McKay beginning to feel settled at Inverness after belated first start

Billy McKay admits he is finally starting to feel at home at Inverness after making his first start for the club almost five months after his summer move.

The striker got off to the worst possible start after his switch from Northampton in July, suffering an ankle injury in his first training session. McKay then struggled to break into the team after regaining his fitness, making two brief substitute appearances before December as Gregory Tade made the centre-forward’s role his own.

But McKay caught manager Terry Butcher’s eye with a double in friendly action against Ross County and was handed a surprise start in last weekend’s trip to St Mirren Park.

The former Northern Ireland Under-21 international grasped his opportunity, showing some good touches to help Caley Thistle off the bottom of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League with a 2-1 win. And McKay is now relishing the chance to show Caley Thistle’s home fans what he can do when Dundee United visit the Highlands today.

“I enjoyed myself and the lads got the three points, which is the most important thing,” the 23-year-old said of the win over St Mirren. “It felt like my debut so it was really good. It could have been even better. I had one in the first half and I didn’t think I was offside and there was a chance in the second half when I just slipped.

“But I was pleased with how I played and pleased we got the win. I’m enjoying myself now and being part of it again. It just feels like how it should. Every Saturday when I wasn’t playing it didn’t feel right. Now it’s starting to feel right.

“It was a great feeling coming back up the road after the win. We’re looking to go on a run now. If we win on Saturday by a couple of goals we can overtake Dundee United, so that’s what we’re looking to do. We’re looking to pick up our first back-to-back wins and we’re at home, so we are probably expected to win.”

United forward Stuart Armstrong believes a victory for his side can be the catalyst for a strong festive campaign.

March’s 2-0 win at Inverness was part of an eight-match unbeaten streak, featuring five wins. Armstrong, who began that match, hopes today’s game can spark a similar run of form.

The 19-year-old said: “It started a very important run for us. It was a good game and nice to get a win. It’s definitely possible. We need a win and to think game to game and see where we end up.”

Armstrong, though, knows Caley Thistle cannot be underestimated ahead of matches with Kilmarnock, Hibernian, St Mirren and Aberdeen on 2 January.

He added: “Of course we look at the fixtures and think we can pick up a few points, but we take it game by game and focus on each game at a time.”

Armstrong has been something of a peripheral figure this season, making nine appearances, mainly off the bench, despite making a strong impression towards the end of last term.

He said: “I feel like I’ve been doing quite well when I’ve been coming on so hopefully I can keep it up and maybe get a few goals in the future.”