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Injuries no excuse for Caley Thistle not getting positive result at Morton, says boss Billy Dodds

Inverness head coach Billy Dodds. Image SNS
Inverness head coach Billy Dodds. Image SNS

Boss Billy Dodds insists Caley Thistle are gunning for victory in Greenock on Friday – and won’t use injuries as an excuse if they drop Championship points to Morton.

Inverness travel to Inverclyde with up to nine first-team players sidelined through injury, with defender Robbie Deas the latest to be added to the list.

The 22-year-old suffered a broken shin after scoring in the 1-1 draw against Raith Rovers last weekend, but ICT know a win will put them clear top of the table going into the weekend. 

Dougie Imrie’s Morton, who have signed former Celtic and Hibs defender Efe Ambrose until the end of the season, are mid-table – but only three points away from ICT in a league so tightly congested.

Dodds, who could welcome back defender Wallace Duffy, hopes his fired-up squad can follow on from recent away wins at Raith, Dundee, Ayr and Cove Rangers.

He said: “(The injury crisis) is not great, but I’m still positive. I don’t look for excuses, because, if you do that as a manager, the players will look for those excuses.

“We have more than enough to beat most teams in this league. I have a couple back in training, which is great, but that’s all it is.

“We will find a team and find a formation and hopefully give a good account of ourselves and take something from the game.

ICT’s Wallace Duffy could return from injury for Friday’s trip to Morton. Image: Paul Devlin/SNS Group

“Morton are in a good place and now within three points of us. They have gone four unbeaten and that tells you a lot.

“We’ve done well away from home this season, but they will be a hard nut to crack.

“They work hard for one another. They’re a good team, who are doing well right now.

“I still feel, if we’re doing our jobs, we can go to places like Morton – and that’s no disrespect to them – and get a result.

“I don’t want injuries to be an excuse so we can say if we lose it was because of our injuries.”

Boss wants Friday feel-good factor

With a mere three points separating first place down to sixth, every team is fancying their chances in the Championship this season.

For ICT manager Dodds, if they can collect a second successive Friday night win in front of the BBC Scotland cameras, they will relish their weekend as other teams do battle.

He said: “If we win, we will be top of the table again, or at least joint top after Saturday.

“But if we lose, we’re still only one win away from the top, so I just want us to go and win the game. That’s the mindset.

“It’s nice to play on the Friday. We’ve lost 4-1 to Partick on a Friday, which makes it a long weekend, but we beat Partick on another Friday and it was great. We’re looking at the positive side of it where we go and get the win.

Billy Mckay’s goal earned Inverness a 1-0 home victory against Partick in a Friday league fixture earlier this month. Image: Craig Brown/SNS Group

“I will then enjoy my weekend and go and see Hamilton v Cove.”

Injured Deas begins road to recovery

Dodds said centre-half Deas – who was outstanding against Raith on Saturday – has visited his team-mates this week and hopes for some good news soon as his recovery begins.

He added: “Deasy has been speaking to people this week and fingers crossed.

“It’s a straight-forward break and needs a week and two to make sure everything is going as smooth as possible. He’s getting his head around it as he is a boy that does not miss a lot of games.

Caley Jags defender Robbie Deas has suffered a broken shin. Image: Euan Cherry/SNS Group

“I don’t think he has had a bad injury before, so it is hard for him to take. He is getting his head around it and we hope it will be straight-forward recovery how he gets back from a leg break.”

Dodds keen to see Devine back in fold

And defender Devine, who is recovering from a knee injury, is showing improvement and the manager admits he’ll be a big player to have back when the time comes.

He said: “It will be weeks rather than months with Danny. He needed the swelling to come down and we are monitoring it.

“With knees, it can problematic and other things can develop, but I would love Danny back.”

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