Warren welcomes new era at Caley

GARY WARREN has been here before. A four-year servant of Inverness Caley Thistle, the defender was part of the squad that had to come to terms with the departure of Terry Butcher for Hibernian in 2013. Not only did the club manage to maintain the success of the Butcher era, it went on to scale new heights, securing the Scottish Cup less than two years later under the tutelage of his successor John Hughes. Hughes’ departure left another void in the Highlands but the impending appointment of Richie Foran signals the club’s intention not to lose momentum.

‘On a personal level, I enjoyed my time working with Yogi but the club now has to go forward,’ said the defender (pictured).

‘This is one of those things that happens in football — you lose managers and you lose players.

‘It’s the nature of the beast, another manager gone. We recovered when Terry left. We had a good couple of years under Terry and then Yogi took over and we had more success.

‘So the club is always looking to move in the right direction and it has to be the same again this time. We need to strive to improve.

‘It shouldn’t be a bump in the road — we will move on.’

A Butcher signing from Newport County in 2012, Warren has settled in the Highlands and, at 31, sees plenty to look forward to next season. ‘I have really enjoyed my time at the club and I have another two years left on my contract,’ said Warren, who has been studying for his A coaching licence with the SFA at St Andrews.

‘It has been a successful four years and it’s important we strive to kick on.

‘We are a small club. With Rangers coming up into the league this year, it is only going to get harder and tougher so, as a club, we have to make sure we improve with the league.’