Billy Dodds has binned five-a-side training games as his injury-ravaged Caley Thistle side prepare to face Morton in the Championship this Friday.
The head coach was rocked at the weekend with the news central defender Robbie Deas suffered a broken leg after scoring in the hard-earned 1-1 home draw against Raith Rovers.
The fracture to the shin of 22-year-old Deas, which came from a challenge by Rovers captain Scott Brown, adds to the massive injury list taking its toll on Dodds’ paper-thin squad.
That the Caley Jags are riding high in the table is a credit to the players, who – before last Tuesday’s shock 1-0 loss to Hamilton – won five games on the spin, four of which were on the road.
Mid-table Morton, who drew 0-0 at Dundee at the weekend, are just three points behind Inverness as the sides get set for a crunch Cappielow clash in front of the BBC Scotland cameras this week.
Dodds admits he’s treating the players with caution this week, with nine players including Scott Allardice, Danny Devine, Roddy MacGregor and Austin Samuels, all out.
He said: “Everything is a worry right now – I can’t even train them. I’m wrapping them in cotton wool and trying to minimise the chance of getting injuries.
“It’s difficult to prepare for Friday, but we will see who is available.
“We can’t play five-a-sides or games in training. My boys can get injured – then what am I left with?
“On the positive side, the boys who are left are getting results in games, which is incredible.
“It’s something to acknowledge, how well the group I’ve got left are doing.
“All the boys who are left can do is give me energy and put in a shift.”
Boss praises defender Strachan, 18
A rising star emerging from Ryan Esson’s under-18s side over the past week has been defender Matthew Strachan.
He came off the bench late on against Hamilton last week and made a vital block late on to deny Raith their first league win over ICT since 2000.
Dodds was impressed by the way Strachan wanted to make a real impact when he replaced Deas with just two minutes to go.
The manager said: “Young Matthew deserves a mention again.
“You can come on and just play a position and get a couple of touches on the ball, but he passed the ball well and had a goal-saving challenge, which probably earned us a deserved point.”
Dodds – Championship is ‘brutal’
There were eye-catching scorelines in the second-tier at the weekend, with Ayr United’s 2-2 draw with Cove Rangers at Somerset Park overshadowed by Queen’s Park’s stunning 4-0 win at Partick Thistle.
Dodds praised his players for standing up to the challenge against Ian Murray’s capable Raith team – and ensuring they earned a point from it.
He added: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw some of the scores on Saturday. It’s a brutal league and I mean that in a good way.
“You just don’t know what a point will bring you. Sometimes, it’s a good point, other times it can be disappointing. On Saturday, it was a good point, because it took us top of the league.
“I’d have loved to have taken a point last Tuesday against Hamilton, because we’d now be on a seven-game unbeaten run, which is a great run in the Championship.
“We showed resilience, character and determination against Raith Rovers to get something out of the game.”
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