Australian defender Nikola Ujdur said his new Caley Thistle team-mates helped him adjust after flying into Scotland on the same night as boss Billy Dodds was sacked.
The 24-year-old made his debut for Inverness in Saturday’s 1-0 loss at home to Dundee United, a result which keeps the club at the bottom of the Championship, three points behind Morton.
The Canberra-born centre-half was a deadline day signing by Dodds, who was looking forward to working with him after securing his services from Sydney club Rockdale Ilinden, who play in the National Premier League NSW (New South Wales).
He was a surprise name on the team sheet as interim co-managers John Robertson and Charlie Christie pitched him into action against the Tangerines.
He was impressive in his first outing, playing 78 minutes before being replaced by Zak Delaney.
Last Sunday, the day after ICT lost 1-0 at Raith Rovers, Dodds and assistant manager Barry Wilson were sacked following a dreadful run of form, with their only victory so far coming in the Viaplay Cup group stages against Bonnyrigg Rose on July 15.
The player, who holds a Croatian passport, had been awaiting completion of the UK work visa process and is contracted to ICT for two years.
He’s glad to finally be on Scottish soil to kickstart the next stage of his career, for the first time playing away from his home country and said he’s been welcomed warmly despite now waiting for a new head coach.
‘Easy transition’ after sacking news
When asked about the managerial change, he said: “It all kind of unfolded the day I flew in.
“That’s football and everyone here has been really supportive and helped me through all over that.
“You just have to get on with it and do what you can personally.
“The boys at the club and everyone here in Inverness have been so nice.
“The people in the city, and at the club and my team-mates have all made it a relatively easy transition.
“It’s always going to be hard, but if you have people around you making it as easy as possible, you keep going from there.”
Our Starting XI to face @dundeeunitedfc this afternoon!
COME ON ICTFC 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/IQaVbPJfS7
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) September 23, 2023
Coming out of his ‘comfort zone’
Ujdur explained he always intended to make a switch to a European country to test himself, although he admits even he is surprised it has resulted in a move to the north of Scotland.
He said: “(The transfer) built up a bit and happened through my agent. He has an Irish background, so he is connected around these parts.
“I had a few stints in the A League and dropped back down into the Second Division after an injury. I had a few good seasons there, so we kind of knew something was going to be coming, but I didn’t think it would be Inverness in Scotland.
“My background is Australian and Croatian, so (a European move) has always been an option for me.
“I have always wanted to come out of my comfort zone and give it a crack over this way.”
Ability at ICT to start winning games
And Ujdur, whose career kicked off with Canberra United in the Youth A-League, was impressed by Inverness and the club’s success of playing in the Premiership, winning the Scottish Cup and reaching the national final again just three months ago.
He wants to help the Caley Jags’ faltering fortunes to flip, so that he can be part of future success stories.
He said: “We did our research before coming here and we read about what this club has achieved in such a short time. It’s a massive thing.
“Obviously, things are not going our way right now, but I think we can turn that around and we showed that in patches on Saturday. We have the ability to win games.”
