Inverness Caledonian Thistle staying in League One next season is incredible achievement as Charlie Christie hails mission accomplished
For me last Saturday at Caledonian Stadium could quite simply be summed up in two words – ‘mission accomplished’ but that would be vastly understating the achievement of Inverness Caledonian Thistle since entering administration last October.
At the start of October, we had just lost to Arbroath, sat second bottom in the table, had won once in nine league games and scored a paltry six goals. Three weeks later we entered administration, and our position was drastically worsened with a fifteen-point penalty seeing us become totally detached at the foot of the table.
The doom-mongers were having a field day, and a second consecutive relegation was predicted by many – some sadly lapping up the difficulties we found ourselves in.
Fast forward to last Saturday where we welcomed league winners Arbroath to the stadium in front of our biggest and noisiest crowd of the season, put on a terrific performance, arguably our best of the season, and gained a vital 3-0 win.
The quality of our first and third goals was sublime, and we could easily have won by a greater margin.
As the party atmosphere continued supporters were made to wait (the match having been delayed by a fire emergency) for confirmation that Annan had lost at Dumbarton but finally the news filtered through, and the serious celebrations began.
It was yet another unforgettable chapter in the history of the club and it should be recognised the part played by three local football men in this great escape. Scott Kellacher, Ross Jack and Gordy Nicolson are three guys steeped in Highland football and did the club proud when needed most, ably assisted by club legend Billy Mackay.
At the point of administration Ross and Gordy were employed in the Youth Academy at ICT but with no money available and having parted company with our management team I approached them to ask if they would step up and help in our time of need and they have done just that and more.
Scott Kellacher’s situation was different. I was asked after the administrators parted company with Duncan Ferguson and Gary Bollan who might be able to take up the reins. All sorts of names were suggested but I was determined that a guy who had been with the club through the good and the bad deserved his chance and I’m delighted it has turned out well for him.
Attention now turns to next season and the challenging task of player contracts and recruitment strategies. It will not be easy, but Scott Kellacher and I have already spoken to players and, ultimately, it will be up to them whether they wish to stay and be part of the club’s progress going forward.
Getting the club out of administration will undoubtedly help in both signing players and attracting new recruits and it was nice to see administrators BDO set a date for the CVA meeting for late May.
My hope is that all shareholders recognise that time is of the essence and that Alan Savage’s offer is not only a good offer but the only offer on the table.
If we are serious about wanting ICT to stay in existence on a firm footing with a structured plan going forward, they need to cede their shares without delay.
