Caley Thistle boss Scott Kellacher labelled Dumbarton’s cut-up pitch “dangerous” as he prepares his side for Saturday’s League One trip to “The Rock”.
Ahead of the meeting between the division’s 10th and ninth-placed clubs – who are both battling to get out of administration off the pitch – the ICT gaffer is concerned about the poor condition of the Sons’ playing surface.
He was at the Marbill Coaches Stadium on Tuesday to see league leaders Arbroath edge to a hard-fought 2-1 victory, with the rain and wind causing the turf to be damaged further throughout the match.
‘Dumbarton’s groundsman has a massive job on his hands’
Kellacher has sympathy for their weekend hosts’ pitch issues, but admits he’s already warned his players over it.
He said: “I’m very concerned. I was at Dumbarton’s game against Arbroath on Tuesday night as I wanted to see it with my own eyes.
“The pitch is not in the best of conditions – it’s pretty horrendous to the point that it could be quite dangerous in some areas.
“I saw how both teams struggled with it on Tuesday, and we’ll need to manage and play the conditions.
“The boys have watched the video, and we’ve had a chat with the boys.
“It will be a hard game, and I’ve watched Dumbarton’s last two games and we’re going to have to play those conditions as best we can.
“I feel for the groundsman because he has a massive job on his hands!
“There were areas of the pitch where feet were sinking in and that’s not good. You just hope no one gets hurt on it.
“Through the middle, it’s not too bad, so we will try and stay away from the worst areas if we can.
“When we were younger, we’d play on horrendous pitches, and you just got on with it – as long as you had a ball at your feet, you were happy.
“We won’t look to use the pitch as an excuse. We know we’re in for a hard game.”
‘Hard to adjust’ to pitch switch
Kellacher admits Inverness will likely change their tactical approach, saying: “You try to get the boys’ minds set for it in terms of their mentality and the way they may have to play. We may have to adjust to the way we normally play.
“We try to paint pictures on the training ground of what to expect and the areas where we might be able to hurt them.
“On Tuesday, I was watching the rain getting heavier and the wind was picking up. I thought it was only going to do more damage.
“It’s hard to replicate those sorts of situations – going from training at Fort George to playing on a pitch like Dumbarton.”
Despite plights, Dumbarton ‘also want to win games’
Both Caley Thistle and Dumbarton were hit with a 15-point deduction when their administration was confirmed within weeks of one another last October and November.
ICT’s strong form under Kellacher has seen them move to within just one point of eighth-placed Annan Athletic and automatic safety with one game to spare.
The struggling Sons, meanwhile, are 18 points behind the Caley Jags and two more defeats could see them being confirmed as automatically relegated.
However, Dumbarton beat ICT 3-1 on home turf last October in Kellacher’s first match in charge following Duncan Ferguson’s departure.
The Sons also drew 1-1 at Inverness in August on the first day of the League One campaign.
Kellacher said: “Dumbarton have some very good players in their team. They also want to win games.
“That’s the case no matter where you are in the league.”
Contract talks on ice until administration is over – Kellacher
With Caley Thistle still deep in the search for a new buyer, any bid to secure current players beyond this summer is in limbo.
With a preferred bidder the aim for ICT before the end of April, Kellacher explained his hands are tied until administration is over.
He said: “We’ve been put in a situation we’ve never been in before.
“The players are aware they will be spoken to when we come out of administration – that’s the way it has been kept.
“We’ve not approached players (about deals) and they have kept their heads down and focused on the football.
“Yes, it would be ideal to do this or that, but we know the situation, and we have to go with it.
“We’ve asked the boys to simply focus on every game that is coming up. They can’t get caught up on anything else.
“We’ve always been a club that has attracted players. Players have come and gone.
“We’d love to have many players signed up, but we have always managed to get players in the door.
Clubs ‘looking at our players’ – boss
“Of course, we’d love to keep as many boys as we can when we come out of administration, but I am a realist, and I know football – other clubs will be looking at our players and that’s part and parcel of the game.
“If we offer contracts and players want to stay, then brilliant.
“But if they decide to move on, our job will be to find new players.”
The main injury worry for the weekend is Luis Longstaff, who came off in the 1-1 draw against Montrose last week with a hamstring injury. He is being assessed and will be going in for a scan in the coming days.
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