Alfie Bavidge says it would “mean the world” to him if his goals help keep Caley Thistle in League One.
The 18-year-old, who made the half-season switch from Aberdeen to Inverness in January, has scored six goals in nine ICT matches – including the stoppage-time winner at Dumbarton on Saturday.
The last-gasp strike in the final move of the match against the all-but-relegated Sons on a churned up pitch moved ICT out of the drop-zone, two points ahead of relegation rivals Annan Athletic.
If they defeat second-top visitors Stenhousemuir on Tuesday night, they will also go above Montrose into seventh spot on goal difference.
Stenny’s 2-0 win at Annan on Saturday offered the Highlanders to chance to leapfrog the men from Dumfries and Galloway.
It was the first time ICT had been outside the bottom two since they went into administration in October.
‘Everything has worked out as boss Scott Kellacher predicted – Bavidge
Bavidge, whose dad Martin starred for Inverness from 1998 to 2002, was quick to praise his team-mates for helping him rack up the goals.
He told The Press and Journal: “We like to pass the ball and my team-mates create a lot of chances for me. I have to thank them for that.
“I spoke to the manager (Scott Kellacher) before I came here and it sounded like an amazing chance for me here. Everything has worked out just as he said it would.
“I’m really happy I made this decision.
“I have ties with this club (due to his dad) and it would mean the world to me to help get this club back to where it should be.
“I’ll do everything in my power to get us out of the mess we’ve been in – as will my team-mates.”
Dramatic victory was for Inverness fans for their ‘relentless support’
In a well-contested match between the division’s two administration-hit clubs, one moment of calmness from Bavidge downed Dumbarton.
And he was quick to offer his thanks to the fans who were at ‘The Rock’ in healthy numbers and in great voice all afternoon.
He said: “It was an amazing finish. We fought really well throughout the game and created multiple chances.
“We were getting frustrated because we hadn’t scored and Dumbarton started to probe a wee bit and created a few chances of their own.
“But what a feeling it was to score.
“Charlie (Gilmour) flicked it round the corner. The ball just dropped to me and I just wanted to keep it low and on target and thankfully it went in. I was buzzing. It was an amazing feeling when it hit the back of the net.
“It was brilliant to celebrate with the fans. The numbers who come to our away games is fantastic. They keep pushing us on until the 93rd or 94th minute.
“To score when we did is like a thank you to the fans for showing their relentless support for us.”
Set for three straight home fixtures
With nine games to go, Bavidge is eager to help Caley Thistle add more wins to their tally, with Stenny on Tuesday, Annan on Saturday then Alloa Athletic one week later – all at the Caledonian Stadium.
He added: “It was a massive win at Dumbarton.
“It’s a mental lift, knowing we’ve moved up from ninth position.
“We want to push on now. It’s important we take it one game at a time. We’re focused on another tough game on Tuesday.
“We want to build momentum and string a few wins together.
“This will be the start of three successive home games. We like playing there on a good big pitch, which suits us.”
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