Caley’s youthful gamble paying off

FOR a club deep in relegation peril, a standard mid-season response might be to reach for emergency experience at the heart of defence to plug the leaks.

Inverness Caley Thistle turned that notion on its head by recruiting Celtic prospect Jamie McCart and free agent Louis Laing, then pairing them up to produce a vital first win in 15 league games.

McCart, 19, and 23-year-old former Motherwell centre-back Laing played together for only the second time as Inverness excavated themselves from the foot of the Ladbrokes Premiership by beating Rangers 2-1 on Friday.

They were introduced to each other the previous weekend as Richie Foran’s men plundered a point from Hearts.

With Josh Meekings out following knee surgery and Kevin McNaughton an absentee since August, Foran was well down on defensive fortitude.

Turning to an on-loan teenager, while keeping Gary Warren on the bench, could be considered a risk in the relegation spot.

But when that youthful figure contains the presence and class of McCart then Foran may have found an answer to some of the woes that plagued them in the first half of the season.

A long-range hit from Greg Tansey was cancelled out by a Martyn Waghorn penalty. Inverness then spurned the chance to lead when Wes Foderingham saved a weak Iain Vigurs spot-kick before Billy Mckay’s brilliant overhead kick snatched the win. That is seven points in three games since McCart was drafted in.

‘It was just what we needed,’ said McCart, son of Celtic head of youth Chris. ‘The performances have been there and it was just results we needed to get off the bottom of the table.

‘The way we did it, against a big team like Rangers, gives us a massive boost. It was a brilliant experience for me and a big step up in quality, but the main thing was to get the win. Personal experiences aside, it’s all about the team and trying to climb up the table.

‘Since I’ve come in, I’ve found it a really confident dressing room. Everyone is positive, confident in their own ability and ours as a team to push up the table.’