Caley Thistle captain Billy Mckay speaks of his pride in how a young Inverness squad has coped with the threat of administration
Billy Mckay admits Caley Thistle’s players head into today’s clash with Annan Athletic knowing it could be their last game for the club.
The Caley Jags captain and club record goalscorer spoke of his pride at how the players had handled themselves amid the gathering threat of administration and job losses.
At Mckay’s request, the young Inverness squad met with PFA Scotland chief Fraser Wishart on Thursday to discuss the likely dire consequences of insolvency.
Yesterday, he and boss Duncan Ferguson were striving to ensure morale was lifted before the bottom three tussle with the Dumfries outfit.
McKay said: “There has been a lot of coming and going. One minute we're okay, then it's 'we're going into administration', then it seems we're okay again.
"But this week it all feels a lot more real.
"We had a meeting on Thursday with the Scottish PFA to find out more about what could happen.
"Training has been great. The boys are putting it all to the back of their minds.
"For some, that will be tough to do, but we have to get on with it.
"We want to show on Saturday that we can fight for the club and get three points. We have been really focused as a team.
"You can try to block things out, but you can't block it all out because it's our jobs.
"The changing room has been really good this season. The young boys have really contributed towards that - it is not just down to the older players.
"It is tough. This is the first week where I've felt a shift in the way things are heading.
"I'd like to thank the fans and ask them to keep supporting us.
"From the start of the summer, and the proposed training move to Kelty put a cloud over the whole club.
"Whatever happens, stick with us. Hopefully, we will get a big crowd on Saturday, and they can really support us.
"Who knows, it might be some boys' last game for this club?”
Mckay felt compelled to call in the PFA to help younger players bewildered by off the field events.
He said: “We thought it would be good to have a meeting. We've not experienced this before, so it is to prepare the boys for what might happen.
"It was just for boys to ask any questions.
"The lads have been really great and got on with their jobs.
"Results have not been as good as we've wanted, but considering what's going on in the background, I am really proud of the lads and the way they've conducted themselves.
"We all want to see this club continue and come through this. If it does go into administration, people will lose their jobs.
"That is going to be really sad, because there are some really good people at this club, staff members and everyone behind the scenes.
"Hopefully something can be done, but it's not looking good.
"Whatever happens, I hope everyone is looked after.”
Mckay insists form and performances have been deserving of better than the rash of draws that have hampered the team’s progress.
He added: “We're due a win. We've only won once this season in the league. Our performances have been better than that.
"I'm not 100% sure of the stats, but I'd imagine we'd have more possession and shots in every game we've played this season. That's frustrating.
"But the positive for me is if you're losing and not creating chances or having a lot of the ball, that's when you'd start to worry.
"We are creating chances and we're so close to turning the corner.
"We saw that last Saturday with our two goals at Livingston, a strong performance we can take into this weekend.
“Regardless of what happens, this is an important game.
"If we do get a 15-point deduction, every point is important. If it doesn't happen, every point is still vital to climb the table.
"We can only control what happens on the pitch.
"For some players, it might be hard to work and show your best on the pitch under this kind of stress.
"The lads are giving everything and we're so close to turning the corner in terms of results.”
