who have the bit between their teeth with something to prove.
“They could try to add someone up front to support Billy Mckay; a different sort of striker with pace and power.”
Allardice and Mckay have been offered new contracts along with Danny Devine, Austin Samuels, Ethan Cairns, Robbie Thompson and Harry Hennem.
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