David Carson has Dunfermline in his sights as Caley Thistle aim to tighten their grip within the Championship play-offs.
The Pars, managed by ICT’s Scottish Cup-winning boss John Hughes, have been tricky opponents for the Inverness team this season.
Two draws at East End Park come either side of a 2-1 victory for Athletic at the Caledonian Stadium just the day after Hughes replaced Peter Grant in November.
The Highlanders are on a high after their pulsating 3-2 weekend win at Raith Rovers.
Carson – ‘We owe Dunfermline one’
Dunfermline will also be feeling confident after their unexpected 4-1 win against Partick Thistle on Tuesday but full-back Carson is determined to see them off to remain firmly in the promotion hunt.
He said: “We owe Dunfermline one after they beat us at our place. But we don’t underestimate any side in this league.
“It really is a case of anyone can beat anyone. We take Saturday’s result and performance into the Dunfermline game. We’re out to pick up three points, as simple as that.
“They beat us when they were on a bad run and it was a disappointing day for us. We will give them respect, but also we owe them one.
“If we play the football we’re capable of, there is no reason why we can’t take three points.”
Carson hails determined attitude
Two last-gasp Logan Chalmers goals on Saturday turned a likely defeat into an unlikely victory for ICT at top-four rivals Raith Rovers.
Carson, who can shift in midfield when called upon, praised the players for never giving up as they target three successive wins, having also defeated Arbroath 3-0 earlier this month.
He said: “A 92nd-minute winner on Saturday showed the character of the boys.
“We kept going to the end and got what we deserved. In the first half, we had numerous chances to go ahead and we didn’t.
“We came in 2-1 down at half-time and we threw everything at them in the last 10 minutes.
“Logan has popped up with two goals. I’m delighted for him, for the boys, the staff and the entire club.
“We hadn’t been on a great run of form and now we’ve won two on the bounce. Hopefully we can build on that.”
Everyone pulling in same direction
And Carson reckons the delighted Inverness fans can help drive the team forward as they press for promotion.
He added: “You can take confidence, courage and the desire from the boys from these results.
“It’s not just the 11 who started, but those on the bench, the staff, the fans – everyone was behind the boys on Saturday.
“We will take that forward and I’m sure the fans will back us all the way. It will drive us on, that’s for sure.”
ICT remained focus at Raith Rovers
The dramatic, comeback win at Raith Rovers kept intact Caley Thistle’s incredible 21-year unbeaten league record against their opponents.
For Carson, he felt the team were not thrown by Kyle Benedictus being sent off for the hosts as they kept going for the result, which turned out to be a win.
He said: “No matter who you’re playing, when they go down to 10 men, it doesn’t change our way of playing because we kept throwing everything at them.
“We got what we deserved and the fans will have travelled home happy at the weekend and we had a happy bus back.
“We go again on Saturday – we can’t get ahead of ourselves.”