Caley Thistle striker Billy Mckay insists no senior player at the Championship club can take their place for granted this season.
A crop of young players are emerging from Ryan Esson’s under-18s, knocking at the door – and getting their chances on the pitch
Midfielder Keith Bray, 17, made an impact over the past week and played well in only his second start, in Sunday’s 1-0 loss at Dundee.
Defender Matthew Strachan, 18, and attacking midfielder Robbie Thompson, 19, have also been in the Viaplay Cup squads, while 19-year-old left-back Lewis Nicolson secured game-time at the end of last season after a loan spell at League Two Elgin City.
Youngsters bring enthusiasm to side
Unfortunately for Nicolson, a knee injury sustained against Airdrie last week will keep him out for a spell, but the others are ready to be involved from day one of the Championship campaign, which is on Saturday when Queen’s Park come calling.
Mckay, who is now ICT’s all-time top scorer with 102 goals, says the young players will provide serious competition for places.
He said: “They’re very energetic.
“They’re still young and have a lot to learn football-wise, but their enthusiasm is great and that can rub off on us as a team.
“It brings extra competition for places as well. We’ve got a really strong squad, and we’ve got a lot of players who want to be on the pitch.
Billy Mckay | New Club Record Goal Scorer 👑 | All 102 Record Breaking Goals Compilation 🔴🔵@billymckay22's goal against Airdrieonians saw him become the club's new all time record goal scorer
Watch all of Billy's 102 record breaking goals here 👉 https://t.co/W6FVvQUjHL pic.twitter.com/XgZ1crKkgF
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) July 29, 2023
“We all know that if we don’t play well, we might go out of the team, so we have to play well every game.”
Positive mindset ahead of ICT opener
Defeats against Dumbarton, Airdrieonians and Dundee meant ICT didn’t progress to the second round of the Viaplay Cup.
Five new players are also settling into the squad and the team.
Manager Billy Dodds has signed right-back Jake Davidson, midfielder Charlie Gilmour, winger Luis Longstaff, and forwards Adam Brooks and Harry Lodovica.
The display in Dundee was encouraging, despite the narrow loss, and Mckay is hopeful they can make a winning start in the league this weekend.
He said: “We know we’ve got a lot to work on. We’ve got quite a young squad and new players bedding in as well, and we’ve chopped and changed a lot.
“We’ve had a short pre-season on purpose – the gaffer has touched on that – so there was always a chance we wouldn’t hit off straight away. There have been some positives, but there have also been negatives.
“Hopefully we can get rid of the negatives in time for the game against Queen’s Park and be ready for the league.”