Malpas triggers revenge factor

MAURICE Malpas has urged his Caley Thistle players to use the memory of their derby defeats by Ross County as motivation when the two clubs meet on Saturday.

Inverness have lost both league matches against Highland rivals Ross County in the First Division this season and assistant manager Malpas has bitter memories of their last trip to Dingwall.

County triumphed 2-1 after a blistering first-half display last November and Malpas wants the Caley Jags squad to avenge that defeat when the two teams meet again at Victoria Park on Saturday.

He said: “I think there is a slight edge when you play a derby game and I hope we have enough to go and win the game – how we play is immaterial.

“Ross County have done well this season. They had an excellent result last Saturday in the Scottish Cup, which they will be buoyant from.

“We had a bad 10 minutes up there in the first game in Dingwall and they scored two goals. I thought we were shocking in the first half, dominated the second half and just could not score.

“Hopefully, the players will use the game to motivate themselves and drive themselves on for this Saturday.

“It is about what we bring to the table and how we handle the occasion.

“As a player it is the type of game you want to play in and where you can make a name for yourself. We are at the crunch end of the season and it will be a big result for either team that wins.”

Caley Thistle are unbeaten in 11 league games and Malpas knows they must win at Victoria Park to maintain the pressure on leaders Dundee.

He said: “The only team who will gain from a draw will be Dundee. We are back in the pack. We have got ourselves into a position where Dundee will look over their shoulders and see us now as opposed to a few weeks ago when they were far in front.

“We have had a good spell unbeaten and the mental attitude of the players is geared towards winning games as opposed to performances.

“We would have lost the Morton game earlier in the season as our mindset was that we had to play well to win. We have changed that mindset and it is all about winning.”