Ross County manager Jim McIntyre has warned his players not to be distracted by the magnitude of tomorrow’s Highland derby encounter against Caley Thistle.
County make the short trip to Caledonian Stadium aiming for a victory which would open up a seven-point gap above their rivals, who are bottom of the Premiership.
A win for Inverness would draw the Staggies firmly into the relegation mix, however, and although McIntyre knows the added significance of this weekend’s match he says his players must not get caught up in the occasion.
McIntyre said: “Any time a derby comes around it’s a game on the fixture list we’re always looking forward to.
“Obviously, the magnitude of the game and the high-profile nature of it is going to be there simply because of how tight the points are between the clubs.
“It’s about going and playing the game – going and getting the better of the individual you’re up against, winning your personal tussles.
“We’ve done that well at times this season and we’re going to have to be right on top to do it again.
“We know we’re going to be facing a team which will see it as the chance to claw it back to a point between us if they beat us. And they’ll be out to get revenge for the two results earlier in the season as well.
“From that side of things we know we will have to give a top performance. If we can play like we have in several of the games lately and be better at either end, then we have a great chance.”
County have fared better away from home in recent Highland derby encounters, with just one defeat from their last six matches at Caledonian Stadium.
The Dingwall men have triumphed 3-2 in both meetings between the sides this season and McIntyre is expecting another tight match, adding: “We have a decent record there, but they have a brilliant record here as well. There’s not a lot between the two sides. They have good players who can hurt you and we have to make sure we nullify that. Equally, they know we have good players as well and they know we’re a threat. It’s up to us to put our game on to them.”
County’s top-six hopes suffered a massive blow with last weekend’s 2-1 loss against Kilmarnock but McIntyre has urged his players to channel their frustration into producing a good derby performance.
He added: “It was very sore. It’s been like that a few of the games here lately, where we’ve been done with a late goal. We created more than the opposition but the bottom line is at this stage of the season it’s about winning games and we’ve got to be better.
“We’ve got to use the disappointment to really drive us on because the players know they put so much into the game.”
