Inverness Caledonian Thistle women eye a top three tilt as league season starts
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INVERNESS Caley Thistle Women are aiming for top five football this season – with hopes of mixing it in the top three.
With the Championship expanded from eight to 10 teams, Karen Mason’s squad hammered out its ambitions at a pre-season meeting.
East Fife have dropped down into an already fiercely competitive division, while Edinburgh City and Westdyke Ladies have moved up.
Morton in Greenock await in tomorrow’s league opener after positive pre-season showings against Inverurie, Aberdeen and Elgin.
“There’s definitely excitement – it’s something we have been working very hard towards,” Mason said.
“It is an opportunity for a clean slate and a crack at a competition that we are familiar with now after our first year.
“We have set individual and squad targets. Going by last season, if we can perform as we know we can, the top two or three places would be our target.
“First and foremost, it is about improving and getting ourselves into the top half before the split. We want to keep it interesting as long as we can.”
A poor run of results killed hopes of beating the split before finishing fifth last season.
“We were disappointed, but we knew ourselves that we had underperformed,” Mason admitted. “Our aim is definitely to not be having to make excuses for the kind of errors we made last season.”
Midfielder Alex Andrews has relocated to London after eight years’ service, while club legend goalkeeper Kim Jappy is finally to retire – for the second time – at 46.
Midfielder Nicola Jappy has also decided against re-signing, and with no new signings secured so far Mason remains on the look-out for fresh talent in a geographically challenging area. A current squad of 22 will be reduced slightly as the university term starts.
“It is a fairly small squad we’re running with and we’re still on the look-out for new talents,” Mason stressed. “The squad we have will need to be prepared for a long season.”
Keeper Jennifer Horrocks, signed at the end of last year, is back after breaking her wrist in her first warm-up in March this year.
The under 18s squad may be a back-up source where players have earned the opportunity, but a familiar group is heading to Greenock.
“Apart from one 7-2 win for us, Morton are always tough – every game in the Championship demands a performance,” she added.
