Caley Thistle head coach Billy Dodds praised left-back rising star Zak Delaney for bubbling on and off the pitch.
The 20-year-old Irishman was signed in the summer having come through the ranks at West Brom.
The defender is now being guided through the rough and tumble of the Scottish Championship in the Highlands.
He’s made 14 appearances and, with Cameron Harper stealing the limelight from switching from full-back to midfield, he’s proving to be an ever-improving presence at the left side of defence.
Ahead of Saturday’s trip to Cove Rangers, Dodds explained Delaney has adjusted to life in the north and is showing him the qualities he has within his team.
He said: “Let’s just say, Zak is one of the characters in the dressing room. He has fitted in pretty well with the group.
“Zak is not a shy Irish boy, put it that way.
“It is all about what I get from him football-wise and he’s been a revelation. I love his attitude.
“He hasn’t always played his best, but he just gets wired in from start to finish in every game.
“He takes on board what you say to him and his positional sense is good.
“Coming here and playing as many games as he has, he’s been a real bonus to us. I left him out for one or two games, and he responded brilliantly.
“I’m really happy with Zak, both as a person and a character off the pitch, but certainly as a player on it.”
Steely determination and will to win
Delaney spent time on loan at Bath City last year, which further helped his development and Dodds believes experience has served him well.
He said: “Going to West Brom and then out on loan, he has experienced quite a lot at a young age.
“You can get guys like that who are characters but maybe don’t feature as much regularly.
“He has this steely determination where, while having a laugh off the pitch, he is so serious on it.
“He’s desperate to win games, that’s what I love. I love his attitude, but he has a good technical side as well.
“I don’t want to say we’ve found a gem, but so far he is doing really well.”
Dodds caution of Cove at Balmoral
As things stand, ICT, who beat table-topping Partick Thistle last week, are level on 17 points with the Glasgow Jags and Ayr United.
Queen’s Park will go into the weekend in first place and two points clear of the trio should they defeat Arbroath at Ochilview on Friday night.
Ten of Cove’s 11 points have been earned on home soil, so Caley Thistle will have to be at their best in order to stretch their winning run to five and see off Jim McIntyre’s improving hosts this Saturday.
Prior to beating Partick, ICT posted away wins at Raith, Dundee and Ayr. Dodds knows, however, Cove own record at home makes them formidable opponents.
He said: “We’ll definitely go there with confidence and belief, but not over-confidence.
“They are a good team, especially at home.
“We need the exact same mindset and frame of mind going into the coming games as we took into the four games we won.
🔜 Just two days until we face @CoveRangersFC away from home!
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— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) October 13, 2022
“We have to take it to Cove or we ain’t getting three points.
“That’s the warning signs, but my players know that. I don’t really have to relay it to them because they are professional enough and determined enough to realise that’s what it takes every week.
“Keep a clean sheet, see what we get. We have to take that to Cove.”
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