Several weeks of discussion, uncertainty and speculation have come to an end, with manager John Hughes finally committing his future to Caley Thistle at least until 2018.
It is the news the supporters had been waiting to hear for some time, with an issue that had dragged on for several weeks at last settled this week.
It is little over six months since Inverness won the Scottish Cup at Hampden, with Hughes showing it off alongside his twin daughters Victoria and Jessica in front of a jubilant support that celebrated the club’s first major silverware following the 2-1 defeat of Falkirk.
But the cup success was only further cause for celebration at the end of a league campaign in which Hughes had guided Caley Jags to their highest league finish since they were founded in 1994 as they ended the season third to seal European qualification for the first time.
The reward for Hughes’ triumphant first full season in charge was a Europa League tie against Romanians FC Astra, with nearly 500 Caley Jags supporters making the most of the trip to Giurgiu.
And why not? There is no guarantee that European football will become a regular occurrence.
But the adventure against the Romanians will remain just one of several great memories the Inverness supporters can cherish under Hughes’ tenure.
This Friday will mark two years to the day since Hughes replaced Hibernian-bound Terry Butcher at Caledonian Stadium.
Hughes was at a low point in his career, having been dismissed by English outfit Hartlepool United only a matter of months beforehand.
Butcher had taken Inverness to new heights the previous season, guiding them to the top-six for the first time.
So there were question marks over how Hughes could take an already-successful Caley Jags side any further forward.
Those doubts were quickly quashed, however.
Making few personnel changes to the squad, Hughes set about transforming the team’s direct style of play into a short, possession-focused approach.
The formula appears to have brought the best out of the squad.
If Butcher’s legacy seemed a hard one to follow, good luck to whomever replaces Hughes when the day finally comes for him to leave the Highlands.
Caley Jags supporters were preparing themselves for that eventuality in October when Dundee United’s interest in making Hughes their new manager became public.
Tangerines chairman Stephen Thompson is a strong admirer of the work done in the north by the 51-year-old – and he will not be the only one.
While United eventually opted for Mixu Paatelainen, the underlying issue did not go away.
Hughes’ contract was due to expire next summer and the longer that remained the case the longer the speculation would continue when other vacancies arose.
The former Falkirk and Hibernian manager has been in talks with Inverness chairman Kenny Cameron in recent weeks and, although Hughes has never hidden his affection for the club and the area, there have also been clear frustrations.
In the last 12 months, Caley Thistle have lost some very influential players including Billy Mckay, Graeme Shinnie and Marley Watkins, while Ryan Christie will follow through the exit door next month if parent club Celtic, as expected, recall him from his Caley Jags loan.
The prospect of a similar exodus next summer remains a concern, with the majority of the first-team squad out of contract.
But now that Hughes and assistant Brian Rice have committed themselves to the club until 2018, securing the future of the first-team squad must be treated as the priority.
With Caley Jags announcing a record profit of £250,000 last month, it is important Hughes is now given the financial backing required for him to shape his squad in exactly the way he wants to.