BREAKING: Billy Mckay completes Caley Thistle cinch Championship awards double with manager Billy Dodds
Billy Mckay believes his first Christmas at home in more than a decade contributed to the burst of form that brought January’s cinch player of the month award.
The Caley Thistle striker blazed a trail back to his goalscoring best last month after a relaxing festive family trip to his parents’ house in England.
Those three days of rest and recuperation in native Corby, in Northamptonshire, did the world of good and Mckay, Caley Thistle’s all-time second top marksman, returned to action with a hat-trick in the 6-1 home thrashing of Cove Rangers.
Further strikes in the victory at Arbroath and draw with Raith Rovers ensured his name went on the sponsors’ monthly trophy, before an early February finish against Morton took his campaign tally to 12 – just three short of last season’s entire haul.
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Mckay was joined on the winners’ list by Championship manager of the month Billy Dodds, who guided Caley Jags to a four-game unbeaten run in January featuring two victories and two draws in the league.
Mckay is delighted with the upturn in his team’s performances, but keen to turn those draws into wins.
Accepting the award this afternoon, Mckay said: “These are individual awards, but I know myself - especially being a striker - that you can’t win these awards without your team-mates.
“The fact I’ve won it shows the team is doing a lot better.
“After the Christmas break, we knew we needed to show a reaction and we’ve done that.
“We’re five unbeaten now in the league and if we can turn these draws into wins we can shoot right up the table.
“In the first half of the season, I’d have liked to have chipped in with more goals.
“I had my first Christmas at home in 11 years and that was a good little refresh. It gave me a good boost to come back and kick on.
“We managed to get three days off, on the back of not a great result (Partick 5-1 Inverness) but the lads came back from that in a good shape and a determined frame of mind.
“It has shown on the pitch.”
Mckay, with 92 goals in 230 appearances for Caley Thistle, likes to avoid setting targets for a season, focusing on each game as it comes.
So long as the chances are coming his way, he will always back himself to score goals for the team.
“I always look at it this way. If I’m getting chances in a game, even if I’m missing a few, I’ll be enjoying it and be confident the goals will come.
“When I go a game or two without getting a chance, that’s when I start to get worried.
“At the minute, the chances are coming and that’s great. I hope the lads can keep supplying me and I’ll always back myself to get the goals.
“I’ll just try to get as many as I can between now and the end of the season, but the ultimate goal is to help the lads get as many wins as we can.”
Mckay sees no reason why Caley Thistle cannot target a return to the top four in coming weeks, with the big aim for the team to secure a play-off spot at minimum.
His team sits one point behind current fourth place occupants Partick Thistle after 23 games.
“We’ve got to make sure we keep this run going, but, as I say, turn those draws into wins. If we do that, we will climb the table,” Mckay said
“Our first target is to get into the play-offs and then if we go on a run like last season, who knows where it can take us?"
