The darkness which has descended on Caley Thistle of late lifted just a little last weekend when the Inverness side clinched a morale-boosting League One victory over Cove Rangers at Balmoral Stadium.
They are still some way adrift at the foot of the League One table, but are no longer in a minus-points position – and now find themselves 11 behind ninth-placed Dumbarton.
If ICT can maintain the form they showed against Cove Rangers, I would anticipate them narrowing the gap significantly in the coming weeks.
In fact, with both teams having seven matches left this year, I would not be surprised to see Caley Thistle within touching distance by the time 2025 arrives.
What has helped considerably is the player exodus following administration has, to an extent, been minimised, and they have been able to largely retain the starting XI.
Nine of the players who kicked-off the 1-1 draw between the sides in September also did so last Saturday, and interim manager Scott Kellacher will be benefitting from consistency.
It will be important for this to remain the case and for the squad to stay as intact as possible.
Having seen all the League One teams throughout the first quarter of the campaign, I would say Caley Thistle played the best football Cove have come up against.
We had, of course, hoped to keep our winning run going, but it was always going to end somewhere, and if it had to, I took comfort from the fact it was Inverness who did it.
I have had an enduring affection for all the north and north-east teams – a feeling which intensified during the three decades I spent living and working in the Central Belt.
But Caley Thistle have always meant that little bit more, and they have produced some remarkable stories during their still relatively short history.
All sides have highs, all inevitably have lows, and more recently the latter have been the dominant theme in the Highland capital.
However, the administrators are currently doing what they can to address those, and there are still so many individuals there prepared to fight for the club they love.
It was good to meet up again last weekend with a couple of Inverness legends, Charlie Christie and Graeme Bennett, and both spoke passionately, but realistically, about the plight being faced.
Chatting more generally with others behind the scenes, there is an optimism, and an unquenchable spirit both on and off the pitch which will serve the club well.
From what I gather, there are potential investors still prepared to come on board – but that will only happen once BDO have done their work, and the finances will have to be right for all parties.
With everything happening in the background, Kellacher is having to concentrate on the team, and will be relishing the opportunity, albeit he would rather it had come in less demanding circumstances.
Scott’s association with Inverness goes back a quarter of a century, and they are lucky to have someone there who knows and understands the club, and who will give his absolute all for the cause.
They still face a big challenge, but they have the right people in place, and I would be very hopeful Caley Thistle can preserve their League One status and start to rebuild from there.
Falkirk could take step towards Premiership on Saturday
With the Premiership clubs off for the international break, the spotlight falls on the other divisions, and it is already shaping up to be a fascinating season ahead.
The main focus will be on the Championship where, in a unique twist, the fixtures today are first v second, third v fourth, and so on down the table.
The big one is at the Falkirk Stadium, where a home victory against Livingston would put John McGlynn’s impressive team in a strong position. Win that, and Falkirk will be favourites for a second straight promotion.
League One sees a change in leadership almost every week, and any one of four teams could be at the summit by close of play.
Just one point separates the top three in League Two, with Peterhead moving clear last weekend after Elgin City lost their unbeaten record. Their battle with East Fife could go deep into the campaign.
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