Midfielder cut short summer break to be fit for Inverness Caley Thistle title challenge
SCOTT Allardice cut short his summer break to ensure his comeback from injury is complete and prepare himself for Inverness Caledonian Thistle's challenge for the Championship title.
The 24-year-old was ruled out for almost the entire second half of the 2021/22 campaign after suffering a knee injury in January.
He did comeback in the play-off matches after the end of the regular season as a substitute in the matches against Partick Thistle, Arbroath and St Johnstone.
But he has no intention sitting on the bench this season and started his pre-season training earlier than his teammates to complete his comeback.
Speaking about his comeback earlier from injury than expected last season, he said: "The specialists told me they thought my season was done.
"You could be back training for the end of the season, but you're still massively off it.
"You need bounce games and good training sessions. At that time, all the boys were doing was playing and recovering.
"For me, it was tough to get up to speed. I had hoped to be involved, but realistically I felt I might not be capable of it.
"Thankfully, I got a few minutes here and there and almost done it in the end.
"I had a good start to the season before I got injured.
"I worked myself so hard in the gym and done everything right to give myself the best possible chance.
"Even by getting some minutes in those last two games, that really set me up well coming into pre-season.
"I took a shorter break than the boys who had played week in, week out. I kept my fitness up and my rehab over the summer.
"I have hit the pre-season running and got through every sessions so far and continue that and get more minutes in games now.
He said they still remember their poor campaign last season when they lost to Cove Rangers, Hearts and lost on penalties to Stirling Albion.
However, it led to a stunning start to the Championship season when they won seven of their first nine league games.
But Allardice says his team must see this as a group which they can qualify for the last 16.
"Last year, we didn't do well in the League Cup," he said.
"We then hit the ground running in the league, but the cup really can set us up nicely for the league campaign.
"We have a tough group. Kelty were flying last season and Cove have come up from League One, while Livingston and Albion Rovers will be tough.
"But our team has got real belief. We know if we play the way we know we can, we're a match for anyone - certainly at this level.
"As we also showed last season, we can also compete against Premiership sides."
Inverness finished third in the Championship at the end of the regular season, despite being top of the league in December, but a poor run of form of 11 matches without a win cost them any chance of winning the title.
They did beat Partick Thistle and Arbroath in the play-off before losing the final 6–2 on aggregate to St Johnstone.
But last season's disappointment has only fuelled Allardice's ambition for the club to get it right this season.
He said: "I want to win the league. As a player, I want to be playing in the Premiership and, as a club, that's what we're all aiming for.
"Last season can hopefully give us that added belief because we went so far.
"It never quite worked out the way we wanted, but throughout the season we showed we can compete and be a top Championship club."
