Caley Thistle captain Gary Warren has called for his team-mates to put a miserable 2016 behind them with a resilient second half of the campaign.
Inverness are bottom of the Premiership having won just three league games so far this season, and are on a dire run of 10 matches without a victory, the latest coming in Saturday’s 3-2 Highland derby defeat against Ross County at Dingwall. County ran out winners thanks to Liam Boyce’s double and a Martin Woods effort, with goals from Carl Tremarco and Alex Fisher not enough for Richie Foran’s men.
Englishman Warren knows results have not been good enough, but is determined to show a strong reaction following this month’s winter break, with Caley Jags’ league campaign resuming with a home game against Partick Thistle on January 28.
Warren said: “The break has definitely come at a good time for us. It gives us a good chance to recharge the batteries, reflect on what we’ve done and what we haven’t done in the first half of the season.
“It’s important now we put it right. Make no bones about it – we’re bottom of the table and now we have to work even harder than we’ve worked before, knuckle down and start climbing the table again.
“We’ve got enough quality players in the side to do it, but now we need to start believing it and work as hard as we can to graft for as many points as we can. The break will give us a chance to have a fresh start. It’s frustrating because we’ve gone out on a loss, we wanted to go out with a positive result.
“But it might come at a good time for us as it gives us a chance to recharge and focus on the second half of the season.”
Warren, who has been with Inverness since joining from Newport County in 2012, said there cannot be any more excuses and the 32-year-old added: “We’re at the stage where it feels like we’re coming off the pitch saying the same thing. So close, but not close enough.
“It’s about time things started to change. It’s probably the worst run I’ve been on since I’ve been at the club. We’re thankful 2016 is out the way for us, now we look to look forward to 2017 and make sure we come back after this break better, more organised and more determined to succeed and do better than we have in the first half of the season.”