David Raven believes Caley Jags 'crying out' for more bodies as injury crisis bites
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Gary Warren’s broken leg in the defeat to Motherwell on Saturday, coupled with Josh Meekings being taken off at half-time, mean the injury list continues to lengthen just one weekend into the new season.
Raven has had to fill in at left-back because of an injury to Carl Tremarco, and the former Liverpool defender said a number of players are playing through knocks to help the team.
The only defensive cover that came in the summer was Nat Wedderburn, a central midfielder at Inverness but who played the majority of his time at Cowdenbeath at centre-back.
He was sacrificed in a tactical shift in the first half against Motherwell for debutant Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo, with Caley Thistle finishing the game with Lewis Horner and Ross Draper in the back four.
John Hughes confirmed post-match that new additions were unlikely because the club did not have scope in the budget for it. However, Raven believes any arrivals would be greatly welcomed.
“It’s crying out for extra bodies but I don’t think we’ll be getting in any more, by all accounts. I don’t think we can afford it,” he said. “I think that’s us for the season. It would be great to get a few more in, maybe even a couple of guys on loan to lift things a little bit. We’re just so low on numbers.”
The fresh injuries compounded a poor day at the office for the Caley Jags, who Raven concedes deserved nothing from the Motherwell game.
Only five substitutes were named because of injuries, as Richie Foran and Aaron Doran were added to the treatment room before the game. It is hoped, though, that the latter, along with Jordan Roberts and Tremarco, can recover quickly to bolster the ranks.
The current situation is in stark contrast to the fitness good fortune Inverness enjoyed last season, with only the long-term injuries to Dean Brill and Foran giving them cause for concern.
“We’ve been lucky over the last few seasons,” said Raven,
“Myself and a few others have been playing 40-50 games a season but it does put an extra load on others.”
“Aaron, Jordan, Carl Tremarco — hopefully these guys are back involved soon.
“It’s got to be all hands on deck. We’ve got so many injuries at the minute, everyone’s filling in and it’s a bit patch-up.
“Lads are going to have to stand up and perform because it’s going to be a tough few weeks.”
If Meekings is ruled out as well, that would leave Danny Devine as the side’s only senior fit centre-back.
Youngster Jason Brown has been on the bench for all three competitive fixtures so far but has yet to have a taste of first-team football.
Injuries may force Hughes’ hand in that respect but it is feasible that the back four that finished against Motherwell — Raven, Devine, Draper and Horner — starts against St Johnstone on Saturday.
Wes Fletcher’s goal was the deciding factor in the match, scored after four minutes, and Motherwell never allowed Caley Thistle into the game.
The lack of cutting edge was again obvious in the team’s performance, with only Mbuyi-Mutombo’s introduction injecting some impetus into Caley Thistle going forward.
Raven was cutting in his assessment of the display and insisted matters would be rectified in-house this week.
“Lethargic, a yard off it, poor. There’s a few more words I could use to describe it,” he said.
“We’ve got to be quicker, we’ve got to be better on the ball and more in their faces.
“It’s a bit of a kick up the backside for us.
“We didn’t deserve to take anything out of the game and that’s disappointing.”
Meanwhile, Motherwell are waiting on the swelling going down on Stephen Pearson’s knee before assessing the damage sustained on Saturday.
The former Celtic midfielder contacted Warren after the game and both players are fine with each other.
