Caley Thistle manager John Hughes believes his side’s excellent start to the campaign has been all the more impressive given the absence of skipper Richie Foran.
The Irishman underwent a second knee operation last month after initially going under the knife at the end of last season, with the 34-year-old still facing a lengthy period on the sidelines.
Caley Jags this afternoon host a Celtic side also missing its influential captain through injury, with Hughes insisting he has felt the absence of his leader just as much as the Premiership champions.
He said: “We have really been hampered by the injury to Richie Foran. It’s the same for us as Celtic missing Scott Brown. That’s how important he is to us.
“We’ve had to adjust and the players have come up great so far.
“They have taken everything on board, right from pre-season. It’s easier when we’ve got the sun on your back in July. When I came here it was Novemeber.
“It’s just taking on that underdog spirit that Terry Butcher created here. That’s never gone away. Every manager wants to put their own stamp on it and, thankfully, it is working.”
Hughes aims to bring in a forward before the September 1 transfer deadline and, although he has brought in two trialists, the Caley Jags manager insists he is looking far and wide for reinforcements.
He added: “We’ve had a look at a couple of boys but the work this week has been geared towards the Celtic game. We will assess them further but they are a bit younger.
“We do have irons in the fire and are still looking at bringing in one or two. We’re looking at a few loans but the forward position is an area where we feel there is someone out there who can strengthen us.
“We could do with some cover there for Billy or someone to compete for a start. It’s eating away at me that there is a good footballer out there who I want to bring to my club.
“I might need to get the chairman drunk to twist his arm.”