Aaron Doran is challenging his Caley Thistle team-mates to prove they are better than their results have shown and kick-start a fresh promotion push.
The Dublin-born wide midfielder, who recently returned from a month out with a hip injury, is determined to drive the Highlanders on to victory at Partick Thistle on Friday night in the Championship.
ICT supporters have been critical of head coach Billy Dodds as the winless run broke into double figures in last week’s 1-1 draw at Hamilton, but their dip in form isn’t exclusive to them.
Inverness and fellow promotion hopefuls Raith Rovers have identical league form since winning their last games on December 11.
They have each drawn six times and lost four since beating Morton and Kilmarnock respectively.
Returning players will boost side
Doran was aware of the similar runs, but he said: “We’re a far better team than we’ve shown since our last win.
“Our main aim is to get the win that will kick us forward. We also have more experienced players coming back from injury to put pressure on those who have been playing.”
The 30-year-old playmaker is thrilled to be back on the pitch and is determined to use his experience and influence to drive the team on to winning ways once more.
He said: “There are nine massive games to go. We want to go out there feeling we can win any game and start a run and see where that takes us.
“It’s great for me to be back from injury now with these nine games, with so much to play for.
“I want to have a big impact. I want to try and help the team to try and get this club back into the Premiership – that’s where everyone wants to play.
“There are a lot of teams fighting for that, but we need to be hungry and kick-start a run. The fans are getting frustrated, but we’re all determined to get the win to keep us at least within the play-offs. If we do that, we can then aim to catch the sides above us.”
🚌 The @ICT_STC are running a bus this Friday to Firhill to our game against Partick Thistle
The Bus leaves the Social Club at 2:45pm and the Caledonian Stadium at 3pm on Friday
Book via https://t.co/4EBEDAVeXO or via 07462218717 pic.twitter.com/Ht8nrPRuWe
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) March 1, 2022
Strong performances against Partick
Friday’s hosts Partick Thistle moved into fourth place with a 1-1 draw at Arbroath on Tuesday and would overtake the Highlanders with a win – and still have two games in hand.
ICT are unbeaten against the Jags this season, winning 3-1 at the Caledonian Stadium, drawing 0-0 in a game they dominated in Glasgow then just a few weeks ago, hitting back three times for a 3-3 home draw.
Doran, whose only league strike came against Partick last September, takes heart from Caley Thistle’s performances against Ian McCall’s team ahead of the Maryhill showdown.
He added: “We’ve played well against Partick this season. In the second half of the 3-1 win here, we were really strong.
“The 0-0 game down there was one of our strongest performances of the season then it was an entertaining draw against them last month, so we know what they give. They have good, attacking players – such as Brian Graham who scores a lot of goals.
“We will just concentrate on ourselves.”
Firhill pitch won’t trouble Doran
Partick’s problem pitch – caused by Queen’s Park using it too – doesn’t lend itself to a surface for pretty football. But Doran insists the team are prepared for it.
He said: “When we played there earlier in the season, the pitch was fine, but having seen it on TV this week, it doesn’t look great. There’s not much grass on it.
“We will deal with it though. Partick are obviously more used to it, but we’ve all played on bad pitches, so it won’t be in our heads. We will get on with the game.”
Entire team must find scoring touch
ICT travel to Firhill on the back of a positive performance at Hamilton last Friday, with on-loan Bristol City starlet Sam Pearson cancelling out an early Josh Mullin strike.
Doran insists all players must find the net to cash in on their play when on top.
He said: “It was a strong performance, especially in the second half, going into the last 15-20 minutes when we created three or four really good chances.
“It was great for Sam to score, although I’d be even happier if I had stuck one away too.
“Sam’s a great lad and he’s been doing well. He’s sharp and is definitely an asset to the team. It was good for him to get his first professional goal.
“Hopefully there’s more to come. We all need to chip in now.”
