Defender Flynn Duffy is determined to prove Duncan Ferguson was right to give him a chance to kick-start his career at Caley Thistle.
The left-back, who signed for Inverness on the eve of their opening 1-1 League One draw with Dumbarton at the weekend, had been on trial with the club, having impressed in last month’s 1-0 friendly loss at Championship side Raith Rovers.
The Dundee United academy player had two spells with Peterhead, either side of a League Two title-winning loan stint at Stirling Albion in 2023.
He was released by United in the summer and played a waiting game as Inverness boss Ferguson had to get cash into the club by way of defender Nikola Ujdur leaving for Queen’s Park last week.
That opened the door for 20-year-old Duffy and ex-Ross County midfielder Adam MacKinnon, 21, to sign one and two-year deals, respectively.
Both started on Saturday and settled in nicely, especially in a free-flowing first half.
When asked about getting the chance to play for ex-Rangers and Everton striker Ferguson, whose early career steps were also at Dundee United, Duffy said: “He’s a manager I wanted to play for.
“He’s put a lot of trust in me by giving me the chance to play for Inverness and he put me into the team straight away.
“I just want to repay him for that and hopefully, as the months go on, he’ll see that I’ve done that.
“I had to keep myself fit in July, but I respected the circumstances.
“When I heard Inverness were interested, it was something I wanted to explore, and I’m just glad it materialised, and I started by playing on Saturday.”
Especially in the first half, Duffy put in a great shift down the left flank as he aims to build up more minutes in the coming weeks, including Saturday’s trip to Annan Athletic.
‘Great bunch of boys’ at Inverness
He explained how being freed by the Taysiders makes him appreciate his new team-mates even more.
Duffy said: “When you’re not in football, you miss not being in a dressing room, and meeting new people and training every day.
“You can’t take that for granted as it can go in a flash. Thankfully I’ve come here and they’re a great bunch of boys, who have been brilliant.
“The training has been very good, and I’ve enjoyed it. I’m sure, week by week, I will settle in even more.
“You can’t take anything for granted in football. It’s the first time I’ve ever been let go by a club.
“You just have to be patient, put the work in over the summer, and hopefully it will pan out.”
Switch-off from football was a help
Duffy felt a quick period of not thinking about football too much put him on the right track for impressing Inverness on trial.
He added: “It was important to take a break. It was a long season.
“But more importantly, mentally, I wanted to switch off from football.
“Once that break was over, I was straight into it and keep as fit as possible and to keep myself sharp.
“Running fitness and match fitness are completely different. I played against Raith Rovers a few weeks ago, which would have helped me on Saturday.”
Chance to aim for a ‘special season’ at Caley Thistle
Despite many of Ferguson’s players being aged 21 or under, Duffy sees no reason why ICT, relegated by Hamilton in the play-off final in May, cannot click into gear as one of the promotion favourites.
He said: “I feel Inverness are in a false position. Whenever I watched them play, like against Dundee United last year, they were very good.
“They only dropped into the relegation play-offs by one point, so it was harsh.
“It’s a chance for myself, the young lads, and the older boys to have a really special season.”
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