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Russell Duncan backs Caley Thistle to go for glory next season – if key men can be retained

The former Inverness midfielder wants ICT to strike back after latest league disappointment - and aim for a shock Scottish Cup win against Celtic in June.

Former title winning midfielder Russell Duncan.
Former title winning midfielder Russell Duncan.

Ex-Caley Thistle star Russell Duncan hopes the Inverness club will retain as many of their key men as possible to launch an all-out attack in next year’s Championship.

The Scottish Cup finalists, who face double-winners Celtic at Hampden on June 3, are now idle after finishing their season sixth in the second-tier last week.

A crushing 2-1 defeat at home to rivals Ayr United, which followed a run of six league wins and a draw, ended their promotion bid for another year, just 12 months on from reaching the play-off final where St Johnstone ended their chances.

Many of their key players such as Billy Mckay, Robbie Deas, Scott Allardice, Danny Devine, Aaron Doran, and Austin Samuels are out of contract next month and talks will be getting started imminently.

Head coach Billy Dodds is also set for talks on a new deal with his contract expiring in June, so a big summer lies ahead for the Highland capital club.

Billy McKay all smiles after opening the scoring in Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.
Billy Mckay, a two-goal semi-final hero for Caley Thistle against Falkirk, is out of contract next month. He has scored 19 goals this season and is just one away from record-holder Dennis Wyness’ tally of 101.  Image: Rob Casey/SNS Group

Cup win would land Euro windfall

Duncan, who served ICT for a decade from 2001, winning two First Division titles along the way, says the group will need to focus on the final then go for league glory in 2024.

He said: “Not being promoted will no doubt have a bearing on what the manager can now do in terms of his budget. We all know the financial state Inverness are in at the moment – it isn’t great.

“Stranger things have happened. They could go and win the cup final, and they would get the boost of European football, which would secure more income.

“If they can keep as much of this squad together and add one or two players, if that’s possible, they will just have to go again.

“They need to stay positive, give it a go for the cup final and enjoy their summer and give it a real go next season.

“If Ross County or Dundee United come down (from the Premiership), they will be the favourites to go back up because they have a bit more money than the other clubs. County, for example, won’t be shy in spending money to get straight back up like they did last time (in 2019).”

Rivals targeting promotion will hurt

Inverness dropped out of the top-flight in 2017 and now face a seventh successive season in the Championship.

Meanwhile, Partick Thistle beat Queen’s Park 4-3 on Tuesday in the play-off quarter-final first leg at Firhill and they meet on Friday at Ochilview for the right to face Ayr in the semis.

Duncan knows looking from the outside in will hurt, but urges the players to get set for the massive occasion of a Scottish Cup final.

He said: “The club will be absolutely gutted to be spending another season in the Championship.

“Their form in recent months has been great, they have been scoring goals and not conceding too many.

“They have the cup final to look forward to and that will take care of itself. The players will be up for it, but it will take a good few days to get over the major disappointment.

Caley Thistle boss Billy Dodds. Image: SNS

“Watching the play-off games this week will be hard. They have to just get that out of their heads now and move on. There is nothing they can do about it.

“They started the season well enough before the injuries took their toll. They then went eight league matches without a win. That cost them, because they only finished eight points behind champions Dundee.

“I know Dundee will say the same – they could have picked up more points here and there. For Inverness, just a couple of draws and defeats turned into wins would have made all the difference.”

Careful preparation is best for final

With the final three weeks away, the Highlanders are understood to be planning a mini trip away for the squad, perhaps to Spain, which will include one or two friendlies to keep the legs sharp.

Duncan explained the players will be careful in any games to avoid any knocks which might threaten their place at the national stadium.

He added: “It would be ideal if they could arrange even a couple of bounce games over the next few weeks before the final.

“It is a catch-22, because you don’t want to pick up any injuries, but players will ensure they look after themselves and avoid going in for any stupid tackles.”

Pre-final party arranged for June 3

The Wyness Shuffle podcast team have arranged a pre-party on cup final day at The Renfrew Ferry.

For £4 a ticket, music will be provided by Schiehallion and buses can take fans to Hampden for an additional £4. Tickets are on sale via The Renfrew Ferry’s website.

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