SPL Report Card - Inverness CT

The Highlanders hit new heights

 

MARKS OUT OF 10: 8

LEAGUE: 4th, 54 points (2011-12 - 10th, 39 points)

SCOTTISH CUP: Fifth round

LEAGUE CUP: Semi finals

MOST USED FIRST XI: Antonio Reguero, David Raven, Gary Warren, Josh Meekings, Graeme Shinnie, Ross Draper, Owain Tudur Jones, Aaron Doran, Andrew Shinnie, Richie Foran, Billy McKay

OVERVIEW: Frankly, if you'd offered me a fourth place finish back in August, I'd have bitten your hand off, along with an arm and a shoulder for good measure. 2012-13 was Caley Thistle's most successful season yet, even though they fell agonizingly short of a Europa League place and a cup final appearance. It wasn't just the results that were good - some of the attacking football was just sublime.

HIGH POINTS: A win at Celtic Park and an impressive record in Highland derbies (until the crucial last one!) deserve attention, but for this supporter the 3-0 home win over Hibernian in December was the most impressive display I've seen by the home side at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, with scintillating football from start to finish.

LOW POINTS: Billy McKay scored 27 goals this season, most of them a lot harder than the sitter he squandered at Easter Road in the League Cup semi final, which ultimately proved costly. As for missing out on third spot in the SPL, I'm not as bothered about the final day defeat in Dingwall as about losing the previous week against Dundee United - three points in that game would have been all we needed, and it was a game that we should have won.

STAR MAN: I love centre-back Gary Warren, and I want to have his babies. He is a proper leader, and our defensive linchpin, as well as a potent threat at set plays. He was badly missed in the final weeks of the season after he got injured.

ONE FOR THE FUTURE: Trust me, Warren's partner in the heart of the defence, Josh Meekings, is destined for far greater things. This season he reverted from being an uneasy full back to a confident central defender. He's already played more than 60 games for ICT, and he's still only 20.

WASTE OF SPACE: If I was feeling harsh, I'd single out Simon King, who looked rusty at the start of the season and got injured after just 5 games; he was never seen again and it transpires that his knee problem is career-ending. The biggest disappointment was undoubtedly Arsenal loanee Philip Roberts, who scored a spectacular goal against Dundee United in his first start and did little else afterward.

THE BOSS: Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? This season, Terry Butcher changed the way the team played and had ICT looking far more pretty on the eye than ever before. In addition, he (and his scouting team) have shown a real eye for a player from England's lower leagues. Such is his status at the club that the former England captain probably now has a job for life if he wishes it.

PROSPECTS FOR NEXT SEASON: The big task is replacing Andrew Shinnie; whilst he wasn't always at his best in the second half of the season, Shinnie is crucial to the way Caley Thistle play, and there isn't a like for like replacement in the squad. Most of the other first teamers are signed up for next year though, which gives a continuity somewhat lacking at many other clubs. That can't do any harm. After this season, expectations will be somewhat higher than previous.

FIRST TEAMERS DEFINITELY LEAVING: Jordan Gibbons (end of loan), Chris Hogg, Simon King, Antonio Reguero (signed for Kilmarnock), Philip Roberts (end of loan), Andrew Shinnie (signed for Birmingham City), Shane Sutherland, Charlie Taylor (end of loan)

NOT IN THE MANAGER'S PLANS: none

UNLIKELY TO SIGN NEW DEALS: Owain Tudur Jones

L.