MARLEY WATKINS' week was disrupted when he swerved to dodge a deer on the outskirts of Inverness, and crashed into railings.
The deer escaped unscathed but the Caley Thistle attacker's car was a write-off.
The 24-year-old, recently listed as stand-by for the Wales international squad, said: "I hardly slept the night after the accident. I was maybe over-thinking it. I'm all right, but my car's not - it's a write-off.
"The deer ran out in front of me and I swerved into the railings. You can't hit a deer. I'm a bit shaken up but otherwise I'm fine."
John Hughes, the Inverness manager, could again deploy Watkins up alongside Billy McKay in attack when Motherwell visit today, with the pacy attacker having netted four goals in a five-match spell last month. Watkins is pleased with his scoring record but still self-critical.
He said: "Like everyone, really, I still have to work on certain areas. I've still a lot of improving to do but I think I've shown the gaffer I can play in either role now - more advanced up front or in behind.
"I feel I have goals in me and I'm starting top prove it. I just want to score and keep helping the team. Billy and I link well, so I'm sure I'll get another crack at it, whether it's this weekend or in the future. We've done well together. I feel I should be in double figures by now, and that's my personal target."
Inverness start the match in second place in the SPFL Premiership and Motherwell 10th but Hughes said: "We're playing a Motherwell team that I think are in a false position after picking up a few injuries early on to key players. They've had a few poor results, which knocked the confidence and the momentum and then they lost their manager.
"Stuart McCall did a fantastic job at that club. He's one of the good guys in football, a gentleman, and a big loss to Scottish football. Hopefully he will be back in the game sooner rather than later.
"There is definitely improvement there, though. I saw, against St Johnstone and I thought they were very good, especially in the first half. I could see things changing. But the players Stuart lost and had to replace made it very difficult."
Unfortunately, for those eager to be seduced by the lure of an exotic name or a colourful rumour, the reports of a Motherwell delegation flying to Buenos Aires on Monday to speak to River Plate's Guillermo Almada appear to have been exaggerated. And by that we mean completely made up.
As it turns out, Alan Burrows was not sipping a cold Quilmes and tucking into a half-kilo of prime beef in the shadow of the Casa Rosada on Monday evening. No, the Motherwell general manager was instead watching the under-20 side defeat Celtic 2-0 at a freezing Fir Park
Behind the scenes, the search for a new manager continues - just not in South America. It has been suggested Kenny Black might take over on a permanent basis, but the caretaker manager, for now, is keeping his options open.
He even admitted yesterday that one of those options might be to join Stuart McCall at wherever he next turns up. McCall's achievements at Fir Park are too many to be much diminished by the five-game losing streak that convinced him to resign and Black conceded that the prospect of getting the old gang back together held some appeal.
"We did have a conversation," Black admitted. "We've had four terrific years here. You get used to having someone alongside you that you can bounce things off. We were a tight unit. I don't think we'd ever rule out working together again but the circumstances would have to suit us both. I thoroughly enjoyed the four years we had here. It was a pleasure to work alongside him."
It has been more than four years since Black was last a manager, departing Airdrie in June 2010, but he has enjoyed his return to the spotlight and concedes that a some decent results in the next three matches - today at Inverness, at home to Celtic and then at home to Dundee United in the Scottish Cup - could spark an appetite for a return to the hotseat.
"Aye, it might do," he admitted. "It's just the uncertainty. I don't know what's going on behind the scenes; there might be things going on even as we're talking here.
"We need to get the ownership of the club settled, we don't know what's going on there yet. I've just let things go, continuing on a daily basis, waiting and see how things go. They're going to be holding interviews etc. If I want to be in one of those interviews . . . that remains to be seen."
Motherwell travel to Inverness to take on a side who are behind Celtic at the top of the table only on goal difference. When Dundee United arrived at Fir Park two weeks ago, thought, they were top. "The response I got from the boys against United was excellent. The commitment really pleased me," Black said.
That's all you can do, try to prepare them and hope they carry out your instructions to the best of their ability. I'm hoping that after getting those three points we can go and express ourselves a wee bit more."
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