Caley Thistle manager John Robertson has bemoaned the cheaply lost points which have prevented his side making a stronger Championship title push this season.
Inverness were defeated 2-0 by Alloa Athletic on Saturday, which halted Caley Jags’ momentum following back-to-back league victories.
It was a missed opportunity for the second placed Highlanders during a weekend in which all four other matches were drawn, leaving them 17 points adrift of runaway leaders Dundee United.
Although Caley Thistle remain two points clear in second place and firmly on course for a play-off place, Robertson feels his side could have made life easier for themselves had they cut out their occasional stumbles.
Robertson, whose side host Queen of the South tonight, said: “We’ve said all season, we’ve dropped silly points. Saturday’s sort of performance keeps cropping up every five or six games.
“If you put in a poor-ish performance, you get punished for it. It has happened all season, but the players have responded very well.
“That’s what we have to do again.
“It is a mystery because we seem to be going well and, suddenly, just don’t hit the standards we’re capable of.
“All we can do is brush ourselves down and freshen it up again for Queen of the South.”
Inverness were dealt a blow just a minute into Saturday’s defeat at Recreation Park when defender Lewis Toshney strained a quad muscle, with Robertson revealing the recently-added former Falkirk defender will be out for around a month.
Robertson added: “He has pulled his quad muscle. He did it in the first minute at Alloa and it’s a real shame because he’d been showing some great form.
“He played a long ball and felt it immediately. It just seems like it pulled away.
“He’s going to be out for a month, which is a blow for us and a blow for the player.
“But we’ve just got to get on with – other teams have had injuries.
“We’ve had major injuries this season to a lot of our players but have had a reasonably strong squad to deal with it.”
Caley Jags will aim to atone for Saturday’s defeat when they host a ninth-placed Doonhamers side which is battling to remain in the second-tier.
Robertson added: “While it wasn’t the result we wanted, the only thing we can do now is make it up to the fans, and the boys to make it up to themselves, by going and putting on a strong performance.
“Queens are fighting for their lives, as are Partick and as were Alloa.
“They have an agenda to stay in the league, while we’re fighting for points to get out of the league.”