Manager Billy Dodds wants his Caley Thistle players to display fighting spirit as he insists an early-season slump isn’t a cause for alarm.
Their Championship campaign got off to a poor start when a below-par performance – allied by fatal defensive mistakes – led to a 2-1 defeat at home to Queen’s Park on Saturday.
Dodds was unhappy the the lacklustre show, with 17-year-old substitute Keith Bray held up as a rare example of quality and willingness to win.
Individual errors were costly against the Spiders and followed on from Viaplay Cup defeats against Dumbarton and Airdieonians, which put them out at the group stages.
So far this summer, the Scottish Cup runners-up have signed right-back Jake Davidson, midfielder Charlie Gilmour, winger Luis Longstaff and forwards Adam Brooks and Harry Lodovica.
An experienced defender might be top of the fans’ wish-list as their mainly under-23 back-line struggle to find their feet after the exit of Robbie Deas to top-table Kilmarnock.
‘We need to be more nasty’ – Dodds
Dodds, however, just wants to see a more aggressive approach at times when games are going against them.
He said: “I’m not looking for too many more (new players). Some people might say we’re short on the back of Saturday’s result, but we cannot panic too quickly.
“This is a good dressing room. We have to stand up and be more nasty as a group and individually.
“We have to be nasty and determined to ensure we do the right things and not feel sorry for ourselves.
“It looked like that on Saturday, in our first game of the season.
“We had a chance to clear the second goal. We needed it to be toe-bashed away, but we slashed the first one and their boy (Thomas Robson) sticks it in the net.
“I have mentioned mindsets a lot. I want the players to give everything they’ve got, even when they’re not playing well.
“On Saturday, I questioned that and I never usually do that. It might be that, when we lose another horrendous goal, I have seen that before where, as players, it saps you, and we shrank as players. They could have, for example, helped Cammy out on Saturday.
“They could say ‘let’s help get Cammy a draw or a win’. I didn’t feel it at the weekend.”
Dodds rocked by opening-day display
Former Scotland, Aberdeen and Rangers forward Dodds knows he’s got a good group pf players, but he wants them to dig deep to fight for a result.
He said: “I have always said I have a brilliant dressing room with honest boys.
“I just want them to go about their work collectively and individually where they say ‘I’m going to be so determined today to win this game’. It didn’t look like that on Saturday. That was frustrating.
“That was what I really felt sick about. I know these are big words and expressions but that’s how I felt after our first league game of the season.
“I sat down for the first 15-20 minutes of the game on Saturday, as I did the week before at Dundee, because I enjoyed it.
“But I can’t say I enjoyed it on Saturday. I wanted to see players get about the pitch, things getting cleared, my strikers taking it in. It wasn’t there, to give us a platform.”
Welsh still weeks away from return
A groin injury continues to keep influential captain Sean Welsh on the sidelines and the ICT head coach reckons he would have made a different against Queen’s.
He added: “Sean had a groin weakness at the end of last season. He took tablets to play in the Scottish Cup final.
“It’s still pretty weak after he’s done a bit of training on it. I don’t think he’s too far away. It’s getting better, but it will take a week or two of rest. It’s not a long-termer, which is good.
“Welshy would have helped against Queen’s Park because he gets about the pitch. That’s all I wanted from some of them.”
Boss ‘not worried’ about back-line
Summer signing, defender Jake Davidson, scored ICT’s goal against his old side at the weekend.
He pointed out afterwards how the defenders aim to cut out the costly mistakes, but also pointed to the age of the current backline, while Danny Devine comes back from injury.
Wallace Duffy, aged 24, is the oldest player in front of 32-year-old goalkeeper Mark Ridgers.
Dodds insists he’s no qualms about playing his current back-line as they’ve been there before and they’re not being outclassed in games.
He said: “Apart from Jake Davidson, I’ve played that back-line so many times.
🎥 Highlights of yesterday’s game against Queen’s Park https://t.co/Dy50LARdIK
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) August 6, 2023
“This isn’t a shape issue. It’s not like we’re ragged or all over the place. Someone has slashed the ball, or someone is turning back into a player when they should just roll it back.
“I’m not trying to distance myself from it, but I need my players to do better in those situations.
“I’m not worried about my back four in terms of ‘he’s not covering for him’. I’m more concerned about whether they are going to make a fundamental, basic, error which is going to hurt us.
“I’d be more worried if we were pulled over all the place and we’re making these errors and we’re out of shape. It’s not like that.”
Caley Thistle can get back on track this weekend when they take on last term’s runners-up Ayr United at Somerset Park. Ayr lost 3-1 at Morton on Saturday, so will also be desperate to get off the mark.
