Departing defender bemoans Caley Thistle's demise

David Raven's time at Inverness has coincided with some stellar moments in the club's brief history.

Having finished third in the Premiership and also won the Scottish Cup in 2015, it's perhaps made it all the harder for the defender to now part - at a time when Inverness are languishing seventh in Scotland's second tier.

Raven has always been an uncompromising player on-and-off the pitch, and speaking ahead of his imminent departure in the January window, the 32-year-old is ever appreciative of the send-off he received from the Caley Thistle fans.

He told MFR News: "It meant everything to me and that's probably why I got off the pitch pretty quick at the last home game against Livingston because it got pretty emotional and it's probably something I'll always cherish and remember.

"It was a big wrench to leave and it was a relationship and reputation which had been built up over years-and-years and then it's finished, it's gone, and you have to start all over again.

"But I can come back here and always know I'll be welcome, I can look back on my time, on how good it was and the appreciation of that and it's a really good feeling to think on that.

"It's unbelievable the comments I've had from fans and obviously the goal in the cup final is that stand-out lasting memory and the response has been overwhelming and humbling."

Although Raven has that love for the fans over his time spent at the club, the defender was unwilling to take new terms from the club following their relegation last season from the Premiership.

Raven believes the situation was always very clear, whether it was in January or at the end of 2017-18: "The club offered terms that they knew I could probably never accept, and there are better options for what I can do with my future career down south, so that's why I thought it was best to get it done now.

"...we sold Ryan Christie, we won the cup, we got into Europe, so where's the money gone...?" - DAVID RAVEN

"There are a couple of clubs interested so something will hopefully come of that and I'm looking for something to come of that - I'm ready to go - but if something doesn't come soon I have to keep myself in shape."

Raven feels that he's been left with no other option but to consider his longer-term future, as he believes at his stage in his career he could possibly play for another three years.

But what the defender can't comprehend is the club's demise, he said: "It's been a slippery slope and it's not been nice to be part of.

"We've lost player-after-player and now find ourselves mid-table in the Championship.

"It's got harder-and-harder and maybe now is the time to go - and it's really disappointing - I know it is for the fans and the lads feel it too.

"There have been strange decisions over the years, we sold Ryan Christie, we won the cup, we got into Europe, so where's the money gone? People are asking the questions and somebody needs to answer that.

"I'm just saying what people are thinking, it was only two years ago."

That said, Raven says the club will always have a place in his heart and he says he'll continue to look out for their future results - hopefully as they rise back up the ranks of Scottish football.