Caley Thistle boss Duncan Ferguson is relishing the chance to extend the Highlanders’ unbeaten run to seven games against Livingston.
Ahead of Saturday’s fourth round SPFL Trust Trophy tie at Almondvale, the odds are piled against his League One strugglers.
ICT, who are ninth in League One, could go into administration next week should a suitable investor not be found.
Inverness have won their last four meetings with the Lions including West Lothian victories in the Challenge and Scottish Cups under Billy Dodds two years ago.
However, David Martindale’s team, who dropped from the Premiership in May while ICT were relegated from the Championship, have not lost on their way to third-place in their division this season.
Strong defence offers hope for boss
Few will expect the Caley Jags to build upon their strong form against the Lions, but Ferguson said: “It can be done.
“We don’t concede a lot of goals – we don’t score a lot, but we don’t concede many either.
“They don’t concede many either. They’re third in their league, and they haven’t lost a game.
“They’re at home, so it’s going to be tough, but we’re aiming to go down there and win that game, then win the next game (at home to Annan in the league), and win every other game between now and the end of the season.
“We’ve got a good cup history as a club, and we want to continue that to get into the next round.
“It’s money into the club as well if we can keep going in the cup, which is important because every penny counts.
“We want to win games for our own momentum too. The league is the most important thing for us, but obviously we want to do well in the cup as well.”
The winners of Saturday’s tie will make at least £30,000 for reaching the quarter-finals, with the loser this weekend pocketing £20,000.
Bray back in the frame with a goal
Ferguson confirmed highly-rated midfielder Keith Bray, 18, could be in line for his first start since late August.
He said: “Keith had a bit of illness, but he will probably start on Saturday.
“He played in a wee bounce game against Forres the other day, and we won 7-4 behind closed doors.
“Keith played 70 minutes, scored a goal and hit the bar.”
Midfielder seeks momentum shift
Midfielder Charlie Gilmour, meanwhile, has his focus fixed on securing wins to create a feelgood factor around the Highland side.
He said: “Livingston are doing well in the Championship, so it will be a tough game for us.
“We just need to start winning and create a momentum.
“The stuff off the pitch might be a bit better once we start getting points in the bag.
“The big thing is to get that winning feeling back and build momentum.
“This is like any other game for me, whether it’s the Challenge Cup, Scottish Cup, the league – I want to play every game I play in.
“If we get a result on Saturday, it would give everyone a big boost for the league game against Annan next week.”
Getting set for 15-point punishment?
And Gilmour insists he’ll be ready should administration hit the club and a 15-point penalty is imposed to leave ICT bottom of the pack – 12 points behind Dumbarton as it stands.
He added: “Personally, I would thrive off it.
“It wouldn’t be ideal, because I feel as if we’d be good enough to chase for the league (title).
“But if the 15-point deduction happens, I would thrive off it and hopefully the boys would as well.”
The main concern for ICT this weekend is on-loan Dundee attacker Charlie Reilly, who has a hamstring injury after making his debut last week, while full-back Flynn Duffy’s recovery from a punctured lung continues.
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