Caley Thistle manager John Robertson insists the Highlanders have learned nothing new about Saturday’s Championship opponents Raith Rovers.
Inverness came up against the second-tier newcomers in a Betfred Cup tie at Stark’s Park last Tuesday, with the two sides sharing a 3-3 draw before the Kirkcaldy outfit triumphed on penalties to claim the bonus point.
John McGlynn’s men have enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign since winning the League One title last year and sit top of the table with 10 points from their opening four games.
Robertson insists he saw everything he expected from Rovers last week, which will ensure the Highlanders are well prepared for this weekend’s league encounter at Caledonian Stadium.
Robertson said: “We watch our opposition a minimum of twice before we play them. We have scouts out there to look at various aspects.
“Sometimes we will tell our scout to just look at the shape of their team, other times we will tell them to look at individual parts of their team, different segments such as defence, midfield or attack.
“Everything we got back from Raith is what we saw at the start of the season. They have been absolutely flying.
“They took three off Arbroath, five off Queens and five off Morton.
“In the game last week we saw their full backs play like wingers, their wingers play like old-fashioned inside forwards and their striker is big and physical and likes to run in behind.
“We knew they would play at a very high tempo. There was no surprise about the way they played – we haven’t learned anything we didn’t know. They are a good, fast and energetic side.
“They can mix their game up, they can pass it or go direct.
“We also know if we play to our strengths, as we did more so in the second half, we are more than capable of causing them problems.”
Robertson took particular encouragement from the attacking threat his side showed against Rovers, with Shane Sutherland, James Keatings and Roddy MacGregor all getting on the scoresheet in Fife.
Robertson added: “We put ourselves on the back foot by losing a slack goal early on, but we recovered well.
“We had to deal with them, match their energy levels and their passing, movement and style for the first half in particular.
“In the second half once we told our players to be that little bit braver on the ball and pass through their early press, we caused them all sorts of problems.
“The added bonus was that fitness-wise we were stronger as the game went on.
“We dominated the majority of the second half, had three or four really good chances to put the game to bed.
“The game probably summed up our season so far in that, if we are a bit more clinical at the back and a bit more clinical up front, we will win more games than we lose.”
Robertson believes Raith have played their part in strengthening the Championship, which he feels has become a more competitive league compared to last year.
He added: “As we have said already, there is not an easy game in this league. All the Championship teams have strengthened this year, they have all got some really good young players and a stack of experience in their team.”
