Michael Fraser is urging Scottish Cup runners-up Caley Thistle to use their run to the Scottish Cup final as a springboard to win promotion from the Championship.
The former Inverness goalkeeper, who played in the top two divisions with the club as well as Ross County, watched Billy Dodds’ team knock out Premiership opponents Livingston and Kilmarnock on the way to the final.
With Celtic gunning for the treble, many wild scoreline predictions were made ahead of the Hampden showdown, but ICT coped well, losing 3-1 to the treble-winners.
Inverness motivated by final display
And the 39-year-old, who also starred for Motherwell, reckons the Caley Jags players will have a thirst for taking on the best in the country as they get set for their seventh successive season outside the Premiership.
He said: “The Scottish Cup final could have gone wrong, but it was a good performance and they stifled Celtic as long as they could, so there is no shame in that.
“It was a great achievement to reach the final. Celtic are by far the best team in the country, while Inverness are the league below.
“It was a good performance, and it will give the younger players, especially those who haven’t played in the Premiership, a good motivation to try and play the best teams regularly.
“That’s got to be their ambition. When you’re playing in Scotland nothing beats having the chance to play in the Premiership.
“It’s a better experience all round. You want to be playing at all the big grounds and having more TV games and playing in front of larger crowds.
“I have done it both ways and that’s where you want to be. You get a lot more exposure when you’re playing in the Premiership and that’s important for any ambitious player.”
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Inverness know how to beat top sides
Just one league loss in 10 before a must-win final-night fixture against Ayr United put Inverness in with a chance of promotion.
This was at the tail-end of a campaign where key players were often sidelined through injury.
They fell short by losing to Ayr last month, but with a good number of players now signed up for next season, Fraser sees no reason why they cannot kick off with optimism.
He said: “Caley Thistle came on to a good game towards the end of the season with a strong run and reaching the Scottish Cup final, which was a great achievement. One more win and they’d have made the play-offs as well.
“Throughout their existence, the club has proved they could beat higher league opponents. They have always been a good cup team, which has taken scalps and went on to win the 2015 Scottish Cup.
“The good thing for Caley Thistle is they have plenty of experience of this league – they know what it’s all about.
“It’s such a hard league to predict. You never know what will happen.
“It was only last year they reached the play-off final and that can be a hard thing to get over.
“They will be working on a shoe-string budget again, but they are a really good Championship team, capable of beating clubs from the league above them.”
How will Jags reaction to losing out?
Partick Thistle, who finished fourth, reached the Premiership play-off final before a collapse in the closing 20 minutes opened the door for Ross County to complete an amazing escape act with three late goals and a shoot-out win.
With Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic and Airdrieonians replacing Dundee, Cove Rangers and Hamilton Accies from August, Fraser stressed it’s a league sure to provide plenty of drama once more.
He added: “The Championship has been the most competitive league in the country for a long time.
“It would be a sheer guess to pick a winner, because there are so many strong sides.
“Partick Thistle were really impressive in the play-offs. They were the better side for three-quarters of the play-off final (against Ross County). They probably won’t manage that again next season.
“In that league, you would not rule out Partick now having a difficult season. I’m not saying they will, but look at Arbroath last year; they were one win away from winning the title, then this year they finished eighth. That’s a prime example of what can happen when you come so close.
“Some teams can be going along fine, then the next year, they are just above the relegation zone.”
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