Billy Dodds isn’t in a rush to add further faces to his Caley Thistle squad as they target three more Viaplay Cup points at Dumbarton on Tuesday night.
The Inverness boss continues to run the rule over English striker Harry Lodovica and has so far signed full-back Jake Davidson, midfielder Charlie Gilmour and forward Adam Brooks ahead of the new Championship season.
The competitive campaign kicked off with a 2-1 weekend win in the Viaplay Cup group stages against Bonnyrigg Rose and it’s another League Two side awaiting ICT tomorrow at the Dumbarton Stadium.
ICT on trail of further new signings
Dodds confirmed there could be a fourth signing this week for Inverness, but explained there’s no race to get business done, as they learn from the experiences of last year.
He said: “We’re still hoping to add one or two players, but we have to be patient.
“We’re not too far away (in terms of more signings). We might have news in the next couple of days.
“We’ll wait and see. It’s a game of patience. Last year, I filled the squad up early and tried to give them a pre-season.
“Then a couple of players became available that I didn’t expect. We’re showing a bit of patience this year. We’ve got a good squad, we’re covered for all the games and have got good back-up.
“We want to add in the right positions, but we are taking our time this year and quite rightly so.”
🏴 Viaplay Cup Spotlight 🏴
Dumbarton FC 🟡⚫
Founded in 1872, The Sons were one of the most successful clubs in the early days of Scottish football 🏆
After losing their opening #ViaplayCup game, Dumbarton look to bounce back at home to Inverness CT 👀@Dumbartonfc | @spfl pic.twitter.com/3DFmVpPRmp
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) July 17, 2023
Wide men are target areas for Dodds
Dodds detailed the areas of his team that he’d like to bolster in the coming weeks as the dates tick towards the Championship kick-off on August 5 against Queen’s Park.
He said: “We lost Dan MacKay, Jay Henderson and Steven Boyd, so we’re a wee bit light in the wide areas.
“We’re also looking at getting someone else in the defensive areas.
“We have plenty in central midfield and up front.
“Harry Lodovica is still with us. Big Harry had a slight knock last week but we have kept him for another week, so we will get another look at him this week, even though we have a game on Tuesday. After that, we will make a decision on the big fella.”
Dumbarton ran Airdrieonians close
Tuesday’s cup hosts Dumbarton ran newly-promoted Championship team Airdrieonians deep into their Group E clash on Saturday before losing two late goals in a 2-0 defeat.
Dodds expects nothing other than a challenging 90 minutes against Stevie Farrell’s Sons.
He added: “I watched Dumbarton’s game from Saturday against Airdrie, and they were pretty unlucky. They created lots of chances, and it looked like a pretty even game, but Airdrie ended up 2-0 winners.
“Dumbarton away on a Tuesday night will be tough. We’re going to need mental strength if we’re going to get three points down there.
“I want us to also play as well as I know we can play. If we’re not at it or expect to get the win without working hard or applying ourselves, we will be in trouble.
“I’m looking forward to it and the boys have been great since they’ve come back. If they play like they can, I’m expecting three points.”
🎥 Highlights of yesterday's 2-1 win against Bonnyrigg Rose are available now
👉 https://t.co/49wym1FfWl pic.twitter.com/aRDW4FAqUN
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) July 16, 2023
Scoreline should have been more
Aaron Doran’s first-half brace put Caley Thistle on their way to victory against Bonnyrigg Rose on Saturday, who pulled one back in stoppage-time through Kieran McGachie.
Dodds felt his men got what they deserved the win but insists the scoreline should have been more comfortable in the end.
He said: “We were worthy winners, although Bonnyrigg to their credit, worked hard, had a good shape about them and made it difficult for us.
“We had to be patient. We got our goals, and we should have had a few more. Then we had to get through the last three minutes with a wee bit of nerves, although we had no real problems. We deserved the three points.”
Avoiding shock was job well done
ICT have no Viaplay Cup tie this weekend and will return to action next Tuesday at home to Airdrie for a trip to Premiership opponents Dundee on July 30.
There were a few opening-day surprises in the Viaplay Cup at the weekend.
Relegated Premiership side Dundee United lost 1-0 at League Two’s new entrants Spartans, while top-flight St Johnstone lost by the same scoreline at Stenhousemuir, also of League Two.
Therefore, coming through the first match unscathed and with the win pleased Dodds.
He said: “We’re well-placed for these (upcoming cup) games. “We still have a good squad to see us through this busy period. I wanted to get through Saturday with three points on the board.
A day to remember for @spartansfc! ⚪🔴
The headlines belong to the SPFL new boys after their 1-0 #ViaplayCup win over Dundee United 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3W75mDHNMZ
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) July 15, 2023
“As you saw with other results, you can slip up, but we got the victory and some of the players got good minutes, while some on the bench had 25-30 minutes. A lot of them will start against Dumbarton.
“We’ve mixed it and matched it pretty well so far.”
Defender Max Ram and midfielder Lewis Hyde are fit and available to be added to the squad for Tuesday.
