Caley Thistle forward Shane Sutherland is relishing his side’s push for success on both league and cup fronts in the final weeks of the season.
Inverness are firmly in contention for the Championship promotion play-offs with only five games remaining, and make the trip to Morton in their next outing tomorrow night.
Caley Jags are also building a run in the Scottish Cup, having set up a last-16 tie against St Mirren courtesy of their 3-1 Highland derby win over Premiership opponents Ross County on Friday.
Inverness have now won five games in succession, and former Elgin City forward Sutherland feels their campaign is shaping up for an exciting climax.
Sutherland said: “If you go back five or six weeks, you’d probably think the club were on a bit of a downer.
“We were maybe looking over our shoulders at the bottom end of the table.
“We were sitting in ninth at one point, although we obviously had the games in hand, but they mean nothing unless you get the points on the board.
“If you had told me then that at the start of April we would be into the fourth round of the cup and into the play-off positions, I would have taken that.
“We are within striking distance – we know if we win all our games it should be enough.
“We will enjoy it (the cup win), but we will focus on Morton away on Tuesday. It’s obviously an important game.
“We are sitting in the play-offs now, Dunfermline have a game in hand to catch us, but if we can go and win our games and not worry about what they are doing too much, it will stand us in good stead.”
While Caley Jags’ victory over the Staggies was widely regarded as an upset, Sutherland insists it came as no surprise to anyone within the Inverness camp.
The 30-year-old added: “People on the outside will think it’s a big statement to beat a Premiership team, and our local rivals. But we were confident going into the game.
“Especially with the run we were on, the clean sheets we were keeping, we’ve been playing well, we have been creating chances but maybe not scoring as many as we would like to in certain games.
“We always fancied ourselves – but we do against anyone. It was not just because it was Ross County and a derby. It was a cup game and we were going all out for the win.
“We weren’t going there to try and squeeze extra-time and penalties.
“We were confident enough to go there and try to win, luckily enough we did that.”
Sutherland was brought back for a second spell at Caledonian Stadium last summer by John Robertson, who is on compassionate leave.
Having netted six goals since his return, Wick-born Sutherland is aiming to finish the campaign with a flourish under interim boss Neil McCann.
He added: “I had a wee barren spell when I hadn’t scored in a while, I was disappointed.
“I had some chances in games I probably should have scored.
“I have been doing a job in the team with some of the harder work, which should be a given.
“As strikers and attacker it’s looked upon that we need goals, but as long as the team is winning it doesn’t matter if it’s Danny Devine or Brad Mckay who scores the goals.
“It was great to get my first goal in the derby to get up to six for the season and, with a few games left, hopefully I can kick on.”