Inverness Caley Thistle veteran Julia Scott determined to prolong football career as new generation sweep into Highland capital outfit
Julia Scott says a hunger to compete keeps her coming back to play for Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
The 41-year-old is one of the more experienced members of an increasingly youthful Caley Jags squad, but showed that she can still make significant contributions with four goals in a 9-0 win over St Mirren in the League One and Championship Cup last Sunday.
After a tricky couple of years on the pitch, and a difficult spell off it in 2024, Scott would have been forgiven for saying enough was enough and hanging up her boots.
However, she knows all too well what she would be giving up, and is determined to keep going for as long as possible.
“For me it’s a personal target – if I’m keeping up with the younger players fitness-wise, then why can’t I keep playing?” Scott reasoned.
“Once it’s gone it’s gone. You could get it back, but it’s so hard, and football has been my life forever.
“I was considering retiring, but it has become an in-house joke at home that it will be my last season, I think I’ve been saying that for the last four or five years.
“The last time I felt good about football was the last game before Covid hit. I was so excited to get the next season started and that didn’t happen, then last season I had illnesses, but this season I have worked really hard in pre-season.
“I’m shocked that I’m scoring goals, but I’ve also got it in the back of my mind that there’s still this competitiveness in me where I think I should have scored more goals.
“If I can keep up with the young ones in training, and they’re still hopefully looking up to me for advice, then why not?
“I also lost both of my parents not long ago, and without the girls knowing it they are awesome for me in that respect.”
On the pitch it has been the perfect start to the season for Caley Thistle.
They have won all of their opening three league matches, as well as securing progress into the second round of the League Cup.
After a high turnover of players in the summer, and a number of teenagers trying to make the step up to senior football for the first time, it was by no means a given that ICT would hit the ground running.
Scott, though, says pre-season preparations went well enough to convince everyone that such form was possible, and she is seeing some signs that Inverness could be an altogether new threat this season.
“We’ve got lots of young players now, and they have come into the team and just smashed it,” she said.
“Last season when we didn’t score or we went behind our heads went down, but this season we have just kept on battling and battling.
“I always knew we could do it. We didn’t have a good season last year, but that was the frustration – we knew we were a good team. We have good individuals, and in training we would play really well, we just couldn’t transfer that to the pitch.
“We had lots of numbers in pre-season, so I wouldn’t say I’m surprised at our start since that was so good. Everyone has been really committed, so it has been a really positive start and the future looks bright with the younger ones coming through.
“I think that all derives from the development squads and how women’s football has boomed. The future is definitely bright with the cohort we’ve got coming through, and the experience that’s still there as well.
“It has been a really good start to the season, and there’s a buzz in the team at the moment, so long may it continue.”
Next up for the Caley Jags this Sunday is a trip to Renfrew, who have proven to be tricky customers for Inverness to deal with over recent seasons.
“They have always been a sticky team for us,” Scott added.
“We know we can beat them, we just sometimes can’t seem to get the result. Hopefully the momentum we have right now will see us through on Sunday.
“I think it is a big game. Hutchison Vale, we would expect to get the three points. Morton can be a sticky team as well, but we usually get the result.
“Renfrew on Sunday is a big game for us. I’m not saying it’s make or break, but if we can get three points there it will keep our momentum and confidence flowing for the next few games.
“We’re not going in there cocky thinking we’re doing really well though, we know that we’ll need to battle to get the points on Sunday.”
