Caley Thistle captain Danny Devine has praised his team-mates for meeting the administration-hit club’s League One survival fight head-on.
The centre-half replaced Billy Mckay as the skipper in October when the striker became the player assistant-boss to Scott Kellacher.
Devine, who was already the vice-captain, is ready to face another club with off-the-field issues on Saturday.
Rock-bottom Dumbarton, who are also in administration, visit the Caledonian Stadium just three points behind ICT, who are ninth, and nine points behind Annan Athletic, who they visit next weekend.
While administrators seek to secure a buyer, the players have delivered four league wins in the past few months to blast through the 15-point penalty they and Dumbarton were hit with.
The relegation rivals have a similar record over the past two months and Devine explained the squad, consisting of many youngsters, have impressed in their approach.
Sons and ICT in a battle for survival
And, after losing 4-1 to Cove Rangers last week, Devine is determined to restore some winning form.
He said: “When your back’s against the wall, teams can find really unite and come together.
“Fair play to Dumbarton, because they have taken administration in their stride, and picked up some really useful results, the same as we have.
“It’s going to be another tough one on Saturday, but I know we’re more than capable and more than ready for it.
“We’re looking upwards. There is no point in us looking behind us. We need to focus on ourselves, and that’s what we have been doing even since the club went into administration.
“The boys have handled it all so well. Hopefully we can get back on the horse and get another win this weekend.
“We’ve a young squad and we will be inconsistent at times, but our aim is to find that consistency. We want to put a string of wins together.
“Hopefully we can make up for last week and try to put on a bit of a show if we can.”
Fans’ backing making a difference
The attendance leap between the visit of Cove in September compared to last weekend was an increase of almost 500 to just below 2,000.
Devine, who won the Scottish Cup with ICT almost 10 years ago, has been blown away with the feedback from the fans as they rally round the team.
He said: “Fans coming back is a big thing for us, especially in the situation the club is in right now.
“It’s good they want to come and watch us play. I hope we didn’t put them off at the weekend.
“I know some fans booed us – and we probably deserved it. We were miles off it, while Cove were excellent.
“The vast majority of fans are really supporting us and seeing what we’re trying to do.
“We go and speak to the fans (in the stadium’s Bar 94) after the home games now, which is something the manager has added since he’s come in.
“It’s good to get their thoughts and talk about football and other stuff. It’s good for the players to stay in touch with the fans.”
Comeback wins boosted confidence
Just two days after replacing Duncan Ferguson in the hot-seat, Kellacher’s debut game in charge ended in a 3-1 loss at Dumbarton.
However, the Caley Jags were soon winning – including two notable victories from losing positions on the road, according to Devine.
He added: “Since the manager has come in, we’ve been picking up a good number of wins.
“We played Cove away when they were on a bit of a run, and we came from behind to win, as we did at Montrose. Those games gave the boys a wee bit of confidence that we needed.
“Even although we have such a young group, coming back to win at those tough places showed we have plenty of character and fight in our team.
“Our confidence might have taken a knock at the weekend by losing to Cove, but I know these boys and we’ve put it behind us and we’re looking forward to taking on Dumbarton.”
Devine: We’re still doing job we love
Devine and his central defensive partner Remi Savage are key figures for the side, with no experience to cover those positions should injuries and suspensions kick in.
The captain hopes luck remains on their side when it comes to being fit and available.
He said: “It is difficult, but circumstances dictate that. We have to get on with it.
“At the end of the day, we’re doing a job we love, so we can’t complain too much.
“Touch wood, we’ve been lucky in a sense because we’ve not had too many major injuries, although losing Jake Davidson (with a long-term knee injury) was a tough one.
“Apart from that, the boys are fit and raring to go. Hopefully we can keep plugging away and see where it takes us.”
For more Caley Thistle news and updates visit our dedicated page and join our Facebook group.
Conversation