David Carson is calling on Caley Thistle fans to help the team turn on the style and knock Kilmarnock out of the Scottish Cup.
Derek McInnes takes his team, who are sitting second bottom of the Premiership, to the Caledonian Stadium on Friday night for a quarter-final which will be live on BBC Scotland.
On Saturday, it’s Hearts v Celtic, Sunday will see holders Rangers take on Championship team Raith Rovers, then it’s League One Falkirk against Championship visitors Ayr United on Monday.
🏆🔜 It's Scottish Cup Quarter Finals this Weekend!
We host Kilmarnock on Friday night at the Caledonian Stadium!
Get tickets in advance from https://t.co/6z5nBMn9qE ,The Club Shop (10am – 4pm, Mon – Fri) or over the phone on 01463 222880 – buy in advance to save money! pic.twitter.com/yiAZ3KRitB
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) March 7, 2023
Carson was a driving force as Inverness halted a six-game Championship run by scoring a fine 2-1 comeback victory at Ayr at the weekend.
Hampden within sight for Inverness
Now he hopes supporters turn out in force to help the club cause a cup upset.
He said: “We will go into Friday with a bit of confidence on the back of winning at Ayr.
“We have momentum behind us and hopefully we will have a lot of supporters behind us on Friday.
“It’s a great game in front of the cameras and it’s up to us to put on a show. Let’s have a right good go at it.
“If the fans can get right behind us, we could well have the opportunity of reaching a semi-final at Hampden.
“We aim to take care of this game and then, hopefully, if we’re through, see what happens in the draw.”
Vital victory at Somerset Park
The comeback win against Ayr, who played most of their game with 10 men after a controversial red card for Daire O’Connor, pushed ICT ahead of Raith into sixth spot.
With Morton and Partick collecting points, it was vital for Inverness to not lose further ground in their chase for a top-four play-off spot.
Carson admits leaving Somerset Park with maximum points was crucial.
He said: “Most importantly, we needed three points. We went a goal behind, but we dug in really well to get the win.
In light of the yellow warning forecast for snow, ice and below zero temperatures this week the club has covered the pitch with our winter protection covers. pic.twitter.com/cNfS7iljqx
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) March 6, 2023
“Yes, they had a man sent off, but we showed resilience and patience to get our just rewards.
“When they scored, I said to Welshy (Sean Welsh), we’ve started a few games well this season, yet we’ve been hit by the sucker punch where our opponents nick a goal. Thankfully, on Saturday, we managed to turn it around and got what we deserved.
“We have nine games to go, so there are still a lot of points to play for. We need to go into these games on the front foot and try to pick up as many points as we can.
“This sets us up nicely for Queen’s Park next week and we can look forward to Friday’s cup-tie now.”
🙌Our goals from yesterday's 2-1 win against Ayr United
Sean Welsh & Jay Henderson on the scoresheet yesterday to secure a big three points!
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) March 5, 2023
Carson happy with midfield return
With centre-half Robbie Deas back in the team, Wallace Duffy shifted to right-back, allowing Carson to go back to the midfield role he played earlier in his time with Caley Thistle.
When asked about being in the heart of the action again, he said: “I loved being back in midfield. I had a few opportunities where I could maybe have been a bit more clinical and had a go, but I think I played alright and enjoyed being back in that role.”
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