Scottish Cup winner Josh Meekings insists Caley Thistle can steadily rise from seventh to title contenders within the Scottish Championship.
Inverness have not won a league match since mid-October, taking just three points from their last seven outings.
Saturday’s fixture at Hamilton Accies was frozen off, but they’re aiming to turn the heat back on their rivals with a trip to Partick Thistle on Friday night.
Ian McCall’s Glasgow Jags defeated leaders Ayr United 3-2 at Firhill at the weekend, meaning the gap between ICT and first place remains at nine points, with ICT having one game in hand.
Billy Dodds’ injury-hit squad are four points poorer than Partick and they need to aim to return to winning ways after falling to seventh spot.
Meekings, who plays for Brora Rangers, lifted the Scottish Cup with Inverness seven years ago and he says fortunes can flip in their favour – if they can bank a win at Partick.
Nine-point gap can still be bridged
The 30-year-old, who also played for Dundee, said: “Inverness have had a difficult period, with too many draws and defeats, but they are still only nine points off the top.
“If they can get a good number of players back, we will see a real difference.
“At Dundee, we were in a little bit of a rut then we went six games unbeaten, so it can quickly turn around. If you’re doing that and other teams are having their sloppy spell, then it really can turn around.
“If the gap gets any bigger, it could be a tough ask, but that’s why Friday is so important. If they win, they drag one of their rivals closer.
“I’m probably not surprised by how well Ayr have done. Having seen Dundee a couple of times, I expect them to stay up there, while Queen’s Park are also doing really well.
“From an Inverness point of view, there is a lot to play for. The gap is nine between them and Ayr at the top, but they have a game in hand and have to play Ayr twice. It’s definitely possible.
“They have to end the bad run this week and kick on. They just have to remain positive.
“At this time of year, pitches are not great and it’s a time to knuckle down, have a go and fight for every point.”
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Time to assess and renew ICT targets
Defender Meekings knows key men have been missing for the Caley Jags and said the squad will be taking stock of what they can achieve going into the New Year.
He said: “It’s important you don’t give anything away against Partick. Worst case scenario is if they’re not going to win, ensure they don’t lose it.
“I do think this is a crunch period for them. At any club I’ve been at, the meetings at the start of the season would always include the fact we’d be reassessing our situation around Christmas and going into January.
“You’re always around the halfway point of the season. You then set targets every month and it’s about taking one fixture at a time.
“Inverness cannot allow the teams above them pull further clear. They have been hit with big injuries and that cannot be ignored.
“Robbie Deas, for example, is a long-term absentee, while Danny Devine was out for a while too. They’ve been key players over the past couple of seasons.”
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Keep Partick Thistle within sight
And Meekings believes ICT have to do all they can on Friday to leave Firhill with a result which keeps the Maryhill men still within range in the division.
He added: “This is a massive game. It’s very important for Inverness to take something from it.
“In terms of injuries, it has been a difficult season for them. They’ve had players play through injuries or come back from injuries to play sooner than they would normally because the squad is so thin.
“On Friday, they certainly don’t want that gap to get any bigger. They have to stay as close as possible to the top half, to those clubs who are doing really well.
“When they get players back, that will be really important for them then it is up to them to have a real go at it in the second half of the season.”
So far this term, Inverness fell to a crushing 4-1 defeat at Partick Thistle in August, but responded with a 1-0 home win in October.
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