Caley Thistle won’t have any need for a transfer deadline day scramble – but could still bolster their ranks next month, Scott Kellacher revealed.
Head coach Kellacher is aiming to guide the administration-hit club into the safe League One position of eighth – and it could happen if they beat visitors Queen of the South on Saturday.
While rivals are able to sign players freely, ICT and Dumbarton – who are also in administration – are restricted to signing players aged 20 or under on loan.
ICT’s cause has been aided this month by the arrival of 18-year-olds Alfie Bavidge and Alfie Stewart, both from Aberdeen.
January transfer window assessment
Kellacher, is “confident” and “hopeful” he won’t see any players leave the Highlanders before Monday night’s transfer window deadline, and says he will only seek to land another young loanee – with lower-league clubs having until the end of February to complete such business – if it becomes an absolute necessity.
He said: “We are still restricted to signing under-20s. We have until the end of February to take any player aged under 20 on loan, which is quite good.
“The boys are going fine. We will just keep our head down and battle on.
“We could possibly bring someone else in.
“Touch wood, we won’t get any injuries.
“If we do get any injuries and it affects an area we need to look at, we might have to bring someone else in.
“But at the moment, we’ll go along as we have done in the last few months.
“We’re working hard and moving in the right direction.”
Caley Thistle’s chance to overtake Annan Athletic
Aberdeen striker Bavidge has scored three goals in four games, while his Dons team-mate Stewart hit the winner in the 2-1 victory at Alloa Athletic at the weekend.
ICT had won 3-0 at rivals Annan a few days earlier, before losing 3-2 at tomorrow’s opponents Queen of the South.
Should ninth-placed Inverness get revenge on Peter Murphy’s third-placed Doonhamers, and Annan fail to beat Kelty, Kellacher’s side will leapfrog the Galabankies.
The Caley Jags gaffer says his sole focus will be in just winning the Queen of the South game.
He said: “We want our fans to get carried away. They can see we have chipped away at the points tally.
“My main focus is just to win games.
“If we catch Annan on Saturday, we’ll be delighted – but we must keep kicking on. If it happens this weekend, brilliant. If it happens in a few weeks, great.
“We know it will be a really hard game. We still have 14 games to go.
“Annan are also fighting for their lives. They’re not going to accept losing games and they will want to give themselves every chance.
“It will be tight and Montrose are in and around it as well (in seventh spot), so we must keep doing what we have been doing every week and try to win as many games as we can.”
Queens seek first away league victory
Queen of the South are two points adrift of League One leaders Arbroath – albeit having played two matches more.
Their season has been rooted in strong home form, with all but three of their 32 points earned in Dumfries.
Kellacher knows the Palmerston team will be eager to try to get their first away victory of the league season in Inverness to boost their title hopes.
He added: “Queens’ home form has been excellent, as we found out last week.
“We will touch on the fact they will be trying their best to put their away form right.
“We know we’re in for a really hard game.
“Last week down there, it was two good teams going for it, which was good for the neutral – if not for myself.
“Both teams wanted to win, and that’s what you want.
“It was refreshing to see them having a go at us, and us having a go at them.”
ICT winger Luis Longstaff has trained twice this week, as he has recovered from a badly bruised leg, and is in contention for the weekend.
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