Defender Wallace Duffy is happy for Caley Thistle to carry on their business and quietly become contenders for a top-four Championship finish.
In Saturday’s 2-0 Scottish Cup win against Cowdenbeath, the 24-year-old right-back made his first start since early September.
A groin injury and illness made it a challenging time for the versatile player, who has been trying to catch the eye of new boss Duncan Ferguson, who replaced Billy Dodds in late September.
Including the hard-fought victory over their Lowland League opponents at the weekend, ICT are now seven matches unbeaten and up to seventh in the second-tier table, having been winless and bottom when Ferguson arrived.
They face a serious test this Saturday in the shape of second-placed Raith Rovers, who beat local rivals Dunfermline Athletic 3-0 in their Scottish Cup third-round tie on Friday.
Inverness are just four points below fourth-placed Airdrie with a game in hand, and Duffy sees no reason why they should fear their Rovers test as they try to “fly under the radar”.
He said: “I watched Raith’s win over Dunfermline on Friday, and they were very good.
“They had a lot of injuries, so credit to them.
“We’re doing our thing and just trying to fly under the radar.
“We’re seven unbeaten with four wins and three draws. Our draws have been against Dundee United, Partick Thistle and Dunfermline, so we have started to climb the table.
“The aim is to try and get into the promotion play-offs.
“Not losing games and continuing to build momentum will keep the togetherness going under the manager. It has been brilliant for us.”
🎥 🏆 @ICTFC v @CowdenbeathFC
A win for last season's finalists takes them through to the Fourth Round, and caps off our highlights from yesterday.#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/KedqzzlL68
— Scottish Gas Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) November 26, 2023
Cup win hard-earned against Blue Brazil
Duffy has grafted away in the background in a bid to get a start and he was delighted to be part of a team who eventually got the Scottish Cup job done with late goals from substitutes David Wotherspoon and Billy Mckay.
He said: “It was good to be back out there.
“I had an injury, so that’s been about two-and-a-half months (since his last start).
“I have been coming on in most games, so it was good to start a game.
“We had a lot of the ball for the first 45 minutes, but it did turn very scrappy, perhaps mainly due to Cowdenbeath having such a low block at points.
“You would expect that in a tie like that.
“We also had seven changes, so it was never going to be easy.
“However, we got a 2-0 win, so we can’t complain.”
Duffy: ‘I’ve been knocking my pan in’
Duffy detailed what put him out of contention for more than two months.
He said: “I had a problem with my hamstring, then I had a few setbacks, then I was ill, so just to get over the back of that was good.
“We got the new manager in when I was injured, so that wasn’t ideal either.
“I tried my best to get back in and get up to full fitness.
“It was seven weeks until I started kicking the ball again, so I have been knocking my pan in for the past few weeks – but you don’t get match-fit until you play games.
“It was nice to get the opportunity on Saturday and we got the win and that’s all that matters.”
Slackness offered Cowdenbeath hope
The former Celtic youth and St Johnstone player praised Cowdenbeath for their display in the Highlands, although said Inverness let their own tempo drop at times.
He said: “It was a win-win for Cowdenbeath. They came up here and I felt they played alright, although I thought we came off the boil and allowed them to play alright.
“In the second half particularly, they tried to play a bit. They had a go at some points, so it was a bit tit-for-tat.
“We were good in the first half and hit the bar, but we then let them into the game. We became a bit slack and that maybe came from some of the boys maybe not being match-sharp.
“We made the changes with Spoony and Billy getting their two well-taken goals. They have been doing really well for us and that maybe just showed a difference in match sharpness.”
Duffy keen for another Scottish Cup run
Caley Thistle’s reward for reaching round four of the Scottish Cup is a home tie against another Lowland League opponent, Broomhill, on the weekend of January 20.
Having reached the final last season, in which they lost 3-1 to Celtic, knocking out two top-flight opponents on the way, Duffy says ICT fancy their chances of another strong run.
He said: “We showed in last season’s Scottish Cup we can beat Premiership teams.
“We beat Livingston and Kilmarnock and a strong League One side, Falkirk.
“We also gave a good account of ourselves in the final against Celtic.
“We’re not scared of any side. We’ll give anyone a go.”
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