Caley Thistle forward Nikolay Todorov is urging his side not to get carried away with recent form as they approach Friday’s Highland derby against Ross County.
Rivals Inverness and County will face each other for the first time since April 2019 in this weekend’s Scottish Cup third round tie.
It will be Bulgarian attacker Todorov’s first taste of the encounter since he joined from Falkirk later that year.
Although Caley Jags will go into the game as underdogs given their Championship status, Neil McCann’s side will approach the tie in confident mood having racked up four successive wins.
Having struggled for form prior to that run, Todorov says his side must replicate the standards that have been set in recent weeks in order to pull off a victory over the Staggies.
Todorov said: “It is going to be my first Highland derby. We will look through the week at where we can improve and really look forward to that game.
“Hopefully we can pick up another win to keep our run going.
“We are confident from the last few games, but we don’t forget where we were only a few games ago.
“We’re determined to make sure we don’t find ourselves back in the same position we were a few weeks ago near the wrong end of the table.
“We’re just working hard to try to improve and the lads have a great attitude – everyone works hard for each other.
“We’ll take it from there and, hopefully, get the win.”
Todorov netted the winner in Saturday’s 1-0 triumph over Arbroath, clocking up a third goal in seven games to make him Caley Jags’ leading scorer with six for the campaign.
The 24-year-old is pleased with the service he is receiving from his team-mates, and feels the loan addition of Hibernian midfielder Scott Allan can only boost his prospects of adding to that tally.
He added: “I don’t look at it as a personal achievement.
“The service was from Cameron Harper and two of my last three are from Cammy’s crosses.
“It is teamwork. I said to the guys if they can provide for me, I will put myself out there and do everything possible to get the end product.
“Bringing in a quality player like Scott Allan is a massive plus.
“We saw his ability against Arbroath and he linked up well, I think. It wasn’t the best game for anyone to play in, but you could see his qualities and I’ll be really happy if we can figure out a partnership for the remainder of the season.
“A player like him can only help me and the team. His distribution, touch and technique is really good and I’m really happy he is here.”
Todorov had been a doubt for the game due to an adductor strain, but he hopes Caley Jags can benefit from a longer rest period ahead of Friday’s game, following a hectic recent schedule.
He added: “I only trained on the day before the game because I came off with an injury in the previous game, which was frustrating.
“I did a lot of work through the week to make myself available for the Arbroath game.
“I’m really happy I was able to play.
“We need a little bit of rest, but not only that – I’ve not really had a day off at all over the last two months.
“It has just constantly been recovery and trying to do some strength work in the gym, which is important in getting you through that many games.”
