Roddy MacGregor is fresh, fit and raring to roll with Caley Thistle after a double-injury blow sidelined him last season.
The Inverness-born attacking midfielder was in great form for the Highlanders as they pressed for a promotion push from the Championship in 2021/22.
However, from mid-January into April, the starlet was sidelined with a thigh injury.
Having just returned to the team, MacGregor cracked home a wonderful goal in a 2-1 win at Morton just as the side were picking up steam and roaring towards a third-placed finish and the promotion play-offs.
His final action was playing in a 4-0 cruise against Hamilton in late April when a jaw fracture ended his involvement.
He could only watch as his team-mates knocked out Partick Thistle and Arbroath in the play-offs before being beaten in the second leg of the final at St Johnstone on May 23.
MacGregor was disappointed to have been watching rather than making a telling impact. He hopes fortunes fall in his favour this season.
He said: “It was a really frustrating season for me personally. I came back from a thigh injury and then before the play-offs I broke my jaw, so it was not ideal. The boys did really well and I would have loved to have tried to help the team.
GOAL! Roddy MacGregor makes it 10! pic.twitter.com/efTe8u75Do
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) June 29, 2022
“Hopefully I can get a wee bit more luck this season, stay injury-free and get more games under my belt.”
MacGregor stressed how the focus at Inverness has to be on the future rather than reflect on their heart-breaking play-off loss at Park in the final kicks of a long, hard campaign.
He said: “Everyone was really disappointed at the end of last season, with how it ended, but we can’t change it and we have dusted ourselves down and we’re focused on what we can do this season. Hopefully we can achieve our aim.”
MacGregor hits 10th goal in rout
MacGregor was on the scoresheet as ICT crushed Clach 10-0 in a bounce game at Grant Street on Wednesday.
On Saturday, they face another Highland League host in Brora Rangers before taking on St Johnstone on Tuesday in a closed-door game.
MacGregor felt sorry for his beaten city opponents in midweek, but hopes his own team can keep sharpening up against the Cattachs at Dudgeon Park.
He added: “Everyone was delighted to be back and there was a really good intensity to our game on Wednesday night.
“The scoreline was harsh on Clach, it didn’t truly reflect how the game went because they gave their all.
“Brora will be another tough test for us. Pre-season is all about getting minutes in the legs and getting the sharpness back. Wednesday was a really good performance and hopefully we can build upon that.”
Conversation