June 3 is not a date which will be far from the mind of any Caley Thistle fan.
That’s when Billy Dodds’ Scottish Cup stars return to Hampden, this time to play the final against treble-chasing champions-elect Celtic.
I hope in the month-long build-up to this second Scottish Cup final for the club there’s a sense of shared pride in the Highland capital.
I say that, because apart from actively reading the papers, or going online, you’d never have known Inverness were heading to a national semi-final against Falkirk at the weekend.
A clinical 3-0 win, thanks to Billy McKay’s double and Daniel Mackay’s header, put gutsy Falkirk away with a lesson in finishing.
Broadcasters finally thought to plug the showdown with any degree of commitment from the middle of last week.
Of course, Saturday’s clash between Championship side Caley Thistle and League One opponents Falkirk was never going to gain wider respect across the country when holders Rangers and Celtic were the main event on Sunday.
However, locally in Inverness, in the lead-up to the semi, there was no real visible presence around the city that the main local team, which is also pushing for promotion to the Premiership, were off to Hampden.
Having covered the stunning run to their Scottish Cup triumph in 2015, I expect that will change.
The club will undoubtedly get an action plan in place with the Highland Council to promote it, to ensure everyone wants to be at the final.
Caley Thistle deserve that backing. The attacking, energetic football shown by ICT is a joy to watch.
The task in hand in the final is massive.
However, ICT, who now have five semi-final appearances under their belts, love providing an upset.
Scottish Cup wins in 2000, 2003 and 2015 against Celtic were all against the odds.
Everyone deserved Hampden day out
And as for those who slammed the attendance of 12,877 on Saturday, I’ll round off with this.
As soon as it became apparent that tickets were not shifting, the calls for a venue switch grew louder.
Tynecastle, Tannadice or even McDiarmid Park were suggested as more suitable stadia to generate a better atmosphere.
I understand empty seats for a national stadium doesn’t look great for our game.
A 12.15pm kick-off, live TV coverage, a cost of living crisis and sky-high Glasgow hotel costs definitely played a part in the low attendance.
However, the 4,000 Inverness fans and the proud and vocal Falkirk supporters deserved their day at Hampden.
ICT, roared on by the passionate leading Section 94 fan-base, delivered a brilliant victory, for many which won’t be forgotten.
Also, many of these players might never get the chance to experience a semi-final inside Hampden again. Why deny them that?
🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/pMXLAsZzIK
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) April 29, 2023
Why put winners at a disadvantage?
There’s also the fact the winning team on Saturday needed to sample everything about the national stadium experience to get a taste of what they’ll face in the final.
The opposition, Celtic, will of course be a different level, but let’s hope we get a united city and Highlands wanting to be part of another memorable day.
If Inverness are allocated around 10,000 tickets for the final, there will be plenty of voices saying they don’t deserve it.
But it would be great to see a big turnout for Dodds’ side at Hampden next month.
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