Caley Thistle have tabled a “strong offer” in a bid to keep red-hot attacker David Wotherspoon in the Highlands beyond January.
Manager Duncan Ferguson – whose side travel to Morton on Tuesday in the Championship – has made no secret of the fact he wants his first signing for the club to pen a longer deal after a stunning early run of form.
Wotherspoon has made headlines with four goals in seven outings, as well as helping fellow forward Billy Mckay score four goals in five through assists.
The former St Johnstone double-cup-winning star last week won the second-tier’s player-of-the-month prize, while Ferguson collected the top boss prize for November.
🥄 Spoony at Hampden
What a signing the Canadian international has been!
#cinchChamp | @ICTFC pic.twitter.com/X4nVMAtsu9— SPFL (@spfl) December 11, 2023
Ferguson told the ICT board recently he wants to tie 33-year-old Wotherspoon down as the Highlanders look to continue their strong form, having lost just once in their last nine games.
The club’s directors have listened and put an offer in front of Wotherspoon to consider.
‘We’ve shown David a lot of respect’
Ferguson said of the Canadian international: “David’s got his offer, a strong offer, from the club which I’m pleased about.
“We’ve shown David a lot of respect with the offer.
“He has come in and done really well, worked extremely hard, and we’ve been good to him to get him back in the game.
“He will do what’s right for himself and his family, but it’s a great offer we’ve given him and we’re all hoping we can get him signed – that will be down to David and his advisors.
“We’ve certainly worked a bit of magic with the offer we’ve made him.
“I said to him when he first came in that if he did the business, we would revisit his contract. And we’ve done that.
“We’ve made him a very strong offer and we’re all hoping that we keep him.”
Boss Ferguson added with a smile: “The players like him, I like him – at the moment – and we’re hoping he signs it.”
Caley Thistle responded to defeat with away win
Winning the monthly divisional prizes can often lead to an immediate poor result, for a manager, in particular.
However, fresh from Ferguson and Wotherspoon collecting their awards, Inverness roared to a 4-1 win against Queen’s Park on Saturday, which led to home boss Robin Veldman leaving the Spiders as they reached 11 consecutive winless matches.
Ferguson turned the spotlight on his Caley Thistle players for delivering a result to keep the club moving forward.
He added: “I was absolutely delighted to win manager-of-the-month award, of course I was.
“It’s testament to the players – at the end of the day, they’re the ones who go over the white line and win the games.
“It has been a good month for the club, myself and the players, and once you get on a winning run you just want to keep going.
“We had a wee stutter against Raith Rovers (a 2-1 defeat), but we got over that, so we’re happy.
“Now we’ll move on to the next one.”
🎟️ There's still time for you to get your tickets for tomorrow's rearranged fixture between @Morton_FC and @ICTFC at Cappielow!
Download the Fanbase app or visit the link below to get your tickets now 👇https://t.co/wyWajGVp9g#Fanbasefixtures pic.twitter.com/zkPvjJmBud
— Fanbase (@Fanbase_clubs) December 11, 2023
Win at Morton would put play-off places in striking distance for Inverness amid ‘crucial week’
Bottom side Morton’s 2-1 victory at Arbroath on Saturday means they would climb above the Angus team should they beat Inverness on Tuesday.
They would also cut the gap on the Highlanders to just two points – with a game in hand.
However, an away win from Caley Thistle in Inverclyde would not only stretch Inverness’ advantage to eight points, it would move ICT fifth – and to within two points of the play-off places and fourth-placed Dunfermline, albeit having played a match more.
With Arbroath visiting Inverness this Saturday, it was crucial for Ferguson’s side to start their hectic week with three points, and the manager said: “We obviously want to keep a gap to the bottom of the league, that’s the main thing.
“We did that on Saturday, and if we can back that up with a result on Tuesday that would be fantastic.
“It won’t be easy. Morton won on Saturday as well so they will be on a high, but no games are easy. We’re confident, and we’re ready to go.
“I think this week is crucial.
“We’ve got three games, and if we can pick up points in the next two games against teams that are around us in the league – we’ve just beaten one, too – then we can start looking up the table instead of talking about the gap to the bottom.
“If we can win these next two games, that will give us a lot of daylight – of course, if you lose, you’re dragged back into it.
“I’m sure after Arbroath, we’ll have a clearer picture of where we stand.”
Duffy and Carson miss out at Morton
Right-back Wallace Duffy is out for the Morton match due to a calf pull, while David Carson is also out.
A red card for boss Ferguson at Hampden on Saturday for two yellow card offences means he is expected to be in the stand at Cappielow.
Conversation