Former Caley Thistle skipper Gary Warren is confident his old club will shrug off a nightmare start to their season and become promotion contenders.
For the first time since late 2008 into 2009, Inverness have lost five consecutive matches – with Saturday’s 1-0 Championship loss at Ayr United following a 2-1 opening day defeat at home to Queen’s Park.
Billy Dodds’ team bowed out of the Viaplay Cup last month following a 2-1 defeat at Dumbarton, a 3-2 home reversal against Airdrie, then a 1-0 loss at Dundee.
With the second round of the Viaplay Cup taking centre stage this weekend, ICT must wait until a trip to Airdrie a week on Saturday for their chance to secure their first point, or three, of the new league campaign.
Squad still strong enough for top four
Inverness were Scottish Cup runners-up to Celtic on June 3 and Warren, who starred for the club for five of his six years in the Premiership from 2012, is backing ICT to find their feet soon.
He said: “It was always going to be tough, off the highs of last year and reaching the Scottish Cup final.
“It was such a good end to the season. That can take a lot out of you, mentally and physically.
“They also had quite a short pre-season, due to the cup final, and that means the lads were straight back into it.
“I still believe they will come strong.
“Billy has mainly kept the squad together and he’s added a few.
“There is no reason why they won’t be in and around the top four, pushing for promotion once more.”
Win by any means will do for ICT
Bristol-born Warren says Dodds and his players will take a narrow win at Airdrie next weekend in any shape – even if the performance is overtaken by luck.
He said: “They will just want to get the first win of the season and won’t care how it happens. If the ball goes in off someone’s backside and you hang on for a 1-0 win, then great.
“A victory will galvanise the squad and get them up and running again. If they can win next week, or within the next two games, that will give them a start going forward.”
Clach have ingredients for success
It was confirmed this week that centre-half Warren, 38, was hanging up his playing boots as his role as head of professional academy at Premiership Ross County is reshaped.
He spent last season playing for the Highland League Lilywhites after returning from time back in England with Torquay United and Tiverton Town.
Warren is grateful to Clach manager Jordan MacDonald for giving him the platform to keep playing football in a competitive division.
And he predicts a good period ahead for the Merkinchers, who have just handed deals to attacker Troy Cooper and midfielder Lewis Mitchell, and brought forward Ben Cormack back on loan from Elgin City.
He said: “The club have got everything there to go and be successful, in terms of the management team, the coaching staff, the players who are young, enthusiastic and want to kick on and develop.
“They have people behind the scenes, such as chairman Alex Chisholm and the directors who are all pulling in the same direction. They all want the best for the club. Clach is one of the few pulling the same way.
“I was only at Clach for just over a year, but I walk away with only good memories and I will be back down as often as I can be.”
Warren getting ‘teeth into’ new County role
Warren admits he’ll miss being on the park every Saturday, but is excited by what lies ahead for him in his Dingwall role.
He added: “The workload has changed a bit for me at Ross County, which means I can’t commit to games on a Saturday for Clach.
“That’s a shame because I loved my time there. The club have been brilliant to me and my family.
“I am enjoying my role at Ross County and I’m getting my teeth stuck into it full-time.
“I will be taking over a new role, which the club will be revealing soon.
“There will be more to the job, but I will still be developing the youths.
“I do still want to play, but the timing doesn’t work out for me
“. My full focus is on Ross County and developing the youth and the structure of the academy and overall plans going forward.”
New board member at Caley Thistle
Meanwhile, Caley Thistle have announced a new board member, who says he wants to help return the club to “where we all want to be”.
Boyhood Inverness Thistle fan Scott Young attended Crown Primary and then Millburn Academy in Inverness, and is a director at Donview Veterinary Centre.
He has also been a member and then chairman of Inverurie Round Table, is a qualified football referee (retired) and youth football coach for nearly 15 years.
He said: “It is a great honour to be joining the board of my club and I am really hoping that I can help the chairman, CEO and other directors to get the club back to where we all want to be and to help develop our future development plans.
“Since I graduated almost 30 years ago, I have learned a lot of skills both in a business environment, but also in real life.
“I feel I could make a real difference to the club.
“I am an Inverness man through and through, I know football and most importantly, having been a season-ticket holder at Caledonian Stadium for the last 16 years – I’m an ICT fan.
“My favourite games attended obviously include victorious Scottish Cup semi-finals and final.
“However, our first victory against Rangers at Ibrox in 2006 is one that is especially etched in my memory bank.”
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