Inverness Caley Thistle icon Paul Sheerin reflects on helping the Highland capital outfit earn promotion form League One to the Championship 25 years ago
It has been 25 years since Inverness Caledonian Thistle last played in Scotland’s third tier, but one member of that squad says he could feel the potential for progress from day one.
Paul Sheerin was at something of a career crossroads when he made the move to the Highlands.
Having broken through at Alloa Athletic, Sheerin earned a move to Southampton when he was 18 years old, but could not force his way into the first team set-up.
From there he embarked on a short-lived journey to Sweden with Ostersunds FK, before returning to Scotland where he first went on trial at Dundee United before signing for Inverness.
Immediately he could sense he had joined an ambitious club on the rise, and he was delighted to be able to play an early part in their journey to the Premier League.
“I was in a bit of limbo in all honesty,” Sheerin recalled.
“I was trying to find my career again. I hadn’t played enough football at Southampton, and Sweden was too far away even though I enjoyed it.
“When I came up to Inverness, it was full time if maybe a bit hybrid with players like Jim Calder, Iain MacArthur and Iain Stewart who were still part time. It was a transitional period, but it was still enjoyable.
“Steve Paterson was willing to take a gamble on me, and from then on the club developed into full time players throughout and built up their reputation. It was brilliant to be part of that.
“There was definitely potential to progress. The facilities at the stadium and out at Fort George were brilliant, and you had the run of the pitches when you got out there so it was essentially our own base.
“I think it was evident that the potential was there, and certain people behind the scenes were always driving it to be better.
“You always felt that they were going to end up in the Championship at some stage, and from then on the progression was incredible.”
Sheerin would go on to play 136 games for Caley Thistle, scoring 45 goals from midfield.
Most famously, he would find the back of the net in the Caley Jags’ win over Celtic in the Scottish Cup 24 years ago.
Looking back on his time in the Highland capital then, Sheerin has nothing but fond memories and appreciation for the impact Inverness had on his career.
“The obvious highlight is that Celtic game, but we didn’t go and win anything at the end of it,” Sheerin added.
“What came of it was recognition for the club, as Caley Thistle became globally recognised at that stage. Domestically, it made people stand up and take notice, which helped a lot in terms of where we wanted to go as a club.
“Your ignorance as a football player masks that a wee bit. As you get older and look back and take stock, most people will wish they had taken it all in and lived in the moment more.
“At the time, I suppose we did realise how big it was because of the hype that came with it. There was slight recognition of that, but the more you look back the more you realise how much it put the club on the map.
“Overall I look back on my time with Inverness very fondly. It was my first real spell of regular first team football, which was big for me. It set me up for my career, which was admittedly a journeyman career.
“Steve Paterson gave me the platform to play football and enjoy myself, and I absolutely loved it. It was a beautiful place to live, so I have nothing but good memories really.
“I was fortunate that we got a promotion in that time and stayed in the league. I might have liked to stay, but finances dictated my move to Ayr United at the time.
“That was a tough decision, because I loved Inverness and who I was playing for. You always felt like there was a chance of going further than we were at that stage, which was proven in time.”
