Joe Hardy aims to follow Caley Thistle boss Billy Dodds’ lead by being a nightmare for rival defenders.
The on-loan forward from Accrington Stanley has broken into the team in the past fortnight as ICT aim to secure a top-four Championship finish.
They are in fourth position, one point ahead of this afternoon’s hosts Raith Rovers.
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Both sides ended their three-month waits for league wins last weekend, with ICT impressively dispatching Arbroath 3-0 and Rovers winning 1-0 at Queen of the South, despite a number of absentees.
Hardy made many people sit up and notice when he came off the bench and caused Partick Thistle problems, albeit in a 1-0 loss at Firhill.
The 23-year-old former Liverpool fringe player’s high pressing game was a key weapon for Dodds in his playing days.
The ex-Scotland, Aberdeen and Rangers striker was known for putting in full shifts and being a menace to opponents.
Hardy hopes he can also rise to the challenge in these last seven league encounters, starting at Stark’s Park.
He said: “This league is physical and that’s what I want. The standard in training is not too dissimilar to what I’m used to, so I’m really enjoying it.
“I’ve settled in well and all the lads have been great. The intensity of the training is really good. I’ve got my fitness back up and got a start on Saturday, so I want to kick on. I’m enjoying it and want to kick on.
“It’s a different league and a different way of playing. I’ve been getting about and trying to be a nuisance for defenders.”
Players proved to be winners at last
When Hardy came on against Partick, alongside Shane Sutherland, the Caley Jags perked up in the second half, only to be undone by a late goal.
However, Dodds pitched those finishing players in against Dick Campbell’s high-fliers and they got the job done last week.
Hardy reckons the side showed against Partick that a big performance was within them.
He said: “It was a big game at Partick, but the way we turned in a better performance in that second half was really good.
“We kept the same team which finished that game for the Arbroath match on Saturday and we showed we can win these big games.”
Sinking Arbroath was ‘massive’ win
Beating a team as strong as Arbroath in the manner they did, Hardy believes, shows Inverness can be fearless ahead of this crunch run-in clash as they set off for Kirkcaldy.
He added: “It was massive last Saturday. It was exactly what we needed because our confidence was a bit low.
“We knew we could pull off a result like that and it’s good it’s come and we can push on to our next game on Saturday.
“It shows we can beat anyone in this league. We’re up there with the best in the league and we’re looking to get promoted.
“Our confidence is back up and we believe we can go and get a result. Raith are the only team who can nick the play-off place from us, so we’re ready for it.”
Hardy ‘fit and ready’ for action
Hardy suffered a calf injury when he was at Accrington last summer and made his return to the fold after surgery in November.
The loan opportunity in the New Year to come to the north of Scotland to get some competitive action fitted well and he’s feeling stronger by the week.
He said: “When I came here, I wasn’t fully match-fit, so – thanks to the intensity of the training and the game time I’ve had – I’ve built that back up.
“Hopefully the gaffer can trust me to start games now. I feel fit and ready.”
