This would better that Celtic win, says Wilson
WHEN Barry Wilson j oined Inverness Caledonian Thistle, they were a newly-formed Third Division club that trained on a makeshift football pitch with cars strategically positioned so their headlights negated the absence of floodlights.
Now, 17 years on, the club stands just 90 minutes from its greatest day; one that would even surpass Wilson’s f i nest hour in hi s near 400 appearances, when he scored the opening goal in 2000 as Celtic were humbled 3-1 on their own turf and John Barnes saw his f l edgling managerial career obliterated.
A win over Ross County in Dingwall on Sunday and Terry Butcher’s side will start looking out their passports, while their fans will be licking their lips in the anticipation of European football arriving in the Highlands for the first time.
And while playing on the Continent has long been the aim at ambitious Caley Thistle, reports Wilson, he admits his well-run old club being on the cusp of the Europa League is deserved, but surreal given the modest surroundings that greeted him as a kid when signed by Steve Paterson.
‘It’s quite scary to look back at how far the club has come since 1996,’ Wilson told Sportsmail.
‘Back then we trained at the local rugby club twice a week and we had to use our own cars as floodlights because it was so dark. It seems incredible to think that now but that’s how it was.
‘When we beat Celtic in 2000 we all expected to keep progressing because it was a wellrun club. We eventually reached the SPL, but we always fell short of top six. But now the club can rightfully say it’s at the top end of the Scottish game.
‘But for me, though, the best achievement of all is that the club’s rise has been done in the proper manner. If you look at Gretna and the likes, clubs have spent fortunes chasing t he Holy Grail of Europe and trying to split the Old Firm.
‘But Caley Thistle — and Ross County deserve a mention here too — have stuck to a pay structure and done it the proper way.
‘We always thought we would get to Europe at Caley This- tle, but we thought it would be by getting to a Scottish Cup Final. The absence of Rangers has opened up the league but nobody should take anything away from Caley if they get into the Europa League.
‘It would be a heartening success story for Scottish football.’
Now a successful manager of Wick Academy in the Highland League, 41-year-old Wilson is tipping Caley to come out on top in Sunday’s derby — but in typically nail- biting fashion.
‘Caley Thistle never do things the easy way,’ he laughed.
‘Ross County won’t want their local rivals to be celebrating on their turf so they’ll be out to spoil the party. There’s also the sub-plot of Ross County not having beaten Caley Thistle this season and they’ll be out to change that.
‘County also just missed out on Europe themselves, so it’s an intriguing game. But I think Caley Thistle will get there.’
Meanwhile, Alex Graham, the Caley supporting Provost of Inverness, last night hailed the success of both teams this season and insisted fans of Ross County will applaud Caley Thistle if Butcher’s men do make it into Europe.
‘I will be at Victoria Park on Sunday and I don’t expect Ross County to do us any favours. But it’s a very healthy rivalry up here.
‘I think people in Inverness and Dingwall are both very happy at the success of the other club, as long as it’s not at their expense. ‘The average Caley Thistle fan would want Ross County to win every game except when they are playing against Caley Thistle.
‘Likewise, I think that Ross County fans would want their team to win, but if Caley Thistle do qualify for Europe, I think they’d be very happy for Caley Thistle. ‘It would be great if Caley Thistle could qualify. ‘Any European team who draws Inverness would be treated to a lot of history, heritage and scenery. ‘We’ve got Culloden Battlefield, Urquhart Castle, Fort George and Loch Ness itself, and a very lively city centre too.
‘It all adds up to a slightly unusual destination for a football fan — but a very attractive one.’