Financial gain not in Inverness Caley team talk as Billy Dodds trusts in something else for Scottish Cup motivation

Billy Dodds insists Inverness won’t be weighed down by the financial burden of trying to claim a Scottish Cup windfall against Kilmarnock that would help keep the wolves from the Caledonian Stadium door.

The Caley boss has told his players that progress into the semi-finals with a win against the Rugby Park side is more priceless than easing the pressure on the club’s accounts after they posted an £835,000 loss for the last year, placing their future in doubt. Dodds is adamant money woes and the possibility of a cup cash bonanza will be blanked out when they host the Ayrshire side tomorrow night in a bid to book a last-four place with personal glory and not pound signs on their minds.

He said: “I can’t put pressure on my team and my staff by saying we have to win this for financial gain. It would be lovely if we did, and that’s where I’m at with it. It’s big but I can’t get carried away. I can’t lose focus, and my players are the same. I want them to realise they’ve got a massive opportunity and embrace it.

“I talked about the focus, and if I focus on the financial side of it, that’s not my job. I’ll do all I can to help the board and the club, and winning this game would be helpful with that but I can’t lose focus on what my job is as a manager and what we’ve got to do as a squad. We’ve got to keep our mindset on what will happen on the pitch.”

The Highlanders – who crushed top-flight Livingston 3-0 at the Tony Macaroni in the last round – only need to look back to season 2014-15 where they lifted the trophy and Dodds admits those club legends are still on show inside their stadium to inspire the class of 2023.

He said: “This club has got a recent record of a Scottish Cup win. We just have to look at the walls in our