Defender Gary Warren has warned Caley Thistle supporters results must take precedence on performances after Saturday’s thrilling 3-3 draw against Hearts.
The Highlanders and their Edinburgh opponents served up a treat for the 3,565 in attendance at Caledonian Stadium on Saturday.
There was real quality about the home side’s goals from David Raven, Lonsana Doumbouya and Aaron Doran but Warren knows his side will often have to sacrifice the silky football to secure important results.
The club captain said: “It’s important it was a good game for the paying audience and the supporters go home talking about what a good, entertaining team performance it was.
“But for us it has to be all about results. It’s nice to entertain but we get paid for winning and that is the priority.
“I’d rather have won 1-0 and it had been a sloppy, hard-working performance. That wasn’t the case, although there are going to be games throughout the season when we have to dig in and see out the match. Others will be entertaining.”
Victory and results elsewhere going their way would have taken Inverness to within three points of second place in the Premiership.
It was an outcome that looked likely as Raven’s wonderfully-controlled volley and Doumbouya’s clinical finish set the hosts 2-0 ahead.
But Hearts found a way back, closing the game down to 2-2 and then 3-3 after Aaron Doran’s superb third for the Highlanders.
The draw felt like a defeat for Warren.
He said: “Given the way the game panned out, we’re disappointed we haven’t come away with three points in light of the chances we had and the goals we’ve scored.
“They were fantastic goals. It’s a little bit hard to take but we played well. Maybe a couple of mistakes cost us in the end. But we were put under a bit of pressure towards the end, so a draw was not a bad result.
“On Wednesday, we passed Motherwell off the park and we did the same to Hearts at times, so it’s very pleasing we are coming into a good bit of form. It’s a consistent run with good performances and that’s really pleasing and all I can ask for.”
