Caley Thistle Women manager Karen Masons plans to use the final three games of the SWF Championship season as a way to prepare for next term.
ICT host Ayr United on Sunday in their first post-split match, with Mason’s side securing a place in the top four with an emphatic win over Hutchison Vale a fortnight ago.
The highest the fourth-placed Caley Jags could finish this season would be third, but it would be a difficult task as they currently trail East Fife, who are third, by eight points.
With league position no longer a priority, the Inverness boss hopes to put the building blocks in place for next season during the final run-in to this league campaign.
Mason said: “For us now it is about getting these fixtures completed and looking ahead to next season.
“In terms of having any left to play for, for us, it is pretty minimal and getting top four was probably the end to our target-setting for this season.
“We will go into these games doing the best that we can with the squad that we have got left.
“It is planning with the ones who will still be here with us. We know some of the younger players will be going off to university in September.
“It’s going to be about working on different things and giving game time to some players who haven’t had much throughout the season.
“It is very difficult to see what next season is going to be like because we don’t know the extent of what our squad is going to look like, but I think it could be another year of rebuilding again.”
Caley Thistle Women up for causing chaos in Championship title and promotion race
Another incentive during the run-in to the end of the season, Mason says, will be to “throw a spanner in the works” for the three teams above them competing for the title and promotion to SWPL 2.
Rossvale could win the title this weekend if Ayr drop points in Inverness and the league leaders fail to draw or beat East Fife.
Mason added: “We are in a position now where we are not where we wanted to be. We haven’t achieved our target of promotion, so why don’t we inflict a bit of a challenge on the rest of the teams.
“We could still play a part and have a say in how things end up.
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle WFC (@ICTWFC) April 1, 2024
“I just hope none of them are resting too much on thinking that playing against us is an easy three points.”
Against Ayr, Mason is expecting a difficult match as she believes their next opponents at Millburn Academy are the best footballing side in the Championship.
The Caley Thistle boss said: “They are the best team in our league, I would say.
“The way they play football and the depth of quality in their squad – I think they should definitely be pushing for promotion.
“Almost every game we have had against them has been really close and competitive. They know how to play football and they play it very well.”
The other fixtures
Elsewhere in the Championship, Westhill side Westdyke start their post-split run of fixtures with a trip to Hutchison Vale, who sit bottom of the league table with no points.
SWFL North leaders Inverurie – who have a 100% record in the league – will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s League Cup defeat to Glenrothes Strollers when they travel to Dyce – as will Grampian, who were defeated in their SWFL Plate semi-final against Musselburgh Windsor, when they host Huntly.
The other SWFL North fixtures are: Arbroath v Buchan, Dryburgh Athletic Development v Westdyke Thistle, and Elgin City v Stonehaven.
There is only one fixture in the Highland and Islands League as Orkney host Buckie Ladies.
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