Young Caley Thistle midfielder Lewis Hyde hopes putting in extra shifts after training will open the door to more game time for the Championship club.
This is a real breakthrough season for the 20-year-old, who has been with ICT since the age of nine.
He’s made six appearances so far this term, building on 13 last year, and he is ready for action if called upon away to Dundee on Saturday in a third v fifth game where a win would take Inverness above their hosts.
Coaches’ help is gratefully accepted
Hyde has been heartened by the advice of Billy Dodds, assistant Scott Kellacher, first-team coach Barry Wilson and head of performance Ross Hughes as he aims to make an impact, although he joked his thirst for learning must irk them at times.
He said: “The coaching staff must be annoyed by the number of questions I ask, but they have all been exceptional with me.
“They never shy away when I ask to do anything extra and try and better myself. I always want to give myself the best chance to play on a Saturday.
“Higgy (Ross Hughes) has been especially great with me, helping me do work in the gym, but they have all been brilliant with me.
“I always want to train more and I’m lucky we’ve got coaches who are willing to help players like me improve.”
Naturally a midfielder, but apart from donning Mark Ridgers’ gloves, it sounds as if he’ll answer any call, given how he’s covered for Wallace Duffy and David Carson in defence due to injuries.
He said: “I just love playing – if the gaffer asks me to play in any position, I’d never say no.
“If I play, it helps me develop other areas of my game. I like to have different qualities by playing in different positions.
“Learning to play in different positions will hopefully give me the chance to play more games in the future.”
Work-rate blew Rovers away – Hyde
Last weekend’s matches were called off as a mark of respect following the death of the Queen on Thursday.
Prior to that, ICT recovered from back-to-back losses against Partick Thistle and Morton by beating Raith Rovers 2-0 in Kirkcaldy.
It was a victory which hauled the Highlanders back up to mid-table and within striking distance of the promotion-chasers.
Hyde explained that dumping Raith in the manner they did really lifted the group and they cannot wait to lock horns with Dundee.
He added: “Everyone has been buzzing at training and the standard has been really high.
“After the call-off last week, we’re determined to kick on from the Raith game. It was a case of every single player doing their job.
“It wasn’t as if we walked over Raith, but we outworked them and that has to be our main focus every time.”
Front-foot start sought at Dundee
And Hyde is urging his Inverness team-mates to take the game to the Dark Blues to grasp control of the contest.
He said: “We always want to prove how good a team we are on our day. We’re well into the season now and we need to get into the routine whereby winning becomes a habit.
“The mood around the camp has changed significantly since beating Raith. The training and confidence have definitely grown.
“This will be my first time down at Dens as part of the squad, and I’m looking forward to it.
“We want to start the game well and bring the intensity to it in the first half. After that, it will be up to us to manage the game.
“We want to build on the way we played against Raith, where we were relentless. Hopefully, we can go down and mirror that performance.”
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