Defeats on the road in SWF Championship leave Inverness Caley Thistle under no impression of how important victories at home will be
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Inverness Caledonian Thistle Women’s travels over the last few weeks have only served to highlight how important their home form will be this season.
After an opening day win over Rossvale in the Highland capital, the Caley Jags held leads over both Hutchison Vale and Renfrew, only to lose both games.
Although used to long journeys for away games, manager Karen Mason believes the extra distance this season is having an effect.
They have gone from playing in a regionalised north league to a national Championship, but while Mason is adamant travel is no excuse for poor results it has reinforced how vital getting points at home will be.
“Going back to out Premier League days, we’ve travelled to the central belt, but in the north league we’ve been going to Dundee, so it’s not as far,” Mason reasoned.
“I think some of the girls are feeling it a little bit more than I had anticipated. I’m used to it, I’m seasoned with the driving, but last Sunday it was a really warm bus and we didn’t realise the effect it was having on a couple of girls until we got off it.
“I’m not going to use it as an excuse, and I’m not going to let them use it as an excuse, because it’s going to happen all the time.
“Maybe the slightly longer journeys are playing some kind of part in it, but we’re going to have to learn to deal with it.
“Home games are definitely going to be an advantage for us and it’s something we need to make sure we hone in on.
“If anyone wants to win a title, you have to win your home games first and foremost, and then hopefully our form on the road will improve as we go.”
If there is a silver lining for ICT to take from recent results, it is that they know they can compete against previously unknown entities.
Now, they will be looking to secure another three points this afternoon when Morton come calling to Millburn Academy.
“We can definitely compete with these teams,” Mason insisted.
“We played better football than Hutchison Vale and Renfrew – we were all over them in the first half. That’s the frustrating part – we’ve had the lead in most games and been comfortable, then thrown away goals. It’s like we don’t know how to hold on to a lead at the moment.
“We’re not finishing our chances and we’re conceding far too easily, so it hasn’t been a pleasant couple of weeks unfortunately.”
