Caley Thistle midfielder Ross Draper says outgoing team-mate Greg Tansey could make the difference in the Highlanders’ survival bid.
Tansey last week agreed a pre-contract with Aberdeen – who Caley Jags take on at Pittodrie tomorrow night – meaning he will join up with Derek McInnes’ side in the summer.
Caley Jags’ 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock on Saturday leaves them two points adrift at the foot of the Premiership and, with just eight games left, Draper reckons fellow Englishman Tansey still has a crucial role to play before his departure.
Draper said: “He’s massive. He can be the difference between staying up or not staying up, or finishing seventh or eighth. He’s that big for us. On his day he can win us a game single-handedly.
“He’s going to be big for us. We need all hands on deck, and his application and attitude is never going to be questioned, whether he signed it last week or at the end of the season.
“He always gives 100%. There’s no problem with Greg, he wants to move on. That’s up to him. His attitude is always top notch and we need him to produce. His goals and set-pieces are going to be big for us to make sure we get ourselves safe.”
Inverness hit back from behind to secure a point against Killie, with Billy Mckay levelling six minutes after Kris Boyd had opened the scoring from the penalty spot.
Draper was frustrated his side could not find a winner, with the 28-year-old sensing his side must start converting draws into victories having recorded just four league triumphs all season.
Draper added: “It’s disappointment – we see it as two points dropped.
“Maybe a point is a fair result. We were possibly the only team trying to win it.
“It’s all well and good saying we’re doing well and not getting beaten but points-wise we’re better off winning a couple and losing a couple than just drawing games.
“We want to try and turn these draws into wins but the performance and application was certainly there. It’s just getting over that little bit of confidence we haven’t had all season, with a little bit of luck to drop our way to get a goal.
“We can’t dwell on it and we’ll go again at Aberdeen. We gained a point on Ross County, who are ninth, so that’s the positive. We’ve got to try and get something from Tuesday and move on.”
