Goalkeeper Ryan Esson believes Caley Thistle’s players sent a defiant message to the doubters on Saturday.
The veteran goalkeeper, recalled in favour of Wales international Owain Fon Williams, was relieved as his side rallied from two goals down at home to Dundee just four days after being branded “bottlers” by manager Richie Foran.
Foran had questioned his players’ appetite after 12 league matches without a win, but got the response he wanted with a 2-2 draw.
Had it not been for a missed Billy Mckay penalty and some desperate luck in front of goal in the first half, victory would have surely materialised with Greg Tansey scoring a late leveller for Inverness.
Esson, the 36-year-old former Aberdeen goalkeeper said: “We probably deserved three points going on chances, hitting the post and missing a penalty. But it shows we’ve got that spirit and are all in it together.
“We could have let ourselves get a bit down when they scored, but these things happen and we had to regroup.
“We said at half-time we were more than capable of getting something out of the game. But we rode our luck a little bit as well, which we haven’t had a lot of.”
Esson insisted the Highlanders have never let results erode the mood and added: “The league is very tight and it’s not going to be the same number of points this year to get into the top six, so we are still looking upwards. We’re not thinking about anything else. We are just being positive.”
Esson has never accepted a number two role as a given and said: “It’s been a long time since I’ve played and I enjoyed it. I always said I’d be there if the manager needed me and he felt like he wanted a little change, which is fine.
“I coach Owain so I now have to ask how Owain is going to push me. That’s my job, to find that balance.
“I never wanted to slip into the shadows. I keep myself fit training and going to the gym and I’ve been patient.
“I’ll never knock on the manager’s door, it wouldn’t be right. I would lose the trust of the goalkeepers I coach if I did. It’s up to the manager if he wants to play me.
“But when he asked me to do it, I was more than happy to try to help get a result.”
