Two leagues for the price of one with two very different sets of prizes and punishments lie within the most bizarre Scottish Championship for some time.
The great news for Caley Thistle fans ahead of Saturday’s quick-fire return to Cappielow is they are the team on top, albeit four others are ready to cash in on a slip-up.
ICT will aim to swiftly put Tuesday’s penalty shoot-out defeat at Morton behind them as they bowed out of the Scottish Cup in the third round and put their full attention into staying first in the league.
Friday’s 1-0 victory over Kilmarnock, earned by a special strike from ever-important skipper Sean Welsh, saw Billy Dodds’ team leapfrog their opponents, who they have now beaten by that scoreline away and home.
It’s been a 🔝 weekend 😎#ICTFC🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/oQJqf8br6P
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) December 4, 2021
Killie, the hot favourites to win this league after being relegated from the Premiership along with Hamilton Accies in May, are feeling the heat, especially at Rugby Park where they have lost to all four promotion rivals.
Strong away form kept Killie on top
They headed north to the Caledonian Stadium with an unbeaten away record this season, but Welsh’s second half rocket brought them crashing back to earth and boss Tommy Wright was far from happy.
Tommy Wright's reaction to tonight's game pic.twitter.com/AvQsCJ8fhf
— Kilmarnock FC (@KilmarnockFC) December 3, 2021
He was less than impressed by aspects of their game, including allowing Welsh the chance to collect the ball and run at them. He did acknowledge the only goal of the contest was a superb strike.
A mere three points separate fifth-placed Partick Thistle from ICT at the top, with Arbroath, Raith Rovers and Kilmarnock in between, all firmly in a five-way battle for the title and promotion as the league moves closer to the midway stage.
Lowly clubs pull trigger as heat rises
The bottom five clubs are locked in a similar battle, with only three points between Hamilton in sixth and the trio on 13 points, Morton, Dunfermline Athletic and Queen of the South. Seventh-placed Ayr are only one point ahead of the bottom clubs.
The heat is on down the bottom. We’ve already seen Dunfermline sack Peter Grant and bring in former Caley Thistle and Ross County manager John Hughes.
On Saturday, a battling 2-2 draw for Morton was not enough to save boss Gus MacPherson getting the chop after just one victory in 15 games in all competitions.
Ayr and Morton, and to a slightly lesser extent, Queen of the South only just maintained their place in the second-tier last season as Alloa Athletic dropped down to League One. Morton stayed up via the play-offs.
You would not rule out Accies being drawn down into the danger zone as they’ve shown very little signs of consistency, albeit it was a gutsy 1-0 win over Yogi’s depleted Pars at the weekend.
ICT have toiled against strugglers
Inverness boss Billy Dodds has acknowledged the obvious split within the league table, but has been at pains to point out that doesn’t mean a game against a lower half team means a win.
Caley Thistle have already lost to struggling Accies and Dunfermline, been held by Ayr United and been taken to, and lost in, a Scottish Cup replay against Morton.
They’ve beaten Queens home and away, but had to dig deep to earn the points.
A return to Cappielow this Saturday, therefore, won’t be easy and only a strong away performance from Dodds’ players, built on the foundation of the hard work he demands, will be good enough to get the win. That is especially so after their shoot-out loss on Tuesday.
The Caledonian Stadium, which has just staged three games within six days, takes centre stage from a week on Saturday when they face Hamilton seven days before in-form Partick Thistle come calling, a side they impressively beat 3-1 in Inverness in September.
Shut-outs push Partick up the table
The Maryhill Jags have racked up a club record eight successive matches without conceding a goal and a 0-0 draw in Dumfries at the weekend just kept them away from claiming second spot on goal difference.
Caley Jags fans saw their goalkeeper Jamie Sneddon sparkle as he saved a Sean Welsh penalty in a 0-0 draw at Firhill on October 30. They had drawn 0-0 with Dunfermline and Morton just before that game and have carried on the shut-out since.
With shrewd manager Ian McCall, who was November’s boss of the month at the helm, Thistle have every reason to believe they can pitch in for the title just a year after winning League One.
In fact, with Kilmarnock stuttering, all three teams in the chase have every reason to believe. Every one of them, Caley Thistle included, could have a healthy lead at the top of the table.
Ahead of the Killie contest last week, Dodds admitted his own side could easily have been four or five points better off. They went into it with just one win in eight fixtures, but delivered a massive result which showed they’re more than in the mix.
Transfer moves to shift momentum?
Kilmarnock, with the transfer window about to reopen, are expected to strengthen and Inverness will do the same, with support for main striker Billy Mckay no doubt a priority to keep them in the hunt.
A recent interview with Inverness forward Shane Sutherland also highlighted the feeling about Dick Campbell’s Arbroath too.
The division’s only part-time team are big-hitters and Sutherland, who scored the only goal against them on the opening day of the season at a sun-kissed Gayfield, says he feels they are genuine contenders at the top. That 1-0 victory is still the only home loss suffered by the Litchties.
Campbell, whose side drew 0-0 against Raith Rovers on Saturday, felt the way John McGlynn’s team set up was all about getting away with a point.
Raith on the surge and 15 unbeaten
Rovers, who knocked ICT out of the SPFL Trust Trophy on penalties last Tuesday after a 0-0 draw, are regarded by many, Dodds included, as the most attractive footballing side in the division.
They’ve kicked on from last season when they finished third, and are now 15 matches unbeaten.
It’s remarkable in many ways then that Caley Thistle hold a 21-year unbeaten record against Raith over 90 minutes. That won’t faze Rovers if they finish ahead of the Highlanders in April.
Two more top four showdowns
Inverness need to be at their A game at Morton this weekend, but if they are, then in truth, they should have too much for a Ton team in need of a fresh lift under a new manager.
With Raith hosting Kilmarnock and Partick Thistle welcoming Arbroath to Glasgow, there would be real value in a victory for ICT back down the road in Greenock before two home matches.
The Championship is a league you can’t take your eyes off. With a dozen points between Hamilton and Arbroath, every point is a prisoner, even a fortnight before Christmas.
The Caley Jags, who finished fifth last term despite a short-term change of management amid the campaign, might not have predicted being in this position at this point under Dodds in his first sole management role.
However, he’s guiding them steadily, game by game, and insisting the bigger prize must stay out of mind or the focus will be lost.
