Coll Donaldson is relishing the chance to prove Caley Thistle’s doubters wrong as they chase down a playoff place.
The odds are stacked against the Highland club with the end of the season near but the defender said there is still confidence among the players that they can make up the ground.
Inverness sit in seventh, eight points behind fourth-placed Dundee United, but they have a game in hand and are unbeaten in six matches.
Donaldson said: “Most people wrote us off a while ago and I think most still have.
“But we still have a lot of games to catch up on. We recognise we can only look after ourselves and win the games put in front of us and we’re managing to do that just now.
“We left ourselves a lot to do but now I feel like we’re coming good at the right time.”
The 22-year-old has endured a stop-start season because of injuries but with him in the side, Inverness have remarkably only lost five times in 28 matches.
“It is hard to speak about yourself, it could be a coincidence,” he said. “I’ve had a run of games and I’m feeling really confident going into every one.
“When I’m playing with the players here, next to Gary Warren or Brad Mckay at centre half, with Iain Vigurs in front of me and Mark Ridgers behind, I feel confident in the team.
“We have Nathan Austin up front now playing next to George Oakley and that cutting edge is maybe something we lacked and why we’re in the position we are.
“I don’t think teams will be looking forward to playing against those two. As a centre half, I know I wouldn’t.”
Donaldson struggled with a hamstring injury which kept him out of action earlier this year and also picked up a calf knock in the Irn Bru Cup final win against Dumbarton – where he was named man of the match.
Despite the niggles, his goal is to make himself impossible to leave out for manager John Robertson.
Donaldson said: “I’ve played a lot of games since returning from the hamstring injury. I had the calf strain after the final but played through it for the Dundee United and St Mirren games.
“The manager thought it was a good time to get me a half hour rest against Brechin and I was fine for Saturday.
“I make it hard for him. I would never say to him I want a rest or don’t want to play.
“I’m suspended for this Saturday so that will be an enforced rest but apart from that, I want to play every minute.”