BILLY Dodds tonight branded the SPFL’s decision not to allow Inverness Caledonian Thistle to recall their loan players “embarrassing” and claimed that he is jeopardising the physical and mental health of the Highland club’s youngsters by drafting them into his first team squad.

Dodds was delighted that his badly depleted side managed to fight back and earn a 2-2 draw with cinch Championship leaders Ayr United at the Caledonian Stadium this afternoon.

However, the former Dundee United, Aberdeen, Rangers and Scotland striker was disappointed when he learned after the final whistle that a request to bring back youngsters who are currently out at Highland League outfits had been turned down.  

The Caley Thistle head coach believes the injury crisis which he is currently dealing with is the worst he has encountered in the four decades that he has been involved in the professional game and is staggered by the governing body’s intransigence. 

He questioned why St Mirren were allowed to recall their kids from loan spells before a Premiership game against Celtic in Paisley during the height of the Covid pandemic back in 2021 after 11 of their players were forced to go into quarantine.

"This is the worst I have seen in 37 years, since going to Chelsea as a schoolboy,” he said. “I have never seen it so bad. And there are not too many coming back soon

“You can talk about Rangers and an injury crisis, whatever. I will take two or three, but we have eight, nine, 10. Every one of them would be pushing for a start if not starting.

“Sean Welsh shouldn’t have played today. He got a dead leg. You could see the bruising, I don’t know how he got through it. He took painkillers and went out there for me because I asked him this morning. It is a circulation problem which is a bit worrying.

“Danny Devine shouldn’t have played either. He is probably 10 days away from fitness. He trained yesterday and you know what a Friday session is like – hardly anything. He put his body on the line. These players shouldn’t be out there, but it’s where we are.

“We asked the SPFL about trying to get our loan players from the Highland League clubs and they said no. But the batch who are on the bench, the young boys, are not ready either mentally or physically. They are first year pros.

“The ones who are out on loan are a year ahead of them and we can’t get them. So the young boys have to go on the bench. That can’t be good for your health, mentality, Scottish football. It’s pretty embarrassing to be honest.”

Dodds, who was only able to name six substitutes today, was hoping to increase his options by recalling Aly Riddle and Robbie Thompson (both Clachnacuddin), Harry Hennem (Wick Academy) and Ethan Cairns (Forres Mechanics). 

“I know St Mirren got their loan players back for the Celtic game,” he said. “That was Covid. But this is a similar situation. We don’t want to be putting first year pros on the bench. They shouldn’t be on the bench.

“We have more experienced boys out on loan than we do on the bench. They have done a year and a half more than the boys who are on the bench. The boys who are on the bench are just in the door in the summer and they shouldn’t be put through the mental and physical effort that they have to. It can’t be healthy.”

Nathan Shaw, who had put Caley Thistle in front in the sixth minute, netted an equaliser with three minutes remaining to earn his side a point after Mark McKenzie and Dipo Akinyemi had given Ayr the lead in the second-half.

The Somerset Park club are now just a point ahead of Morton and Dundee in the Championship – but their manager Lee Bullen was adamant the result in the Highlands could be important come May.

“There are a few frustrated players in there,” he said. “But this is a difficult place to come and take full points for anybody. That’s what I said to them. Is this going to be a big point come the end of the season or two dropped? Only time will tell. We know some of the teams behind us had good results today. But the league is going to be like this all season.”

Bullen singled out Logan Chalmers, the Dundee United loanee who came on for Daire O’Connor at the end of the first-half and set up McKenzie for the equaliser, for special praise and predicted the winger can help Ayr to sustain their title push.

“Logan was a bright spark,” he said. “He has huge potential and he is a Premiership player, with the ability he has got. A lot rests on showing those abilities week in week. That impacts his chances of getting into the Dundee United team.

“But he showed today he can certainly play at a higher level. He’s a young boy desperate to do well. He can have a really positive impact on our season.”