Robbie Deas insists injury-hit Caley Thistle will be raring to get back to winning ways when Raith Rovers come calling in the Championship this weekend.
Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at home to toiling Hamilton Accies thwarted ICT’s attempts to move outright top of the table after a terrific five-match winning run.
Andy Winter’s close-range first-half winner took John Rankin’s men off the bottom of the division, but came against a backdrop of injuries piling up.
Midfield duo Scott Allardice and Roddy MacGregor suffered injuries in the 1-0 win at Cove Rangers on Saturday, while defender Wallace Duffy didn’t make it through Tuesday’s warm-up.
— Hamilton Accies FC (@acciesfc) October 18, 2022
He was replaced by Max Ram for his first league start since his summer arrival from Wycombe Wanderers and he suffered what Caley Thistle hope is no more than a cramp in the second half.
Captain Sean Welsh, who hasn’t been fit following his knee surgery, made the bench for the Hamilton clash, but wasn’t ready for action.
Centre-half Deas, who felt he could have done better in deny Accies for their goal, acknowledges the long list of injuries, which still includes Tom Walsh, Shane Sutherland and Austin Samuels.
Caley Jags ‘gutted’ at Accies’ outcome
However, he reckons the pain of losing this week will only inspire those fit enough to face Raith Rovers at the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday as they seek to kick-start a fresh run of fine form.
He said: “We should be winning games at home. It was disappointing and we’re all gutted at Tuesday’s result.
“Thankfully the games are coming thick and fast and we have the game on Saturday to redeem ourselves.
“We maybe forced it a little towards the end and we maybe could have put our foot more on the ball and passed it and made a move into the box, but it was one of those things.
“We’re absolutely gutted about our run coming to an end, but we need to start and new one and that’s what we’re aiming to do from Saturday. We just need to be positive and hopefully, Wallace Duffy will be back on Saturday.”
Players aim to redeem themselves
Deas, 22, felt some poor decisions from referee Alan Newlands didn’t help their cause in the opening stages, but equally felt five-goal Winter got in too easily to stab home the only strike of the match.
He said: “It was our mistake for their goal. I thought just before it, we should have had a penalty or a free-kick at least. There were a couple of fouls early on that the referee never gave and then they scored.
“I hold my hands up for the goal. I maybe switched off at a crucial moment, but the boys worked hard.
“The focus now is to redeem ourselves on Saturday.
“It is difficult when boys are playing out of position and there are a lot of changes.
“We went to a back three on Tuesday and found a bit of joy in the middle again, but Hamilton, who are fighting for their lives, worked hard and it just didn’t go our way.”
Teenager Strachan offered calmness
Deas felt two plus points from the Accies’ set-back were the imminent return of Welsh and the composed first senior appearance from the bench for 18-year-old defender Matthew Strachan.
He added: “Everyone plays with little knocks and injuries throughout the season. It is part and parcel of the game, but you can see the squad is thin right now.
“We have a lot of injuries, which is a shame and we have boys needing minutes.
“But it was great to see Sean Welsh, our skipper, back on the bench. Hopefully, we can get him up to speed soon.
“You look at young Matthew Strachan, who came on, he made passes and calmed us down. I congratulate him on making his debut.
“Good training sessions on Thursday and Friday and the boys will raring to go.”
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