ONE GAME AT A TIME
That’s how Dodds and Caley Thistle will treat marathon play-off format
THE prize is all about league status — but Billy Dodds is convinced the Premiership play-offs require a cup run mentality.
Building a head of steam, battling the mental and physical challenges as games come thick and fast will be crucial for whoever prevails between now and May 23.
Nobody will have had it tougher than Caley Thistle or Partick if they become the first Scottish side to navigate through three two-legged ties to the top flight.
For Inverness, there is winning momentum and, Dodds feels, a proven depth of character.
The former Rangers and Scotland striker said: ‘I think you have to treat what’s in front of you like a cup run, that’s the best way to look at it.
‘If we start thinking about who we could play in the final it would be ridiculous from us.
‘Look at it like a cup run, focus on this game, get through it and then look at the next one.
‘So we’re going to look at it like that, it’s cup football and let’s focus on tomorrow’s game first and see where it takes us.
‘We play them twice and it’s great to have the second one at home with the fans behind us. But if we don’t approach the first leg properly we will be in trouble.
‘So it comes down to everything you need to win it — hard work, luck, desire and a bit of quality.’
Dodds’ squad is not the biggest, but recent matches have underlined the depth of quality in the ranks.
Winger Tom Walsh, hardly seen since January, made a stunning impact in last Friday’s 4-0 victory over Hamilton in Inverness, creating two goals and scoring two.
Similarly, Dodds has been able to reap the rewards of substitutes making big impacts on several occasions during a run of six wins and a draw from the last eight matches.
He said: ‘We have a lot of choices and, of course, Tom did well last Friday.
‘We are discussing everything, I’m speaking to my staff about it and thinking a lot myself.
‘What we want to do is find that edge which can help us win the game.
‘We didn’t have numbers on the bench the other night but we had quality. But as I’ve said before, this is about the squad.
‘We needed the full squad when we were toiling without a win from December to March and it was the squad that brought us through.
‘It’s a collective thing, that character and mentality, and there’s nobody here guaranteed an automatic place.
‘There will be a few disappointed and I hope they are because when you bring subs on you want them fired up to make a difference.
‘If you can get that then it’s a blessing for a manager, it really is.’
Dodds delayed naming his team yesterday with checks to be made on central defenders Danny Devine and Kirk Broadfoot.
Dodds added: ‘Danny Devine had his head knock at Queen of
19
Inverness Caley Thistle have picked up 19 points from the last 24 available. The Highlanders have only lost one of their last eight games in the Championship
the South, so we were monitoring that.
‘Kirk Broadfoot has had a niggle with his back, so we are choosing the games for him because he’s had a long season and he’s 37.
‘He’s been fantastic for us. I don’t like singling out players but you have to be happy for young lads like Lewis Hyde, who did really well coming in on Friday.
‘He’s got a big future, he knows how highly I rate him.’
Reece McAlear, meanwhile, insists it would be foolish for anybody in Caley Thistle’s dressing room to be thinking about anything other than the challenge ahead tonight.
The 20-year-old said: ‘Everybody knows it is going to be tough, but it isn’t six games just now, it’s one game. We have to take it game by game. We’ll need everybody ready and focused.’