Billy Dodds has challenged Caley Thistle to lean on previous experience as they aim for a late rally in their Championship campaign.
Inverness’ promotion play-off hopes suffered a blow at the weekend, when they relinquished a first half lead to go down 2-1 to Queen’s Park.
The result has left Caley Jags nine points adrift of fourth-placed Partick Thistle, who they host on Friday in the first of eight games remaining.
Last season, Inverness’ play-off prospects were under threat following a run of 11 matches without a win, however, they secured their place by winning six of their final eight matches.
Caley Jags went on to reach the final, where they lost to Premiership side St Johnstone.
In the previous season, when Dodds was brought in to assist interim boss Neil McCann, a strong end to the campaign saw the Highlanders go from battling to avoid the relegation play-off spot to narrowly missing out on the top four.
Dodds insists a similar run of strong form in the closing stretch will be required in order to stand any chance of reviving their play-off hopes.
He said: “Any win we get is crucial at this time of the season. It has shown in the past -as a number two under Neil, (and) I felt we have shown since then we can put a run together.
“We went from relegation places to just missing out on the play-offs (under McCann) – that is the type of run we need to put together again.
“A lot of those players are still here, I would like them to be self-motivated and I think they are. They will get together and say: ‘we have done it before, we can do it again.’
“I just want to get my mind set we have to start something, and I want us to carry it on.
“If I thought they didn’t have a chance, I would be saying the injuries have cost us we have to sit and suffer. I don’t feel that, it is not done yet.”
MacGregor suffers injury blow, but Inverness have numbers to pick from
Caley Jags have the bulk of their squad available again, following a raft of injury problems earlier in the campaign.
They were dealt a blow on Saturday, however, after the recently-returned Roddy MacGregor was forced off injured shortly after coming on as a substitute.
Dodds feels the recent Scottish Cup victories over Premiership sides Livingston and Kilmarnock have underlined the importance of having options to pick from.
He added: “You see what can happen with healthy competition. I’ve got it now.
“I’ve not been making excuses, I have been telling it the way it is all season.
“That meant, with players back, I had to make sure we got results.
“I think that’s been the case since the turn of the year.
“It can be a fluke when you beat a Premiership team. But when you beat two Premiership teams in Livingston and Kilmarnock, and we ran St Johnstone close in the play-offs, that is when you have the bulk of your squad that gets you better results.”
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