Caley Thistle utility player David Proctor reckons team-mate Nick Ross will become an Inverness idol if Ross can repeat his scoring exploits against Ross County this weekend.
Ross achieved cult status among the fans as his crucial second-half winner against Morton last weekend moved Terry Butcher’s men within three points of long-time First Division leaders Dundee in the race for promotion.
Ross, 19, answered an emergency call from Butcher to fill the gap left by Richie Foran, who is serving a two-match suspension.
Now Proctor reckons the talented midfielder can achieve hero status should he help Caley Jags come up trumps when they travel to face County in this weekend’s Highland derby.
Proctor said: “Nick got a lot of praise for his goal last week but it would be nothing like what he would get if he could do the same to County.
“He’s an Inverness boy who knows what it means to play for the club, especially against your local rivals.
“It was a big ask to come in and replace a player of Richie’s quality but he just took it in his stride.
“Nothing seems to faze him so a derby in front of a full house at Dingwall will just fire him up even more.
“It’s up to him now to try and make a place of his own in the team and scoring winning goals in important games is the best way to go about it. We’ve no doubts he’s got a big future.”
Inverness have a big score to settle with their Victoria Park rivals. The Staggies have beaten them twice in the league this season. But Butcher’s men have been staging a remarkable revival recently to leave them breathing down Dundee’s necks.
So the Caley Thistle camp is one of high optimism going into the big derby game and the title run-in.
Proctor added: “County have had the bragging rights in the league – which is something we want to address.
“Derby games are special and we feel that this particular one is coming at just the right time for us.
“We’re 10 games unbeaten and on a roll. We’ve always felt we would be in challenging come the end of the season and so we’ve been proved right. A win on Saturday would put more pressure on Dundee and we feel there’s a few more twists and turns to come yet.”