Caley Thistle manager John Hughes has challenged his players to show they have the appetite to repeat last season’s success.
The Scottish Cup winners have been hit by an injury crisis, with six players missing last weekend’s 1-0 defeat by Motherwell, prior to captain Gary Warren’s broken leg and Josh Meekings’ knee injury sustained during the match.
Defender Carl Tremarco, and midfielders James Vincent and Aaron Doran returned to light training this week and Hughes hopes his injury concerns will ease in time for this afternoon’s Premiership trip to St Johnstone.
The Caley Jags manager reckons the early season setbacks can provide the perfect motivation for the Highlanders to silence those who doubt they can build on last season’s achievements.
Hughes said: “They’re a great bunch of boys and they’ve never let me down. Because of European football it has been a quirky kind of pre-season, one we’re not used to.
“There’s a great challenge in front of us. What we have done is make a rod for our own backs with the success we had last year.
“We were desperate for it and we had a wonderful season. What we need to do is dig deep and go again.
“We need to recreate that siege mentality and start proving people wrong.
“That’s why I think the injuries could galvanise us. That’s us down to the bare bones, so it’s about rolling up the sleeves and showing we can still do it.
“That would be my motivating factor. I’ve said it in the dressing-room, so we’ll see what happens.”
Hughes expects a tight game at McDiarmid Park this afternoon, with Saints also looking for their first points of the campaign after losing 4-3 in a dramatic match against newly-promoted Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.
Hughes added: “I saw St Johnstone last week against Hearts, it was a fantastic game.
“They’re a good side, very similar to ourselves, they’re always punching above their weight and they are always close games.
“We’ll go down there and take the game to them. One thing I can guarantee is we’ll have a go.”