Billy Dodds believes his Caley Thistle squad have enough quality to make the difference in close encounters in the Championship.
Inverness were held to a 1-1 draw against Owen Coyle’s newcomers Queen’s Park in the opening fixture last weekend.
On Saturday, they head to Arbroath to face last season’s runners-up and the opponents they defeated with nine men in the play-off semis in a Gayfield epic to reach the final before falling to St Johnstone.
🔜 Just two days until we face Arbroath away from home
Supporters should note that Inverness fans will accommodate the Pleasureland side of the ground with sections A & B in the CoelBrew Stand
Match Info 👉 https://t.co/VbLXMgcbFi pic.twitter.com/y2IgZ5rhOv
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) August 4, 2022
Arbroath were held 0-0 by Ayr United last weekend, while Hamilton Accies and Morton drew 1-1.
Cove Rangers got started with a fine 2-0 win over Raith Rovers, while Partick Thistle were 3-2 winners at Dundee.
‘Tough it out’ if games are close calls
With so little between all 10 teams on any given day, ICT head coach Dodds hopes his side, who finished third last term, can show they can win matches in more than one way.
He said: “We’re a good enough side to go and win games decisively when we’re on our game, as we did often last year, but we’re also going to have to show nous and focus to show teams we can also tough it out.
“We would have loved to have got three points last week from a home game. It would have been a good start, but we are still undefeated this season and there are a lot of positive things at this club.
“It will be nice to start winning games as we get more into the season. We want three points as quickly as possible, to get the momentum going.”
With Cove and Queen’s Park stepping up from League One and instantly looking at home at this level, Dodds is well aware every victory has to be earned.
Drawing lots will halt promotion bid
ICT have drawn with both these sides in league and cup in the past couple of weeks and Dodds hopes they can get off the mark with a win at Arbroath this weekend.
He added: “Every team can cause you problems, but you don’t want too many draws or a run where you are not winning like last year.
“We have to make sure we are going through bad runs in just two or three games and then we win a game.
“Hopefully, we don’t lose any, but we need to win games, too many draws won’t win you the league or get you in the play-off position. It’s nice to get points on the board and get the momentum going right away.”
No complacency against Spiders
And Dodds insists last Saturday’s result stemmed from a slow start rather than any sign of complacency.
He said: “The one thing I will say last week. We didn’t think we would just turn up and win – that was not the mindset.
“The boys gave their all, but didn’t play well. In the second half, I thought we were better and could have won, but we have to improve on our first half performance.”
Conversation