Luis Longstaff reveals how Caley Thistle players have reacted to squad cull and points deduction

Luis Longstaff insists Caley Thistle’s squad have already shown they are willing to tackle their League One survival challenge face on.

Inverness are 15 points adrift at the foot of the table, after being hit with a points deduction upon entering administration last month.

Their efforts to claw back the deficit suffered a blow last weekend when they went down 3-1 to ninth-placed Dumbarton in Scott Kellacher’s first game in charge.

Inverness are back in home action today when Kelty Hearts make the trip north.

In just over a week since Caley Jags entered administration, English winger Longstaff insists it is already clear that his side have been galvanised by the task ahead.

Longstaff said: “When you are faced with a challenge like we have been, there are two ways you can go about it.

“You can just chuck it, or get everyone together and try to push through it.

“Even the seven days that we have been in this position, you can see which way it’s going.

“Everyone has got a lot of energy, they are all upbeat and wanting to get the club out of the position they have been put in.

“That’s the right way to go about it.”

Kellacher’s squad geared up for survival challenge

Administrators BDO took the decision to trim the Inverness squad and coaching staff shortly after being appointed last month.

Manager Duncan Ferguson and two members of his coaching staff – along with players Wallace Duffy, Adam Brooks, Flynn Duffy, Cameron Ferguson and Jack Newman – departed the club.

While sorry to see team-mates move on, former Liverpool youngster Longstaff insists those who survived the cull are now fully focused on the challenge in front of them.

The 23-year-old added: “Up until last Thursday, there was not a lot we could have done about it. It didn’t really affect us massively.

“But when you go in on the Thursday, and you don’t know whether you are going to be there in an hour, that’s the first time it has really affected us as a group of players.

“The expectation, for me anyway, was that there were probably going to be a lot more [leaving the club].

“When you see the players we have managed to keep, and only five went, we have been lucky in that aspect.

“But it’s not nice to see boys you have played with for quite a long time go. It was sad to see them go.

“As harsh as it sounds, we’ve got to kick on now. That’s in the past, there’s nothing we can really do to change that.

“That’s put behind us now and everyone is in the same boat – just concentrating on our football and using it to take our minds off everything else that’s going on.”