Tokely says no need to fear step into the cup unknown

Caley Thistle legend Ross Tokely reckons they have nothing to fear after drawing new opponents in their Premier Sports League Cup section.

Inverness are in Group G with the Premiership’s seventh-placed finishers Livingston, League 1 winners Cove Rangers, League 2 winners Kelty Hearts and League 2 side Albion Rovers.

The action kicks off on July 9/10 as Inverness aim to get over the disappointment of losing their Premiership play-off final 4-0 against St Johnstone on Monday.

It will be the fourth time Caley Thistle and Cove Rangers have met in the group stages of the League Cup since the format was introduced in 2016/17.

That season was also the last time Inverness progressed into the knockouts where they slid to a shock 1-0 loss at Alloa in what was their most recent campaign as a Premiership team.

But facing Livingston, Kelty and Albion Rovers should interest Inverness fans.

Tokely, whose appearance tally of 589 matches for Inverness is unmatched, is a co-commentator for the club’s TV channel.

While not expecting a seamless run to the knockout, he sees a real opportunity to lay down an early marker as the new Championship season draws closer.

He said: “The draw has thrown up a different set of opponents.

“The fans will be looking forward to it. Clubs often use the group stages almost as part of their pre-season plans to give guys gametime, but it’s also important to try and qualify into the knockouts.

“The competition starts early and I’d imagine Billy Dodds will use it to try a few things as well as trying to qualify.

“It will be a good competition for the team and hopefully they will do well in it.

“I don’t see any reason why Caley Thistle can’t win the group. Livingston are a good side, but it’s a winnable tie for Inverness.

“Billy might well look at using some of the younger players in some of these cup games. It will show him what they can offer ahead of the new Championship campaign.

“As we saw last season, it’s all hands to the pumps. Players are needed throughout the season.”

Former defender Tokely, who starred for the Caley Jags from 1996 to 2012, likes the current format of the League Cup.

Inverness were League Cup runners-up in 2014, two years before the sections were brought in.

He added: “We’d play some Highland League teams, which were decent work-outs, but we would have used the League Cup in its current form as a springboard to start strongly in the league.

“The competition offers them something different and it’s good they’ve drawn teams they don’t usually play, such as Kelty and

Albion Rovers, while Cove showed what they could do last season.”

Tokely, meanwhile, was gutted when St Johnstone ran out 4-0 winners in the Premiership play-off final second leg on Monday after a strong start by Inverness at Perth.

Caley Jags, who were without the suspended duo Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy in the first leg, stormed back from 2-0 down in that home tie to draw 2-2 thanks to a brilliant brace from Reece McAlear.

However, on Monday, Saints’ substitute Stevie May scored less than a minute after coming on at the start of the second half and a deflected Cammy MacPherson goal soon after made it 2-0.

With Inverness chasing a goal, late strikes from Callum Hendry and Shaun Rooney, who has since joined Scott Brown’s Fleetwood Town, capped a superb second half which kept the Perth team in the top flight.

Inverness had seen off Partick Thistle and Arbroath over four ties to reach the final.

But Tokely reckons that stunning start to the second half by Saints left Inverness with too much of a mountain to climb.

He said: “Inverness played really well in the first half, but perhaps St Johnstone got a rollicking at half-time and I thought that first goal killed Caley Jags.

“The deflection, which cost the second goal, just after that was another sucker-punch. I think the injuries caught up with Inverness in the second half and it was a case of coming so close, yet being so far.

“The first goal is always crucial in these kinds of games.

“I don’t think St Johnstone were overly great in Monday’s tie.

“They played well for the first 60 minutes of the first leg – but I felt Inverness missed fresh legs such as Roddy MacGregor or Shane Sutherland, who were injured.

“I felt sorry for the team in the end after all their efforts during the play-offs.”

Former full-back Tokely underlined his views that Scottish football chiefs have to give the promotion play-offs a revamp to make it a more level playing field.

He added: “I do feel Inverness playing six playoff games in comparison to St Johnstone’s two proves the play-offs are fully geared up for the Premiership side.

“It means the Premiership side has the advantage. It’s time for the SPFL to look at the playoffs set-up. Down south, in the English Championship, they play a couple of games then a one-off final.

“Barry Wilson (Inverness first-team coach) was right when he said the fourthplaced Championship side shouldn’t be rewarded with a play-off place.

“It should be second v third and the winner goes into a final against the Premiership’s 11th-placed side.”