Billy Dodds insists he would have been ‘selfish’ if he had not answered an SOS to help out local club Inverness Caley Thistle.

The former Scotland striker has joined the interim management staff of pal Neil McCann as the Championship club deal with the absence of boss John Robertson because of compassionate leave and assistant Scott Kellacher, who is recovering from serious illness.

Dodds was previously number two at rivals Ross County and still stays in the Highlands.

And, having played with McCann at Rangers, Barry Robson at Dundee United and Ryan Esson at Aberdeen, the 52-year-old admits it was a natural reaction to join Caley Thistle’s temporary backroom staff.

He said: “When you look at the situation at Inverness and what’s happened with John [Robertson] and Scott Kellacher, it would have very selfish of me not to take up this opportunity to try to help a local club.

“That’s where I’m at and that’s what it is.

“Knowing Neil, Barry and Ryan over the years - I’ve had connections with every one of them - it was an easy one for me.

“I’d just like to help them out because it is local to me.

“There were good signs on Friday night. I was at the game and it was good for me to get a look at it and analyse it. I can see the signs there.

“They’ve got a hard run-in - we play Raith on Tuesday and Dunfermline on Saturday.”