Caley Thistle are a side nobody wants to play right now as they continue to rally amid the uncertainty of administration.
Despite being handed a 15-point deduction for entering into administration last month and being sent to the bottom of the table, Caley Jags have found their form – and that spells trouble for their League One rivals.
Saturday’s 1-0 win against Alloa Athletic was the first time the club have won back-to-back matches in the league in this campaign, and it is now 10 points from a possible 15 for the Highlanders.
It has allowed them to close the gap to ninth-placed Annan Athletic above them to 10 points and momentum is now firmly with Scott Kellacher’s side in their bid to survive in the third tier.
Should Dumbarton, as reported by the Sun on Monday evening, follow Caley Thistle into administration and also incur the hefty 15-point SPFL points penalty to themselves drop into last place, it will be a huge boost for Inverness.
They will get off the foot of the division, and out of the automatic relegation spot, quicker than even the most optimistic onlooker could have expected.
Caley Thistle players playing with freedom
The funny thing is, despite everything that has happened at Inverness this season, it seems as if the shackles have been cast off by the players in recent weeks.
That much was evident on Saturday – I was at Caledonian Stadium and the team carried a real threat every time they went forward. There is clear quality in the ranks.
While I had grown used to watching possession-based football and overplaying from the team at times this season, Saturday was a marked change in approach.
The wide players were taking on the opposing full-backs and whipping balls into the box.
Had they scored four or five, it would not have been a shock.
The fans have also got behind Scott and the players, too, and the atmosphere at the stadium on Saturday was good.
Winning matches does that for the general mood around a football club – and Inverness have discovered the knack of getting results when it matters most.
They’ve done so against some serious title challengers to boot. Cove and Alloa are among the favourites for the title and were both in good form prior to facing Caley Jags.
Season may have a happy ending after all
The gap to the teams above them has quickly been reduced.
I am confident, provided they don’t end up with a lengthy injury list or the administrators have to cut more costs, Inverness will quickly close in on several of the sides currently above them.
They are solid in defence, have found the attacking threat which was lacking in the early weeks of the season, and seem to have been galvanised by what has happened at the club.
Credit should go to the new manager and his backroom staff.
It has been such a difficult season for the club and morale would have been dented at seeing the previous manager Duncan Ferguson and some of their team-mates lose their jobs due to administration.
We don’t know at this stage if there will be further cuts to come, but if the squad remain intact, I’m quite confident Scott has the quality there to keep Inverness in the division – and the Highlanders are event good enough to avoid the play-off which would come with finishing second-bottom.
Whisper it… but a season which threatened to be one full of doom and gloom for Caley Thistle is beginning to offer a glimmer of hope.
Given everything that has happened, it would be a fantastic achievement for the club.
Young prospect one to keep tabs on
I’m intrigued at the prospect of seeing Sam Reid in the weeks ahead, too.
The 16-year-old signed his first professional contract when he put pen to paper on a one-year deal just three weeks before the club entered into administration.
Reid, who is from Thurso, has been travelling for training two or three times a week and has been scoring goals for fun at youth level.
He has been rewarded by making the bench for the last two games, and I’m excited at the prospect of seeing whether the talented teenager can make the step-up to League One level.
Remember the name, as I suspect he is a player we’re going to see a lot more of.
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