Caley Thistle sign Stoke City winger on loan

Caley Thistle have signed winger Kieron Willox on a loan deal from Stoke City until the end of the season.

The 19-year-old, who is from Nairn, began his career with ICT before joining Rangers at the age of 16 in 2022.

He moved to Stoke City in July 2024 but is yet to make a first team appearance for The Potters.

Willox said: “I’m absolutely delighted, and I’m really excited to get going.

“I’ve played here before, and I’ve come up through the academy, so I know the club really well.

“When the opportunity arose to come here, I snapped at it.”

He goes straight into the squad for Saturday’s Scottish Cup tie at Spartans.

Sole wants to emulate cup heroics

Meanwhile, Liam Sole reckons Caley Thistle’s players can be inspired by the club’s magical Scottish Cup history as they seek to avoid a slip-up against the Edinburgh side.

The on-loan Livingston player knows the pressure is all on League One title contenders Inverness as they travel to League Two leaders Spartans for a fourth-round clash on Saturday.

Dougie Samuel’s high-fliers have a similar winter record to Inverness, losing just two of their last 14 fixtures in all competitions.

Inverness famously won the Scottish Cup in 2015, were runners-up in 2023 against Celticand have lost out in three semi-finals.

As an emerging club, famously beating Celtic twice in the Scottish Cup and defeating Hearts at Tynecastle was just three of the big results in a competition they have relished for decades.

Scottish Cup photos inspire players

Sole, who has started 20 of his 29 games since his summer loan switch, stressed that only by approaching the Spartans tie with the best focus can they lessen the chance of being on the wrong end of a shock result.

He said: “You see the pictures of Scottish Cup triumphs all around the stadium, such as winning it and reaching the final against Celtic in 2023. We talk about it in the changing room.

“We want to progress in the Scottish Cup, like every team does, although there’s something a wee bit extra for us.

“We’re all up for it and hopefully we will get the win to get through against Spartans.

“We will treat this like any other game. It’s going to be a really tough challenge.

“Spartans are flying at the top of League Two and they will come flying out of the blocks, but so will we. We’ll be ready.

“The Scottish Cup is all about upsets, so hopefully there won’t be one involving us on Saturday.

“The pitch will probably be a bit smaller than we’re used to.

“They will pose different threats, and it comes down to how we manage it.”

Inverness reached this stage by beating Lowland League opponents Tranent 2-1 in East Lothian, while Spartans have beaten their League Two title rivals East Kilbride and Lowland League side Bonnyrigg Rose to earn this shot at ICT.

Sole reflects on triumph at Partick

Inverness fans who were at Firhill on Tuesday will have just about recovered from the Challenge Cup thriller which saw their team knock Championship title contenders Partick Thistle out in round three.

ICT won a penalty shoot-out 4-2 after the teams traded goals in a 3-3 draw. 

Partick led through Logan Chalmers before, for the second game running, Caley Jags goalkeeper Ross Munro saved a penalty.

A first club goal for Oscar MacIntyre and a strike from Billy Mckay had Inverness 2-1 ahead at the break, with Sole setting up both goals.

Thistle looked to have turned the match around as strikes from debutant defender Cale Loughrey and Alex Samuel, made it 3-2.

However, Mckay converted another Sole delivery to take it straight to spot-kicks.

Another Munro save helped as ICT wrapped up the win when David Wotherspoon tucked away the clincher.

In the quarter-finals, Inverness will face League One title challengers and current leaders, Stenhousemuir on January 27 or 28, with a trip to Championship sides St Johnstone or Ayr United the prize for the winner.

Sole, a stand-out performer against Partick, praised his team-mates for never giving up the ghost in Glasgow.

He added: “It’s about having a strong mentality.

“It’s a 90-minute game, so it doesn’t matter if teams score against us in the first or 90th minute. It only takes a second to score a goal.

“We were given a lifeline in the first half with Ross Munro saving a penalty. He also saved one in the shootout and one last weekend against Cove. He has been on fire.

“We know we will concede goals, and it’s all about how you come back from it.

“The boys were fantastic. Every time Partick scored, we didn’t drop our heads. It was about going again.

“We came in at half-time, leading 2-1, and we knew they would come at us. We were disappointed to concede two goals in the second half, but we managed to get the next one.

“Billy was on the end of my cross and we took the game to penalties. Everyone who stepped up was brilliant with their penalties as was Ross to save a penalty. It was really good.”

Sole boosted by performance at Jags

And after a frustrating campaign at Livingston in 2024-25 when he made just three league starts after joining from Maidstone, Sole felt his strong display against Thistle reassured him of what he can do against strong opponents.

He said: “I needed that kind of game personally after last season being challenging for me.

“A performance like that, for me, was good to show what I can do against a team like Partick.”

Sole’s impressive form in Inverness colours led to him extending his initial six-month loan deal until the end of this season.

[Source: Press and Journal]