Caley Thistle defender Josh Meekings believes his side can be best of the rest in the bottom half of the Scottish Premiership but his first priority is to secure his club’s place in the division.
The Highlanders missed out on a place in the top half of the table by three points in a keenly contested pre-split race and the fight for survival in the bottom half ensures there is no room for relaxing for any of the six teams.
Dundee United are eight points adrift at the Premiership basement but it is the play-off place which is causing the clubs great concern, with nine points separating 11th placed Kilmarnock and seventh placed Dundee.
Caley Jags are eight points clear of Killie and have the chance to all but secure their place with victory against the Ayrshire outfit in Sunday’s lunchtime kick-off at Caledonian Stadium.
Inverness manager John Hughes wants his players to target a seventh place finish and Meekings is confident his side can finish above Dundee and Partick Thistle, but his first priority is ending any lingering doubts of a play-off place becoming an issue at the club.
He said: “We have to make sure we are best of the rest in the final five games.
“It has been massive for us to be in the top six in recent years and it is disappointing not to be there this time. The goalless draw with Hearts showed what might have been had we been able to put a run together this season. But it’s gone now and we have to focus on the last five games.
“We’ve got three home games and a win against Kilmarnock would keep us safe. It’s a must-win for us and if we can put that issue to bed we can then focus on finishing the season strongly.”
Hughes is bracing himself for a fraught finale to the campaign but is confident his team will not be involved in a dogfight near the bottom of the table and is determined to keep his players focused on finishing the season with a flourish.
He said: “We want seventh spot, it means a lot to the club and there is a financial reward to play for, too. But no game is going to be easy. There will be trepidation and tension for a lot of the teams who will cut each other’s throats but we’ve got strong players in this side and we’re looking to finish the season well.”