Manager Scott Kellacher hopes Caley Thistle fans have a weekend of good news on and off the park.
The Inverness head coach is getting his players ready for Saturday’s crunch League One eighth v seventh match against Kelty Hearts.
With a three-point advantage over ninth-placed Annan Athletic, a home win for Inverness would see them move above the managerless Fifers, whose boss Charlie Mulgrew resigned this week after just one win in 11 games in charge.
The deadline for shareholders to accept consultant and former chairman Alan Savage’s £800,000 offer to buy the club is this Friday.
With no other offers believed to be lodged with administrators BDO, the plea for 100% ownership by Savage has plenty riding on it.
Kellacher, who replaced Duncan Ferguson in the ICT hot-seat in October when administration kicked in, would love fans to have two reasons to celebrate over the next 72 hours.
When asked about the imminent ownership news, he said: “As a football club, we want to try and look forward as much as we can, so I have everything crossed that things go according to plan.
“Hopefully there is positive news to come, because we are trying our best to get it right on the football side of things, and that would be some really good news.”
Contract talks on hold until administration is over – manager
Caley Thistle’s under-16s and under-18s have trained with the first-team at their Fort George base this week, with interim CEO Charlie Christie keen to see any future stars considered for a step-up in 2025-2026.
Kellacher knows he and his players must keep their eyes fixed on beating Kelty, given that even relegated Dumbarton have shown bite in the past fortnight – winning 3-2 at Alloa then thumping Kelty 6-0 at New Central Park.
On Saturday, Caley Thistle responded to a 4-1 loss at Queen of the South with a sweeping 3-0 victory at Cove Rangers – thanks to a treble from Keith Bray, who has been loaned back to ICT after joining Dunfermline Athletic in January.
Kellacher was asked in his weekly media conference about whether being in administration has completely changed what the club can do in terms of looking towards next term.
The gaffer said: “In other years, we have maybe been in positions where we know we’re safe, and then we can start talking to players about contracts and coming in.
“With everything that has gone on out with the football side of the club, we can’t make those plans.
“I have to give massive credit to the players, because they could easily have been distracted, but their focus has been second to none in terms of making sure we do our part on the pitch.
“That’s the same with me and the staff at the club, everyone has played their part. We’re all pulling in the same direction, which is ideal.
“I don’t get carried away, as much as I would love to. I keep my feet firmly on the ground because I know what lies ahead.
“We just need to make sure we get the job done on the pitch, and it won’t be easy because these teams around us all want to win games as well.
“Just look at Dumbarton – the last few weeks they have been absolutely superb – which shows that on their day any team can beat any team. We have to remain focused on our objective of staying in this league.”
Strong bond with the ICT fans
The Caley Thistle players have been meeting fans at a pop-up shop within the city’s Eastgate Centre this week, to further strengthen links with the club.
Kellacher added: “The fans have been meeting the players in the town and, after home games, we have the players meeting the fans in the sports bar at the stadium to thank them for their support.
“I think the fans appreciate that. We have tried to build up relationships as soon as we came in the door.
“I have seen what this club can do. It’s a very, very special club. Look at what we have achieved in such a short space of time.
“It’s important that we can get back to the good times. We want people to go about with smiles on their faces.
“I want fans to really enjoy coming to games again.
“I watched the PSG game on Wednesday night (a 3-1 Champions League win over Aston Villa), and it was a joy to watch. They had that freedom to go and play.
“That’s the way football should be played. Fans should come to games to get excited. That’s what we’re trying to create on the pitch here.”
After facing Kelty, ICT round off their tense term away to Stenhousemuir, home to current champions-elect Arbroath, then finish with a trip to Montrose.
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