Caley Thistle manager John Robertson has urged his players to get back to doing the basics right after watching his side held to yet another draw on Sunday.
Edinburgh City earned a Scottish Cup third round replay at Caledonian Stadium next Tuesday thanks to Blair Henderson’s equaliser three minutes from time but the manner of the League Two side’s late leveller was all too depressingly familiar for the Caley Jags boss.
Sunday’s draw at Ainslie Park was the club’s ninth in the last 10 matches and Robertson is growing weary of enduring his own version of Groundhog Day.
He said: “A lack of concentration and slackness has cost us another game and you just had to look at Edinburgh’s record this year to know the threat they possess.
“If our players want to be competing at the top of the league they have to be clinical and the amount of draws we’ve had are no surprise as the cup-tie was like the other games.
“We don’t kill teams off at one end and then give away silly goals at the other.
“I want to look at my back four and midfield and see them not giving away silly goals, pressing the ball high up the park and seeing out games like these.”
The loss of a late equaliser at Ainslie Park was in stark contrast to the thrilling rally from 3-0 down to earn a draw at Queen of the South the previous weekend and the Caley Thistle manager is at a loss to explain the fluctuating level of tempo from his side.
However, he knows Edinburgh City will travel to Caledonian Stadium next week looking to confident of creating a cup shock in the replay.
He said: “For 70 minutes we were outfought by Queen of the South but in the last 20 minutes we were magnificent and from 3-0 down we should have won it.
“We were 3-0 down before we found the desire and if we can play like that from the start we will win most games.
“I have to credit Edinburgh for hanging in there and we know they will do exactly the same in the replay.
“They are a team who are winning games, doing well in their own league and they are a threat. We’ll have to deal with that better than we did.”
