Kilmarnock teenager proud to have helped Inverness Caledonian Thistle avoid relegation while also winning Scottish Youth Cup with Premiership club beating Dundee in final at Hampden
Ben Brannan says balancing being on loan at Inverness Caledonian Thistle along with helping Kilmarnock win the Scottish Youth Cup has been beneficial for his development as a player.
The 18-year-old arrived on loan at Inverness in February from Killie and has played a big part in helping the club secure their League One status.
Meanwhile, he was also captain of the Kilmarnock Under-18 team which won the Scottish Youth Cup last Wednesday when they defeated Dundee 2-0 at Hampden.
In addition earlier this week, he signed a new deal with Kilmarnock to keep him at the club until the end of next season.
Leading Kilmarnock to Scottish Youth Cup glory, along with looking to help Inverness avoid relegation to League Two, was a lot of responsibility to place on such young shoulders.
But Brannan says having the chance to impress with both clubs this season was something he relished and will hope it has made him a better player.
He said: “I feel both clubs have communicated really well which has made it easy for me.
“I have just been told what to do on certain days and I have done it. The drive is a bit long between Kilmarnock and Inverness, but I never minded it.
“At Kilmarnock, I went in and asked the manager if I could get a loan and to be honest I wasn’t expecting much interest.
But obviously Inverness came in and I was delighted. I spoke to the manager Scott Kellacher and he told me that I would play every minute, he kept his word as I did and I have really enjoyed it.”
In total, Brannan played 11 matches for Inverness during his time on loan and he scored once, which was the opener in the 4-1 win against Stenhousemuir in March.
The teenager says it was a huge step-up playing senior football for the first time, but feels he has grown mentally as a result.
“It hasn’t been about just learning things, I think that I have become more mature too.
“You have to pick and choose your battles as I was up against grown men for the first time, physically they could handle me.
“So it has been about knowing when to stand off, waiting patiently and choosing the right time. It is about knowing when to look to get myself forward and showing what I can do.”
Brannan had played four games in the last two weeks between Inverness and Kilmarnock.
On Wednesday, he captained Kilmarnock to victory in a 2-0 win over Dundee in the Scottish Youth Cup at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
He said lifting a trophy at the national stadium was a dream come true.
He said: “It was a brilliant feeling, especially with all the boys and all the first team and manager watching.
“We went out to try and press and winning the cup, being up on the podium and lifting the trophy in front of the fans was a brilliant feeling.
“Walking out to Hampden and seeing everyone I knew in the seats was a nice feeling.”
Brannan played his final game for Inverness on Saturday, defeating Montrose 2-0 at Links Park which saw the club finish the campaign in seventh place.
It has been a tough season for Inverness, with a 15-point deduction in October after going into administration.
Brannan says he was full of praise for his teammates at Inverness who have had to deal with the situation throughout the entire season. He said for the club to avoid relegation with a 15-point deduction was an incredible accomplishment. He was pleased that he could play his part in making that happen.
He said: “I only joined a couple of months ago so didn’t experience the full season to realise how harsh it has been on the boys.
“But the boys have handled it well, they have not looked at this season as a problem, they looked at it as motivation and just kept going.”
Brannan says he will now look to take what he has learned at Inverness back to Kilmarnock and look to push forward with his football career.
He said: “I will keep going, keep pushing and hopefully I can impress at Kilmarnock.”
