Caley Thistle manager Scott Kellacher insists they will never settle for draws as they seek to move out of League One’s basement spots this weekend.
Since replacing Duncan Ferguson in the hot-seat when the club plunged into administration in October, ICT have won seven games and lost four, drawing just once.
Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Alloa came after a 3-0 win at Annan Athletic and a 3-2 loss at Queen of the South in a punishing week of travelling more than 1200 miles.
It means ICT – docked by 15 points for going into administration – will overtake eighth-placed Annan if they defeat third-placed Queen of the South at home on Saturday and Annan fail to beat Kelty Hearts.
Kellacher, who said his team have given themselves a “fighting chance” of staying up, underlined the importance of setting out to win every single match.
‘No one will stop us going for wins’
He feels drawing just once, against Kelty, since he took over shows the mindset within his squad.
He said: “I, or we, will not get carried away with the position we’ve got ourselves into.
“We know exactly how hard a job we still have in front of us. We will keep our feet on the ground.
“Saturday’s game against Queen of the South will be another really hard one. We’re getting a really good week’s training as we work towards that.
“You have to work extremely hard for any result, and Saturday will be no different.
“We saw last week against Queen of the South, it was two teams really wanting to go for it.
“Nobody will stop us from going for it. If we lose a game, by trying to go for it, then fair enough.
“We’re not in a position to look for draws. We’ve had one draw since I came into the job (in October).
“The fans see that their team always sets out to win games of football – that will never change.”
Return of the ‘feelgood factor’ – boss
Inverness fans left Alloa at the weekend chanting “we are staying up, we are staying up” as the great escape took another positive step.
Kellacher admits after the nightmare of relegation from the Championship, internal turmoil, big changes and administration, there’s a renewed sense of pride at the Caledonian Stadium.
He said:Â “Our fans deserve to feel the way they do.
“They are seeing the boys play well, and win some games.
“Most importantly, they can see these players are giving them absolutely everything.
“As long as they can see that, they will always back the team. We can’t ask for anything more from our fans, or from the players.
“Together, hopefully, it gets us to where we need to get to. I’m delighted the fans went away from Alloa – in their numbers – happy about the result and the performance.
“We have the feelgood factor, with more fans coming to games, our hospitality is being filled out and the sports bar is busy at the stadium.
“You want to come, as a fan, and enjoy it. Even Saturday, when I was getting a bit of stick from the Alloa fans, it was fine.
“We’ll win games and we will lose games, but as long as – even in defeats – we give everything we’ve got, then that’s alright.”
Midfielders get ball down and pass it
When asked about the growing influence of creative midfielder Paul Allan, who played in a wide right attacking role on Saturday, Kellacher added: “Paul is a fantastic footballer. He sees the game really well and where the next pass is.
“I have three boys in the midfield, Charlie Gilmour, Paul Allan and Adam Mackinnon, who not only give us everything, they want to play football the right way.
“They want to get the ball down and pass it.”
Another positive at the weekend was the return to the bench of on-loan Ross County defender Connall Ewan, who has been out since August with a knee injury.
Winger Luis Longstaff should also be in the frame to face Queen of the South as he was rested as part of his recovery from a bruised leg.
Donation lift as bus service continues
Stagecoach not only have enhanced its match day services for fans – but also donated money to boost the efforts of the ICTFC Supporters’ Trust.
Since Bar 94 at the Caledonian Stadium was refurbished by volunteers with extended opening hours, the trust has been looking at additional ways of enhancing the match day experience and making it easier for fans to attend games.
The trust worked with Stagecoach and Caley Thistle, which led to the introduction of additional bus services on match days on December 28.
Stagecoach offered to donate all revenue from the journeys that day to the trust, and the cheque for £319.53 was handed over to trust treasurer Kath Fraser by William Mainus, commercial director for Stagecoach North Scotland.
For 3pm kick-offs, buses leave the city’s bus station at 1pm and 2.15pm. Buses return from the stadium 10 minutes after full-time and again at 6pm.
Stagecoach operates these journeys as normal bus services, open to all passengers, and at no cost to either the club or the supporters’ trust.
Passengers holding under-22 or senior citizen and disabled concessionary cards will travel free on the service. For other passengers, the fare is £2.40 for a single journey.
For more information, contact info@ictsupporterstrust.org
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