Caley Thistle manager John Robertson says this season’s Championship points tally is evidence of his side’s improvement.
Inverness’ game at home to Dunfermline tomorrow will mark the halfway stage of the campaign, with Caley Jags three points better off than they were at this stage last season, and nine points ahead of the previous campaign.
Although second placed Caley Jags go into this weekend’s match 13 points adrift of runaway league leaders Dundee United, Robertson says the Highlanders’ own statistics show they have come on since last season.
Robertson said: “We just want to win games. In this league you can’t get too carried away.
“United are putting together an unbelievable run. To win eight straight matches in the Championship is phenomenal, but we can’t affect them. We just tell the players to just keep winning games.
“This Saturday marks the halfway stage and once again it’s a review for us. Once we see how the result goes, we will review where we are and what is required.
“This time last year I think we were in fifth or sixth place. The fact we are second shows there is an improvement, but we need to keep improving and keep winning games.
“We want that to continue because we just need to keep putting points on the board and keep chasing.”
Robertson insists his side remain on course to meet their end of season targets, adding: “We’ve got a total for the end of every quarter that we aim to get to, and a total we aim to get to by the end of the season. We are on track to do that.
“We can’t affect the team above us, but we can certainly affect the teams below us by continually beating them.”
Caley Jags will be boosted by the return of James Vincent against his former club, with the midfielder fit again after missing the last four games through a calf injury.
Robertson added: “James has trained all week so he will be part of the matchday squad. Whether he will start or not, I’m not sure yet.
“We have one or two niggly knocks but nothing major. We should have James to add to the squad, which potentially makes us stronger from the bench. He will be ready if required.
“We feel we have a good, strong squad and we need everybody. When you consider we are in second place, yet we have coped without the likes of Tom Walsh, Sean Welsh, James Keatings, James Vincent and Shaun Rooney for various times.
“This year because of the squad we have managed to build and the emergence of some very good young players, we have managed to keep picking up points regularly.”