Manny Duku insists just being part of a winning Caley Thistle team matters more to him than racking up the goals.
The summer signing from fellow Championship side Raith Rovers teed up young Roddy MacGregor for the sub’s sublime late winner against the Kirkcaldy men on Saturday.
Due to Inverness being out of the Premier Sports Cup, they have this weekend off, but they do so as early joint leaders thanks to back-to-back 1-0 victories over Arbroath and Raith.
Duku was a menace and was denied on a couple of occasions by experienced Rovers keeper Jamie MacDonald. However, he was just happy the team got the job done.
👋 Morning ICTFC fans
🚀 This screamer from Roddy MacGregor sealed all three points against Raith Rovers yesterday!
What a strike! 🔥🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/f2MM7r001D
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) August 8, 2021
He said: “I’m all about winning as the three points count all the same. If I score 10 goals or zero goals, the main thing is getting the three points.
“In the changing room, everyone was buzzing after that win, so it didn’t matter if I scored or the keeper scored. It’s all about the win. That helps us to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves this season.
“We deserved the win, we had the better of the chances. I had a few chances as well and Jamie made a few saves. I know Jamie well, he’s an excellent goalkeeper, but we had to work for the goal and it took a great goal to get the win.
“If it’s 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, they all count, so we’re delighted. The clean sheet gives us confidence at the back. If the defence keeps it tight for us then we will get our chances to score, so a 1-0 result shows that we are very hard to beat and to score against.”
Sweet strike from MacGregor
Duku explained that the short lay-off play which led to MacGregor’s long-range shot is something Inverness work on in training, and he said of the winner: “It was a brilliant strike from Roddy.
“He does that in training. Not thinking, just hit it. He hit it sweetly.”
The 28-year-old striker, who scored cup goals against Peterhead and Cove Rangers last month, feels the maximum-points start to their league campaign can give Inverness encouragement before they return to action in the Championship against Ayr on August 21.
He said: “We now go into the weekend off and the gaffer has a little peace of mind. We have two weeks to prepare for the next game.
“Winning like this is a good habit. It’s a good start to the season and hopefully we can keep it going and be where we belong at the end of the season.”
Perfect starters after cup woes
Duku, who shrugged off the jeers from the visiting fans at the weekend, underlined his view the disappointment of club’s early exit from the League Cup will be forgotten if they get into the promotion mix by April.
He added: “If we have an excellent season, everyone will forget the cup. At the end of the day, it’s all about the league.
“We didn’t have the best results in the cup, but the league season has started with two wins and two clean sheets. It’s been a perfect start.”
