Caley Thistle manager Duncan Ferguson is confident his players have enough quality to bounce back from their first defeat since he took over.
Seventh-placed Inverness are off to Hampden on Saturday to tackle a Queen’s Park side level on 13 points with them.
For the first time since Ferguson replaced Billy Dodds as boss in late September, the ICT squad will have to respond to a loss, having leaked two late goals in last week’s 2-1 home slip-up against title-contenders Raith Rovers.
Prior to that, Inverness had won four and drawn three under Ferguson in league and Scottish Cup matches.
‘Brilliant’ players seek to strike back
Ferguson remains confident that his group will be going all out to secure a win against a Queen’s team which has not won a league match since August 19.
He said: “I know the players now. They have given me 100% in the seven games including the defeat on Saturday.
“They have been brilliant for me, so I know the character of the players. Nothing changes there.
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“We know it will be a tough game, but it was a good performance against a Raith side that has lost just once all season. They were three minutes away from losing their second game.
“It’s not all gone wrong for us. We were unlucky and Raith deserved their equaliser, but I don’t think we deserved to lose.
“It can dent you at the time, because it was a bit of a sickener.
“With three minutes left, we have three points then five minutes later, we don’t have any.
“It was a tough one to take, but you have got to move on. We just need to get the next result.”
‘Massive game’ for Ferguson’s men
For Queen’s Park, defeats against Raith and Partick Thistle followed draws against Airdrie Partick and Ayr, making it 10 successive matches without a win in all competitions.
Yet Ferguson isn’t expecting anything other than a testing 90 minutes against a team which beat ICT 2-1 on the opening day of the season and didn’t lose against them last term.
He said: “Queen’s Park are a good footballing team. They’ve had a few draws lately along with a couple of defeats.
“It will be a tough match for us, because they are level with us in the table. It’s a massive game.”
Wotherspoon’s ICT talks still ongoing
Ferguson, meanwhile, insists the club remain active in their bid to secure the services of in-form striker, former St Johnstone star David Wotherspoon, whose deal runs out next month.
The 33-year-old has netted three goals in six appearances since becoming Ferguson’s first signing in October, which was swiftly followed by Cillian Sheridan.
The ICT boss spoke recently about their efforts to extend his stay beyond the new year and remains hopeful and deal can be struck.
He added: “The club know my situation on David, as does David. I want that done as soon as possible.
“I have not heard anything more on that unfortunately.
“David has been training well. He likes it here and the quicker we can get him tied up, the better.
“I hope the club are on with that. He is a player we need, and want. He is a great player and a great leader and a great trainer.”
