Will Clark: How hard will it be for Caley Thistle to get out of League One?
How hard is it to get out of League One? Inverness Caledonian Thistle hope it will be plain sailing and will result in a prompt return to the Championship. While some clubs have managed to do so, it hasn’t always gone as planned with some clubs almost struggling to stay in the division.
Take Queen of the South. Still a full time club two years after being relegated from the Championship. This year, they finished seventh and only avoided the relegation play-off by two points. There is probably a lot to compare between Inverness and Queen of the South given their geography. And it should be served as a warning to Inverness if they don’t get it right next season, another relegation battle could ensue.
But the likes of Dunfermline, Hamilton and Partick got out the first time of asking. On paper, League One shouldn’t be as competitive as it was last season. Inverness and Queen of the South look set to be the only two teams who are full time in the division. Falkirk rampaged their way to the title undefeated and Hamilton showed their class in the play-offs to the detriment of Inverness.
But it took Falkirk five years before they eventually got it right. I was at the Falkirk Stadium covering their clash against Ross County the day they were relegated in 2019. I remember the angry protests outside the ground, not too dissimilar to what happened at Inverness. Falkirk are a massive club. In my opinion the biggest outside the Premiership next season. But they took five years to get it right. They scrapped their youth academy and put all their investment into the first team squad to avoid relegation in 2019 and it didn’t work.
But being one of only two full time teams in a 10-team division should give you a head start. However, being part time or hybrid part time/ full time is not necessarily a huge obstacle to overcome. Arbroath nearly won the Championship in 2022. Alloa Athletic more than held their own in the Championship for a few years. If anything, part time teams play an attacking to hell with the consequences type of football that fill full time teams with dread.
Also next season will be plastic fantastic for Inverness, with seven of the 10 teams having artificial surfaces. A few more training sessions may be in store at Canal Park. If Duncan Ferguson didn’t like Airdrie…
It is still sinking in Inverness are in League One and there are still many questions to be answered what the club will look like next season. Let’s hope they are answered soon.