When you think of Caley Thistle you don’t think
of multi million pound players, huge stadiums or a club with bottomless pit of
money to continually buy (so-called) ‘better’ players. As nice as those things may
be, the Caley Thistle ethos has more to do with hard work, team-spirit,
loyalty, effort, and a desire to do well that has seen the club move upwards
from the 3rd Division to the Premier League in a few short but
eventful years. For many supporters this is a lot more satisfying.
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When you think of Caley Thistle you don’t think
of multi million pound players, huge stadiums or a club with bottomless pit of
money to continually buy (so-called) ‘better’ players. As nice as those things may
be, the Caley Thistle ethos has more to do with hard work, team-spirit,
loyalty, effort, and a desire to do well that has seen the club move upwards
from the 3rd Division to the Premier League in a few short but
eventful years. For many supporters this is a lot more satisfying.
How fitting then, that Ross Tokely, who truly
epitomises that Caley Thistle ethos - and has taken the field for ICT in all 4
divisions - is to celebrate 10 years at the club with a testimonial match that
sees ICT take on English Premiership opposition for the first time.
Rossco’s
testimonial season gets underway with a match against Sheffield United at the
Tulloch Caledonian Stadium on July 21st. Vice chairman Graham Bennett
was quoted as saying “It will be a nice day for Ross and I hope we can get a
decent crowd to attend so that we can make a few bob for him. He has been a
great servant to the club over the years”.
Ross made his first appearance for the club on 3rd August 1996 against Clyde and broke Charlie Christie’s record of 314 appearances when he made his 315th appearance in the game against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in season 2004/05. At the end of last season he had made a total of 362 appearances. As Ross is still only 27 years of age, it is quite conceivable that the Caley Thistle stalwart could surpass 500 appearances for the club which in this day and age is almost inconceivable. Virtually every time Caley Thistle have been promoted, there are nay-sayers who doubt the big man’s ability to raise his game to the next level, but Ross has stuck two fingers up at them all on each occasion and remains one of our most consistent players. The jump to the SPL was another big task for the whole team but yet again, Rossco proved the doubters wrong and made club history when he won every single end of season award from both the players and supporters in season 2004/05. Ross, speaking in the P&J (link) said, “It’s an honour to be the first Caley Thistle player to have a testimonial against an English Premiership side. I have played under four different managers at Inverness, but I've had a tremendous time at this club and I hope the fans think I give value for money. I've gone from the Third Division through to the SPL and it has been a fantastic journey. This game is a real career milestone.” Well Ross, if I can be bold enough to speak for a large portion of the fans with this article, I would say this … There are very few occasions when you have not given us value for money. Your effort and hard work on the pitch make you one of the supporters’ favourite players and your loyalty to the club and to the fans ensures that you will definitely be regarded in years to come as a true ICT legend. Lets hope the fans turn out in large numbers for this match and for any other events that may be organized for Ross’ testimonial season. |
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