Caley Thistle skipper Carl Tremarco could hand his side a Highland derby boost by returning to the squad for tomorrow’s game against Ross County.
English defender Tremarco has been sidelined with a thigh injury since hobbling off during the early stages of Inverness’ 0-0 draw against Alloa Athletic on October 27.
Although Tremarco remains short of match practice, Caley Jags manager John Robertson confirmed the 33-year-old is available for selection, which comes as a timely boost given Inverness’ depleted squad.
Robertson said: “Carl is getting there. He did the full training session on Thursday so should be involved with the squad for Saturday.
“We’ve still got to watch. He’s got to get his match sharpness and fitness up as he has not played for 10 or 11 weeks, so he will be very short of match practice.
“We can sort that out internally with practice games and suchlike which can help him get back to speed quickly.
“Even though Carl has been injured he has been a big influence around the place.
“He travels to games with us, he’s in the changing room and he has done a lot of his rehab on-site where the players have been.
“He’s always constantly in their ear as a good captain does.”
Caley Thistle have sold their initial away allocation of 700 for tomorrow’s trip to Victoria Park, with the remaining North Stand tickets available to visiting supporters directly through Ross County’s website.
Both meetings between the sides this season have ended level, with a 0-0 stalemate at Dingwall in September followed by a 2-2 draw at Caledonian Stadium in November.
Robertson expects another entertaining encounter, adding: “We are really looking forward to it. Both matches this season have been superb, really good, entertaining games. Even the 0-0 was a really good match which could have gone either way towards the end.
“The match at Caledonian Stadium was just fabulous. Both teams gave everything they had, created lots of chances and both teams could have snatched it.
“I’m sure it will be another great match in front of another big crowd. We have sold out our initial allocation and we’re going for more, so hopefully both teams can serve up a really good game.
“I’ve said before it’s fantastic for the region both teams are up there at the moment.
“I hope both teams go up, but we can only look after ourselves. County have battled themselves back to the top of the table with a solid performance on Saturday against Partick.
“This is the last game of the year, it’s a derby and we want to go out on a high.”