Ross County co-manager Steven Ferguson says returning to the top of the Championship would make a Highland derby victory over Caley Thistle at Victoria Park tomorrow all the sweeter.
The Staggies had been the early pacesetters following their relegation from the top-flight, however a 0-0 draw at Queen of the South last weekend allowed John Robertson’s men to leapfrog the Dingwall men with a 3-2 win over Partick Thistle.
With a point separating the two sides ahead of tomorrow’s keenly-anticipated fixture, Ferguson believes a home victory would come as a huge morale boost for his side.
Ferguson said: “After getting relegated from the Premiership, we wanted to make sure we hit the ground running.
“Through the cup games and the league games, we have managed to get a reasonable amount of momentum, enjoy games and enjoy having the ball again.
“We are really happy with our start, but you can’t say Caley Thistle haven’t had as good or better a start because they find themselves a point above us.
“We have two teams that will have a real argument for winning the game, and a real appetite to do that.
“You can look at it in lots of different ways about what gives who the advantage, and it’s really about how you want to perceive it.
“It’s two teams that have had a good start to the season, and we are meeting in a game that can cement your place at the top of the league if you win it.”
Ferguson reckons familiarity has been key for Inverness, who are on an impressive run of 16 league matches undefeated stretching back to March, and he added: “The consistency of knowing the league last season, and knowing the group of players they had last season, will help them.
“With ourselves and Partick coming down, there were going to be wholesale changes. Dundee United went for a big push and had a big turnaround, while Dunfermline lost a lot of players after a good season and did a rebuild.
“Falkirk had a big turnaround too and with Alloa and Ayr coming up, Inverness are probably the most consistent group over a long period of time. That can be a positive.”
