Caley Thistle will have a second look at trialist Harry Lodovica at Nairn County on Tuesday as the Championship club seek to add further firepower.
Inverness head to Highland League hosts Nairn on the back of their 4-1 weekend win against a weakened League Two Elgin City.
Just 90 minutes before kick-off, highly-rated striker Adam Brooks joined ICT from champions Celtic on a two-year deal, and he is fit and ready to make his debut at Station Park.
Also expected to feature is 24-year-old attacker Lodovica, who is on trial with the Caley Jags.
He played in the second half against Elgin and had a goal disallowed for offside.
🔜 Tomorrow we face Nairn County at Station Park, in our second pre-season friendly ahead of the new campaign.
Tickets available via Fanbase now: https://t.co/ARAnJUNcPQ pic.twitter.com/yw5HSPASzI
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) July 10, 2023
Lodovica was at Chelmsford City in National League South last term and was recently reportedly joining Isthmian League Division One North outfit Aveley.
However, it seems like he’s now keen to have a shot at winning his first contract at a Scottish club and will be out to impress head coach Billy Dodds in Tuesday’s friendly.
ICT fielded a different team in each half against Elgin and the plan remains the same at Nairn as the club shape up for Saturday’s Viaplay Cup opener against League Two visitors Bonnyrigg Rose.
First-team coach Barry Wilson was delighted to get Brooks on board – a sharp-shooter who hit 13 goals in 19 Lowland League games for Celtic’s B side last term.
Brooks won’t be the final signing
However, they want more reinforcements to lend support to forwards Billy Mckay and Austin Samuels, who both recently penned new deals.
He said: “We have been looking for a striker or two.
“Adam is quick, sharp and only 19. From what we have seen of him, he looks a real prospect, so we were excited to get him going on Monday and hopefully he might get involved on Tuesday night.
“We also had a trialist up front on Saturday, so we might run our eyes over him on Tuesday as well.
“Getting Adam tied up was great on Saturday and we followed it up with the game. We’re in a good place.”
Switching sides at half-time works
Wilson was happy with the performance from the players involved against Elgin and feels it’s vital for each individual to be kept within the same minute-range before the weekend’s competitive kick-off.
He said: “It keeps everyone on the same kind of fitness levels.
“You could overplay some players, while some could be underplayed, so it was important to have a balance.
“We will have a look at Tuesday night and probably do something similar so they are all at similar fitness levels going into the League Cup campaign.
“The most important thing from Saturday is we had no injuries because we need to have a better season than last season on that front.”
Entry to the Elgin game was free on Saturday, with donations going to the Section 94 group’s Raise the Roof campaign, which is set out to fund a covering for the West Enclosure of the Caledonian Stadium.
More than 1,000 fans enjoyed the game in the searing heat and Wilson said they will have a role to play as the club aims for long-awaited promotion back to the Premiership.
He added: “The support is going to be vital this season as we try to put together a campaign where we’re trying to push at the top of the table.”
Davidson relishing Caley Jags’ test
Meanwhile, Nairn striker Scott Davidson believes facing Caley Thistle will be a valuable exercise.
The fixture is the Wee County’s second friendly against full-time opposition after losing 3-1 to Ross County last week.
Davidson, who is a former Caley Thistle youth player, said: “It’s always good to test yourselves against full-time teams in pre-season.
“Last week against Ross County we did well for the first half an hour. The goals we conceded were avoidable.
“But these games against Premiership and Championship sides are where you test yourselves and see where you’re at.
“In the second half of that game, I thought we did well and got our goal as well.
“With the pre-season we’ve had, it’s been tough, but it’s been good and the boys are looking fit and strong.
“We know playing Caley Thistle we won’t see too much of the ball, but I’m hopeful we can put on a good performance.
“Even in friendlies you look forward to these games and want to try to make your mark if you.
“A few of us have been with Caley Thistle in the past, myself included, so that just adds to it as well and you want to try to impress.”
