Scott Kellacher is urging his Caley Thistle players to forget their nightmare against Cove Rangers – and to sink League One relegation rivals Dumbarton.
The Highlanders had no answer to clinical Cove at the weekend, who ran out 4-1 winners at the Caledonian Stadium.
Going into 2025, ninth-placed Inverness are now just three points ahead of rock-bottom, fellow administration club Dumbarton – also victims of a 15-point penalty in recent months – who they meet in the Highlands this Saturday.
Before the stunning defeat by Cove, Kellacher had guided ICT to four victories from his first seven league games since replacing Duncan Ferguson in the hot-seat in October.
With Annan Athletic nine points ahead, the last thing Caley Thistle need against Dumbarton is a repeat display, with the Sons having the chance to match ICT’s 10 points (although Inverness have a game in hand).
Boss: ‘No positives’ from Cove rout
Kellacher said: “The game against Dumbarton is massive because other results didn’t go our way.
“Staying in the league is the main thing. The boys know that and they’re really disappointed and gutted.
“It’s important we put Saturday behind us as quickly as we can.
“I always try and take the positives out of everything, but I couldn’t take any positives from the Cove game and that was the hardest part.
“It was a game we need to just put to bed because we know we’re better than that. The boys will give it everything they’ve got.
“We just had far too many players not at the races against Cove. We were nowhere near our best.”
ICTFC didn’t build upon Savage’s goal
Goals from Declan Glass and Mitch Megginson had Cove deservedly two up inside 18 minutes.
Inverness defender Remi Savage pulled one back late in the first half, but Cove’s Arron Darge extended their lead just after the break and on-loan Aberdeen winger Adam Emslie netted in injury-time to cap a great day for Cove.
Kellacher felt Savage’s goal should have been the turning point against Paul Hartley’s title-chasers, but admitted the players were too slack to let Cove in again.
He said: “Remi’s goal gave us a platform, but it counted for nothing when you concede from a set-play inside the first five minutes of the second half. That put us up against it again.
“I didn’t think we played well at all for much of the game. Yes, we had some of the ball, but being 2-0 down in the first half was a fair reflection on the game.
“We got the goal and we had a conversation at half-time. We knew we needed to go through the gears and show what we’re all about.
“We were at home, so we wanted to get the fans behind us, but we lost a goal from a set-play so early in the second half. That’s not good enough – we need to be better than that.”
It’s a huge start to the new year for Inverness because after hosting Dumbarton, they are away to Annan on January 11.
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