Caley Thistle head coach Billy Dodds praised gutsy defender Robbie Deas as he made a return from a broken leg months ahead of schedule.
The highly-rated 22-year-old centre-half suffered the break in a game where he also scored – a 1-1 Championship draw against Raith Rovers last October – and medics predicted he would be sidelined until the latter stages of the season.
Therefore, to see the stopper named as a substitute for Saturday’s stunning 3-0 Scottish Cup fifth-round win at Premiership Livingston gave fans a real lift, although Deas didn’t come on in the game.
Manager Dodds, whose team are now six games unbeaten, says Deas is a great option for the team as they chase down a top-four finish in the Championship.
He said: “It has been a great recovery from Robbie.
“Deasy is a big character at this club. Anybody coming back from injury within that length of time is always going to give the boys a boost.
“The biggest boost is for him and I cannot wait to see him play again. He’s a big player for us and it’s an important time for us between now and the end of the season.
Finally 😎 https://t.co/vDZU2UjD4R
— Robbie Deas (@Rob_Deasy) February 11, 2023
“We have got to get into those play-off spots and see where it takes us.
“We have other players coming back, too.
“We’ve had a lot of long-term injuries, but the reason we’re now getting results is because I’ve more players to pick from – it’s great to see these players coming back.”
Midfielder Roddy MacGregor, 21, who has also been injured since October, was part of the travelling party to Livi, so could also be set to make a return soon.
Special win tops the lot for Dodds
January’s Championship manager of the month Dodds, meanwhile, felt the sweeping win at Livi, thanks to Billy Mckay’s brace and Sean Welsh’s header, was the most complete display since he took over in the summer of 2021.
He said: “These kind of results are not just for myself, my staff, my players, for the club overall, but also for chairman Ross Morrison, who works hard and puts a lot of money into the club – these are the days you have got to enjoy.
“Saturday was my best result as Inverness boss because of the (performance in) full 90 minutes.
“The Arbroath play-off last year when we were down to eight men at times to get to the Premiership play-off final was a brilliant team effort.
“However, in terms of the players doing everything I asked of them in terms of shape, who was passing on to who, and talking to one another, and being ruthless and brave with the goals, I thought we got it all at Livingston.”
Sinking Accies twice is next ICT goal
With back-to-back games away to Championship basement side Hamilton Accies on Saturday and Tuesday next up for Inverness, Dodds insists they must keep on their eyes on their promotion hunt.
Morton’s surprise 3-2 win over leaders Queen’s Park at the weekend pushed Caley Thistle down to seventh spot, but they are still just two points outside the top four.
Dodds added: “We’re looking forward to this double-header against Hamilton-they are two important games for us.
“Hamilton, in their 2-0 Scottish defeat against Hearts on Friday, were excellent in the second half.
“They are on a good run and this is going to be tough.
“They have a good record against us as well and we want to put that right.”
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