Duncan Ferguson has revealed Caley Thistle are in the hunt to keep David Wotherspoon in the Highlands.
The former St Johnstone attacker was Ferguson’s first signing as manager in October and three goals in just five outings has helped take ICT off the bottom of the Championship and into the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.
Wotherspoon, whose family are based near Edinburgh, is on a short-term deal until January.
The 33-year-old’s impressive form with Caley Thistle is likely to have alerted other clubs to the player’s availability.
Club urged to deal in Wotherspoon
However, Wotherspoon, who stepped off the bench to break the deadlock in the 2-0 Scottish Cup win over Cowdenbeath at the weekend, is clearly enjoying his football, and has slotted in seamlessly.
When asked about the potential of extending the forward’s contract beyond January, Ferguson said: “I’ve mentioned it to the club.
“We love David, we brought him to the club, and we want him to stay. Hopefully the club can get that sorted out for us.
“There are other players who will be out of contract at the end of the season, and we want those sorted too. I’m sure the club will do their very best to keep these players.”
🎥 🏆 @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
Ferguson wary of contracts expiring
And Wotherspoon, who was surprisingly freed by St Johnstone in May, has impressed former Everton caretaker coach Ferguson from day one.
The Caley Thistle boss said: “David’s a good lad, and you can see he’s kept himself right.
“He’s a quality player who keeps himself fit and does everything right.
“He’s really good in training, so he has been a really good signing for us.
“We want to keep him here, and we’re in the process of trying to do that.
“The club knows my position on the players, and who we want to keep with their contracts running out.
“David has been a very good signing, and he is scoring a few goals as well which is making a big difference to us.”
Loyal ICT supporters praised by boss
Inverness are unbeaten in seven successive games in all competitions under Ferguson.
This Saturday, they host second-top Raith Rovers, who have just one defeat to their name all season in the Championship.
Ferguson is delighted to see the fans react so well to him since the side beat a then in-form Arbroath 3-2 at Gayfield on September 30, his first fixture after replacing Billy Dodds.
He added: “The fans have been good with me.
“Obviously we’re getting results, so they will be good, but they are loyal to their club.
“They will need to support us in the tough times as well, because that will happen in football, but for the moment they’re behind us and I’m sure that will continue.
“If we lose a couple of games, I’m sure they will stick with us because they are loyal fans who have been great with me so far.”
🔜 We're back in home action on Saturday as we face Raith Rovers at the Caledonian Stadium in cinch Championship action
🎟️ Tickets available from https://t.co/iOIFJ8EV0e – buy in advance to save money!
Match Info👉 https://t.co/3ihrpaQpuH pic.twitter.com/C4QCFgvTGx
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) November 29, 2023
ICT team news against of Raith clash
David Carson will sit this out Saturday, while left-back Cammy Harper is struggling with an Achilles issue and centre half Morgan Boyes has a hip flexor problem.
Midfielder Roddy MacGregor’s recovery from a long-term ankle injury is looking brighter. He has returned to light training and is to play in a bounce game against Nairn County next week.
