Clachnacuddin boss Conor Gethins reckons there’s no reason why his Lilywhites cannot aim for a top 10 finish in next season’s Highland League.
The former Ross County forward is now just weeks away from his first full season in charge of the Merkinchers after taking over a struggling team last October.
Clach finished 17th in the 18-club division, gathering 23 points from their 38 matches overall.
Gethins’ side – boosted by the capture of Brora Rangers pairing of goalkeeper Joe Malin and defender Josh Meekings – tested city neighbours Caley Thistle, losing 2-0 in a friendly at Grant Street on Saturday
With striker James Anderson on his way back from a knee injury and new signing Scott Davidson not yet fit and ready, they will get stronger.
Inverness, just relegated into League One, had plenty of young players in their ranks as they aim to go down a mainly local route next season.
Second half goals from ex-Celtic starlet Adam Brooks and Calum Mackay earned ICT the victory.
Manager hails quality at Clach
Gethins reckons there’s enough talent and experience within his pool to improve on last season’s showing.
He said: “When you consider who we have brought in, we have to be looking at finishing 10th or above.
“If we don’t do that, I’d feel I’d have probably failed in a way. When you bring in experience such as Gavin Morrison, Josh Meekings and Joe Malin, you’re adding steel to that side of the park.
“We do have enough firepower and we showed that against Caley Thistle. We created some good chances.
“Scotty Davidson has got a slight injury and James Anderson will be like a new signing for us this year. We didn’t have him last year.
“We have firepower, so we just need to keep the ball out of the net and Josh and Joe are here to help stop that happening.”
Fitness showed up well against ICT
Reflecting on their display against the Caley Jags, Gethins was more than happy with how they shaped up against their full-time opponents.
He said: “First and foremost, it was a good fitness exercise for us.
“We probably should have got something out of the game.
“Having Joe Malin, Josh Meekings and Harry Nicolson being the three at the back led to it being as comfortable a performance as we’ve seen since we came in, in terms of our defenders.
“Jacob Kerr came in as a trialist and he did well today, as did Ali Riddle. All the boys did their jobs, and nobody gave a below-par performance, which was pleasing.
“Pre-season training so far shows the boys are fit enough. We just need to work on the quality side of things.”
Mackenzie praised by boss Gethins
Gethins gave a mention to Lewis Mackenzie.
He added: “I focus a lot on Lewis and his runs. We’ve converted him from a right winger to a striker.
“He’s not a striker, we know that, but he has scored lots of goals for us. We just need to keep teaching him and hopefully he will soak that up. He’s a real threat.”
Nairn St Ninian test next for Lilies
ICT are visitors to Nairn County on Tuesday night, and Clach are away to North Super League side Nairn St Ninian on Wednesday for their next friendly.
The Lilywhites will then go to Fraserburgh United, of the North Region Premier League, this Saturday before hosting Premiership Ross County on July 9.
