Injury-stricken Caley Thistle are pleading for special dispensation to recall players out on loan in the Highland League.
The Championship promotion hopefuls now have 10 players in the treatment room, a good number unavailable for the medium to long-term. First team coach Barry Wilson revealed yesterday that they had approached the SPFL to ask for four players currently with part-time clubs until the January transfer window could be brought back early.
With numbers desperately thin on the ground, Caley Jags’ manager Billy Dodds has had to turn to untried schoolboys including Aaron Nicolson and Matthew Strachan to fill in. Dodds would prefer to call on slightly older youngsters including Aly Riddle and Robbie Thompson (on-loan at Clach), Ethan Cairns (Forres) and Harry Hennem (Wick Academy). Lewis Nicolson is also on-loan at Elgin City. Wilson said: "It would be wrong to say that we're not concerned. We don't need to go on about the injury list, but it is a massive concern.
"We've applied to the Scottish league to see if they will let us take our loan players back from the Highland League. We've asked for special dispensation and we're waiting to hear whether that's successful or not.
"These are young boys who are out on loan in the Highland League, 18 or 19 years old, but it would save us from having schoolboys on the bench. At the minute we've got zero options, that's not an excuse, it's fact."
Caley Thistle hope there is a precedent for their request, but are anxiously awaiting a response ahead of tomorrow’s home clash with Ayr United. Wilson said: “It was during Covid, but St Mirren got special dispensation to do that.
"Although the circumstances are slightly different, we're hoping the result is the same. We just have schoolboys. Last week we had Aaron Nicolson who got 10 or 15 minutes, and we might have two more out this week.
"Beyond that, we have (assistant manager, Scott) Kellacher and (goalkeeping coach, Ryan) Esson. It's that bad unfortunately.
"But we'll get a team out on the pitch that will give 100 per cent. I don't have a clue when we'll know one way or another, but hopefully it's before Saturday.
"We've got a whole team out - 10 outfield players out. They are 10 players who would be considered regulars, without being disrespectful to the boys that are playing.
"I've never seen anything like it. it's not little niggles, it's serious injuries."
Wilson, though, rejects concerns that the injury crisis is linked to training burden or over-working of his club’s tight squad.
He added: “It's a spell of bad luck. We've looked at it and analysed training, the same as we did last year under Billy.
"Every injury has happened in a game, so you can't legislate for that. We've been mixing it up, but we need to balance that carefully.
“We've managed to get through the week without any injuries, which is about all we can hope for at the minute.”
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