Caley Thistle captain Billy Mckay expressed pride in his under-pressure team-mates as the Highland club get set for administration.
Saturday sees Inverness host Annan Athletic in League One, with ninth-placed Inverness one place and one point below their opponents.
And the experienced forward admits it could even be a final game for ICT for any of the players depending on what unfolds in the coming days weeks.
Inverness signed a Notice of Intention to appoint administrators early next week and a 15-point penalty from the SPFL looms. This would leave ICT adrift at the foot of the third-tier.
Mckay called in the Scottish PFA for talks on Thursday to explain to the players what they might face in terms of their futures in the coming weeks.
Last weekend, the Caley Jags lost on penalties against Championship side Livingston in the SPFL Trust Trophy which followed a strong showing in a 1-0 loss at Arbroath in the league.
Young players have impressed Mckay
Striker Mckay praised his team-mates, many of whom are not even 20, for standing strong against such external pressures.
He said: “We have been really focused as a team.
“You can try to block things out, but you can’t block it all out, because it’s our jobs.
“The changing room has been really good this season. The young boys have really contributed towards that.
“That is not down to me or other older players, the younger players have been great themselves.
“It hasn’t been easy. You must get on with it, because it’s not something we can control.
“We can only control what happens on the pitch. We can’t control what happens off it.
“From the outside, I don’t know how people perceive it.
“For some players, it might be hard to work and show your best on the pitch under this kind of stress.
“The lads are giving everything. We’re so close to turning the corner in terms of results. We can do that on Saturday.”
Could this be last match for some?
Mckay hopes fans turn out in force for the Annan clash, as he keeps his fingers crossed that this won’t be some ICT players’ last appearance.
He said: “Hopefully, we will get a big crowd on Saturday, and they can really support us.
“Who knows, it might be some boys’ last game for this club. Hopefully they can support us, as the always do.
“And hopefully, for them, the club survives at the end of all this.”
Striker seeks more welcome news
Mckay, 35, who is in his third spell with Inverness, knows administration will hurt and cost jobs.
He said: “We all want to see this club continue and come through this.
“If it does go into administration, people will lose their jobs.
“That is going to be really sad because there are some really good people at this club.
“Not just players, but also staff members and everyone behind the scenes. They will be affected as well.
“Whatever happens, I hope everyone is looked after.”
Confidence high ahead of Saturday
Narrow losses against Annan in the Premier Sports Cup and League One at Galabank were sore ones earlier this season for ICT.
Mckay reckons there are so many reasons why they need to be posting wins after just one victory, six draws and two defeats so far.
He added: “Saturday is an important game, regardless of what happens with possible administration.
“We need to start winning and Annan have beaten us 1-0 twice this season.
“We feel we can beat them this weekend and we’re going into the game with confidence.
“If we do get a 15-point deduction, every point is important. If that doesn’t happen, every point is still important, so we can start climbing the table.”
Inverness will be without midfielder Charlie Gilmour with a broken hand, and on-loan Dundee forward Charlie Reilly, with a hamstring injury.
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