Manager Billy Dodds insists Caley Thistle are ready for a fight to the finish as they now face an uphill battle to squeeze into the Championship play-off spots.
Before sinking Premiership Kilmarnock 2-1 in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals on Friday, ICT ended a mini-slump in the league by beating Ayr United 2-1 at Somerset Park to nudge into sixth position.
However, since then results achieved by the sides above them mean they go into Saturday’s showdown against leaders Queen’s Park at Ochilview seven points adrift of fourth-placed Ayr United.
A winless February in the league cost them dearly, while Morton and Partick in particular, put victories on the board to boost their step-up chances.
Dodds, who guided ICT to the Premiership play-off final last year, knows they need as many wins as possible from their remaining nine fixtures to give themselves a chance.
He said: “We can still have a good season, but we need to keep making sure that we win games and taking points from every game.
“We haven’t given up yet. We know it’s a tall order, but we know that we’re doing better because we have a selection of players now.
“Austin Samuels and Daniel MacKay were on the bench last week with niggles, Steven Boyd, too, but I’ve got strong options to choose from.
“That’s what I’ve wanted for a long time, because I know that when I have that, we’ll get results.
“We’ve got to win games.
“If we worry about what other teams do, that’s the wrong thing – we’ve just got to try and close that gap, so that’s all I’m worrying about.”
Hamilton defeats were ‘sore’ – Dodds
Back-to-back league losses against relegation-threatened Hamilton recently were costly in terms of Inverness trying to reel their rivals in.
Dodds admits those six squandered points still rankle with him, but he sees signs of progress heading towards the campaign’s home straight.
He said: “I’m not trying to kid anyone – fans or at the club – that the Hamilton results weren’t sore.
“Since the turn of the year, though, when I started getting players back, results have been better.
“They could still be better again, but I think we’ve only lost two (league) games since January. The form has picked up since players have come back.”
Injuries took a toll
At one point this season, the Inverness injury list reached a tally of 11 crocked players.
Dodds says the crisis was clearly going to have an impact on their promotion bid, but he’s been hearted by the return of stars such as Robbie Deas and Austin Samuels in recent weeks.
He added: “I think any company operating without their full staff would suffer in any job capacity.
“There’s no spin being put on it – we had a horrendous injury situation, but since January things have been better in terms of results, and that’s because I’ve got my players back.”
Inverness were further boosted on that front with midfielder Roddy MacGregor coming off the bench against Killie on Friday, giving Dodds almost a full squad to select from for the closing round of games.
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