Defender Morgan Boyes met his new Caley Thistle team-mates hours before having an impressive debut in the 1-1 draw against Dunfermline Athletic.
The loanee signing from Premiership side Livingston checked into the Caledonian Stadium on deadline day on Friday to put pen to paper for the 2023-24 season and quickly learned from head coach Dodds that he’d be facing the Pars.
After six successive defeats in the Viaplay Cup and the Championship, the pressure was on ICT, who had zero points from their first three league games.
Boyes slotted into the heart of defence alongside Danny Devine and looked at ease.
Nathan Shaw’s goal early on had ICT looking good for a first win, but Dunfermline hit back and deservedly drew thanks to Chris Hamilton’s header 10 minutes from time.
It’s a result which keeps Inverness bottom of the division, two points behind Morton and Ayr United.
No time to settle – straight into side
Boyes, 22, who has played 35 games for the Lions since signing for the West Lothian club in January 2022, explained his whirlwind opening 24 hours at ICT.
He said: “I arrived on Friday and completed the paperwork.
“The gaffer told me I’d be straight into the team on Saturday. I was happy to do that.
“I met a lot of the boys on Saturday and, as soon as I stepped on the pitch, it felt like I had been here for years, like I was part of the team straight away, which was brilliant from the lads.”
When asked how it was to play when barely knowing his new colleagues’ names, he said: “You have to get used to that very quickly.
“That’s the type of things that happens in football and you have to get on with it.”
Switch offers a ‘perfect opportunity’
Boyes, a former Wales under-21 international, said Livi manager David Martindale agreed to his season-long switch to the Highlands to build up his matchday experience in the Championship.
He added: “I spoke to the gaffer and he said the football is there (at Inverness). I need to get as many games as possible.
“Over the past two years, I haven’t been playing as much as I wanted, so this is the perfect opportunity to come and play and try and get as many wins as we can.”
Devine can be ‘real mentor’ to Boyes
Boyes was quick to acknowledge the positive impact his centre-half partner Devine can have on him as they seek to close out opponents this season.
He said: “I’ve only been here for 10 minutes and I can already tell Danny is a leader and he can be a real mentor to me.
“I am going to learn a lot from him and hopefully we can start getting clean sheets as we move forward.”
Draw felt like a defeat to Inverness
And Boyes was impressed that the Inverness players were gutted not to have earned their first league win at the weekend. He liked that mindset.
He said: “It says a lot about the boys’ mentality. A 1-1 draw feels like a defeat.
“I am sure we can build on the positives from Saturday’s game and get rid of the positives and get a win next week.”
Next up for Caley Thistle is Saturday’s away tie against Arbroath in the third round of the SPFL Trust Trophy, which comes a week before a league trip to second-placed Raith Rovers.