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Caley Thistle boss Billy Dodds plots attacking route to Scottish Cup glory against Celtic

Inverness, winners of the main national trophy in 2015, will have to stun the Premiership champions to repeat the feat.

Caley Thistle head coach Billy Dodds with the Scottish Cup last season. Image: SNS.
Caley Thistle head coach Billy Dodds with the Scottish Cup last season. Image: SNS.

Billy Dodds aims to go on the attack when his Caley Thistle tackle treble-chasing Celtic in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final at Hampden.

Ange Postecoglou’s Premiership and League Cup winners are on the hunt for a world-record-breaking eighth domestic clean sweep.

Inverness, who missed out on the promotion play-offs on the final day of the Championship season, ultimately finishing sixth in the second tier, are massive underdogs to match previous wins against Celtic in the cup in 2000, 2003 and 2015.

Manager Dodds knows his unfancied side are expected to be on the end of a convincing Hoops triumph in front of more than 40,000 Celtic fans, but insists Caley Thistle are going to the national stadium to show their offensive qualities, not to park the bus on the edge of their box.

He said:  “I don’t want to go to Hampden and sit there in a shape, hoping for a fluke over 90 minutes or longer where we’ve sat back and defended on our own line.

“Celtic might force us back for long periods, yes, but I want to try and be a threat as well. That’s what we’ve been working on.

“We know it is going to be difficult and we know the machine that we’re facing.

“But is it do-able? Percentage-wise, it is not very high, but absolutely. That’s not being blasé, it’s being factual.

“I go no further than this season, with Darvel beating Aberdeen (in the Scottish Cup in January). If you don’t believe, don’t turn up.”

All players handle finals differently

Defender Danny Devine and midfielder Aaron Doran won the trophy with Inverness eight years ago when they beat Celtic in the semis and Falkirk in the final.

Aaron Doran and Danny Devine celebrate winning the Scottish Cup in 2015. Image: SNS

Dodds hasn’t asked the duo to address their team-mates – believing all players will cope with the occasion in their own way.

He said: “I don’t tell them to go in and speak to the players and tell them all about it.

“I just think everyone has got to handle it individually.

“Celtic will be the same. I have seen it, there will be players in that dressing room who sit quiet, while some of them beat their chests.

Cameron Harper, David Carson and Robbie Deas celebrate following Caley Thistle’s Scottish Cup semi-final win over Falkirk. Image: SNS

“Some will give high-fives and some will be ramping it up with some others to make sure the atmosphere is in the dressing room.

“We all handle it differently, and I expect our dressing room to be very similar to that.

“That’s the way it will be, that’s just dressing rooms for you. I don’t expect any difference, but I hope, and I’m sure they will, handle anything that comes with nerves and trepidation about going into the final against Celtic.”

Major summer shake-up on cards?

Once the dust on the cup final on Saturday night, win or lose, there is plenty of work to be done behind the scenes at Inverness.

Dodds, his management team and 13 first-team players are out of contract, while Jay Henderson and Daniel MacKay will return to St Mirren and Hibs after loan spells.

Those waiting to find out their futures include Danny Devine, Robbie Deas, Scott Allardice, Aaron Doran, Billy Mckay, Shane Sutherland and Austin Samuels.

After six successive seasons in the Championship, a summer shake-up – helped by an unexpected Scottish Cup windfall for the club, who posted a £830,000 loss in February – is on the cards.

When asked about the contract talks, Dodds said they are: “Still ongoing.

“Where we were earlier in the season, losing back-to-back games against Hamilton, things got put on hold a bit, but they’re ongoing. Things will hopefully be happening in the next few weeks.

“I’m in a similar situation. Hopefully we’ll get something sorted out. We’re all in the same boat, the players, myself and my staff.

“Contracts are coming to an end and we’re hopefully going to get talking soon.”

Billy McKay all smiles after opening the scoring in Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.
Billy Mckay, a two-goal hero in the Scottish Cup semi-final win against Falkirk, is one of 13 senior players out of contract after the Scottish Cup final. Image: Rob Casey/SNS Group

More Championship tests await for ICT next season

Former Scotland striker Dodds has had two campaigns in charge of ICT.

Last year, his side reached the Premiership play-off final where they eventually lost to St Johnstone. 

The injury-hit club took their promotion play-off push to the wire this time, but missed out on the last night, losing 2-1 against Ayr United, to be nudged down the table.

Dodds is proud of his side for rising to the challenges and giving their all this term, despite facing up to another year in a Championship which will contain Dundee United, Dunfermline, Airdrie, and either Partick Thistle or Ross County – depending on Sunday’s play-off second leg outcome.

He added: “I look at my time here as nothing but success. I really do.

“Last season, we were so close to getting to the Premiership.

“We had to change the group a bit last year over the summer, with the likes of Kirk Broadfoot, who was unbelievably good for us, moving on.

“Then we also lost the likes of Reece McAleer and Logan Chalmers.

Inverness manager Billy Dodds  oversees training this week.  Image: Rob Casey/SNS Group

“But we got to within 45 minutes of promotion and we got out of the League Cup group stages for the first time in a number of years.

“We nearly pulled off a miracle, by nearly making the play-offs despite the huge numbers of injuries we’ve had.

“And now we’re in a Scottish Cup final.

“I couldn’t ask any more of the players – either last season or this season. For me, we’ve had nothing but success – and great times.”

Nine days off – but Caley Thistle are ‘ready to go’

Caley Thistle will not have played a competitive match for almost a month when they step out to face the back-to-back Scottish champions at the national stadium.

However, the head coach is confident his group are as prepared as they can be.

He said: “It felt like an eternity, but the time off was good. I gave the boys nine days off, because I knew a month was a long time.

“I’ve experienced it myself with Scotland and a summer World Cup qualifier against Belarus.

“I know how demoralising it can be, so it was nine days with their families, some went on holiday, and it was much-needed rest.

“Then it was a three-week build-up, not ideal, but we’ve had a couple of games, a bounce game and demanded a lot of them.

“We’ve trained them hard. They’re there on merit and we’re ready to go.”

Caley Thistle players celebrate their Scottish Cup win in 2015, with the streets of Inverness packed for the heroes.

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