Scott Allardice was thrilled to be involved at the tail end of a dramatic promotion push with Caley Thistle last season.
Now the midfielder is determined to kick-start the new campaign on the front foot, with the Championship title very much in mind this term.
A serious knee injury sustained in January looked to have almost certainly ended any chance of the 24-year-old playing a part for the Championship club in their bid to win promotion to the Premiership via the play-offs.
That was also the view of the medics, but the ex-Dundee United, Bohemians and Waterford player refused to give up the ghost.
He stepped off the bench in the closing moments of ICT’s play-off quarter-final win over Partick Thistle.
He also played a total of 43 minutes as a substitute over the two final legs against St Johnstone, which ended in a painful 6-2 aggregate loss for the Highlanders.
Allardice determined to bounce back
Result aside, this was a personal triumph for Allardice, whose early-season form was making rivals admire and fear in equal measure.
Allardice revealed how tough it was from those early stages of the knee injury.
He said: “The specialists told me they thought my season was done.
“You could be back training for the end of the season, but you’re still massively off it.
“You need bounce games and good training sessions. At that time, all the boys were doing was playing and recovering.
“For me, it was tough to get up to speed. I had hoped to be involved, but realistically I felt I might not be capable of it.
“Thankfully, I got a few minutes here and there and almost done it in the end.”
Gym work helped midfielder return
Allardice explained how hard work behind the scenes has laid the foundation for him to be in the best possible shape ahead of the 2022/23 season starting in the Premier Sports Cup at Kelty Hearts on Saturday.
He said: “I had a good start to last season before I got injured.
“I worked so hard in the gym and done everything right to give myself the best possible chance.
“Even by getting some minutes in those last two games, that really set me up well coming into pre-season.
“I took a shorter break than the boys who had played week in, week out. I kept my fitness up and my rehab over the summer.
“I’ve hit the pre-season running and got through every session so far and continue that and get more minutes in games now.”
Title target is main aim for Inverness
St Johnstone scored in the second half of the second leg of the play-off final in Perth, with the sides having been locked at 2-2 after the first 90 minutes in Inverness.
It was a bitter way to end a rousing campaign, but it’s only given Inverness further confidence to believe they can rise from third-place finishers to champions within one year.
Allardice said: “I want to win the league. As a player, I want to be playing in the Premiership and, as a club, that’s what we’re all aiming for.
“Last season can hopefully give us that added belief because we went so far. It never quite worked out the way we wanted, but throughout the season we showed we can compete and be a top Championship club.”
🔜 Season 2022/23 begins this Saturday as we travel to Central Park to face Kelty Hearts for the start of the Premier Sports Cup Group Stage
Ticket Info👉 https://t.co/ea184b9aje pic.twitter.com/LMKWlekzFW
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) July 6, 2022
Confident of League Cup progression
It’s six years since Caley Thistle progressed from what was then the new group stage of the League Cup.
Last season, Billy Dodds had just become the new head coach and the team crashed out again thanks to poor results against League 2 side Stirling Albion and League 1’s eventual champions Cove Rangers.
ICT kick off against last term’s League 2 winners Kelty on Saturday, before Tuesday’s tie at Premiership Livingston.
Games at League 2 opponents Albion Rovers and new Championship rivals Cove come at home later this month.
Allardice expects testing times in their four games, but is confident Inverness can qualify for the second round.
He said: “Last year, we didn’t do well in the League Cup.
“We then hit the ground running in the league, but the cup really can set us up nicely for the league campaign.
“We have a tough group. Kelty were flying last season and Cove have come up from League 1, while Livingston and Albion Rovers will be tough.
“But our team has got real belief. We know if we play the way we know we can, we’re a match for anyone – certainly at this level.
“As we also showed last season, we can also compete against Premiership sides.”
Conversation