Caley Thistle captain Gary Warren believes Saturday’s 2-1 win against Hamilton Accies set the standard of performance they must replicate in their last three games to have any chance of staying in the Premiership.
Bottom club Inverness moved to within four points of Accies and Motherwell with the victory, only their fifth league win of the campaign.
Richie Foran’s players produced one of their best performances of the season to defeat the Lanarkshire outfit with goals from Brad McKay and Greg Tansey. Danny Redmond scored late on for the visitors.
Defender Warren knows more of the same is needed if the Highlanders are to pull off the great escape and said: “We can only go up now. We can only jump places and try to catch teams in front of us.
“It’s like the pressure is a little bit off us because everyone expects us now to be finished and we’re all doom and gloom.
“Now it’s all about showing those standards from Saturday every single day in training and in every game now until the end of the season.”
Next up for Inverness is Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday and Warren knows there is no margin for error.
The 32-year-old added: “It has to be a turning point. Ultimately, if we go back to our old ways and we lose a game, that would be us finished and out of the league.
“The players who performed well on Saturday now have to go and do it again. They have to do it again in training. The standards are high at this club and we need to maintain them and try to improve every time we step on to the pitch.”
The victory was only Inverness’ second from the last 24 matches and Warren hopes it has not come too late in his side’s hopes of a revival.
He added: “There’s always frustration when we’re left wondering why we’re in this mess, if we can produce performances like that.
“But that’s where we are. I can’t give an answer why we’re in that position. All I can say is Saturday has to be the benchmark of where we’re going to be and kick on next week.”
