Pars a hard act for Caley

“We certainly weren’t soft in that second half especially with the number of balls into our box that we had to deal with.”

John Hughes signed Owain Fôn Williams for Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 16th July 2015 after his release from Tranmere Rovers. Owain made his debut that same day in the UEFA Europa League against Romanian side Astra Giurgiu and went on to play in all 38 of Caley Thistle’s league matches under Hughes during season 2015-2016.

Although the manager left in May 2016, Owain was rewarded with a three year contract with Inverness, so the Welsh international is well qualified to comment on his new gaffer:-

“I know him and he is a massive character and that can influence a dressing room from the get-go, which it has. We know what he is capable of doing.”

The new manager lift and a hard fought fight in the Highlands yielded what Owain described as an enormous win:-

“It doesn’t matter how you win. Just get three points - what seems like three enormous points. The manner of the win, playing away from home against a very good Caley side, and with a new manager just coming in, it was a really positive day all round.”

The Pars first away league win since October 2020 and their first away league win in Inverness since March 2007, created emotional scenes both on and off the park come 4.55pm on Saturday but the keeper felt the victory had been well earned:-

“We had to fight for everything and we did that. We’ve worked our socks off. It’s not like we haven’t done that, it is just sometimes the rub of the green hasn’t gone our way. There are things to look back at that we could have done a little different, but on Saturday we were all at it and we fought until the very last kick of the game. We had to because of the amount of balls that were being pumped into the box.”

The win could not have come at a better time just as John Hughes takes over at East End Park and Owain admitted that everyone was very excited about the new charge:-

“Especially after the game on Saturday, the boys are absolutely buzzing. I know the manager - he was the one who brought me to Inverness - so I know what he is like and I know his levels, work ethic and expectations. They are very, very high and you’ve got to work your socks off to get to those levels. And when you do reach those levels, you play very good football.

“He’s a teacher, a real tactician. It’s like an education in a way that he delivers. I’m sure he’ll go over Saturday’s game and let us know what he is expecting - he’ll go over everything. He doesn’t leave any stones unturned and goes through everything with a fine-tooth comb. All the boys are looking forward to it.”

Hughes had been greeted by scores of Inverness fans as he took his seat in the stand before the game but he managed to slip away at half time to visit and to impart some advice to his new team for the second half. Owain confirmed:-

“He was definitely about! That was great and you can see how much he cares. When he is involved with something, he is 110 per cent in. That’s the character he is.”

Owain is able to warn his team mates what to expect from the gaffer and predicted it is not going to be easy:-

“His levels of expectation are very, very high and you have to work your socks off to reach those. I cannot repeat that enough because that is him as a man, I’m sure that was him as a footballer and that is him as a manager as well. His levels are incredibly demanding.”

Hughes initial comments on Friday had inferred his intelligence had informed him that Dunfermline had earned a reputation of being soft. Owain felt that the robust play to deny Inverness a late equaliser was evidence that was not true on Saturday:-

“If someone calls you soft, no matter who you are, you’re not going to like it. I don’t know if that’s what people say away from the club, but it’s not a bad thing sometimes to give someone the fear.

“Maybe give them a poke and a kick up the backside, to look in the mirror a little bit. No-one likes to be called soft and we certainly weren’t soft in that second half especially with the number of balls into our box that we had to deal with.”

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