Nathan Shaw insists Caley Thistle are determined to arrest the slide and kick-start their season with a win at home to Championship leaders Ayr United on Saturday.
Inverness have an injury crisis, with up to 10 players sidelined with injury ahead of this sixth v first showdown.
ICT have not won any of their last six games and trail their visitors by six points going into this clash.
Last week’s disappointing 2-1 defeat against Queen’s Park from a winning position was the latest set-back for Billy Dodds’ Highlanders.
ICT are ‘capable’ of title challenge
And winger Shaw explained he’s raring to get out there to chase maximum points against the Honest Men.
He said: “It’s obviously a game I’m looking forward to.
“We’ve let ourselves down with our results the last few weeks, so we’re all raring to go.
“We all know what we’re capable of, we want to be at the top end of the table at the end of the season.
🎟️ Tickets are available for Saturday's game against Ayr United
Tickets are cheaper if bought before 12pm on Saturday
💻 Online from https://t.co/6z5nBMn9qE
🛍️ From the Club Shop (10am until 4pm on weekdays)
📞 Over the phone on 01463 222880 pic.twitter.com/UOKTozab6I— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) November 16, 2022
“In the last few games, we haven’t been as good as we can be, so we’re looking to get back to being a good team and hopefully we’ll get the win.
“We know what we’re capable of as a group, and we’ve shown we can string results together and win four or five on the bounce.”
Ruthless edge needed to sink rivals
Caley Thistle have bagged only two points from a possible 15 and have drawn against Arbroath and lost to Queen’s Park after leading 1-0 each time.
Shaw, 21, feels they had to finish off their opponents when they’re in control in games.
He said: “There’s always an opportunity to win games, because we do create chances.
“It’s just about putting the ball in the back of the net like we did last Saturday.
“We went 1-0 up, and if we had got a second goal it would have given us a massive boost.
🍺 The ICT Sports Bar will be open from 1pm on Saturday ahead of our cinch Championship match against @AyrUnitedFC
Last Entry/Orders: 2:30pm | Closes: 2:45pm
Limited offering available. Home and Away fans welcome. Must produce match ticket to gain entry pic.twitter.com/YnD60pPHuM
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) November 17, 2022
“It’s about being ruthless, once we get one we have to go on and get another.
“That will take pressure off the defence if we can put balls in the back of the net.”
Caley Thistle target confidence-lifter
Although Ayr, firing largely due to 13-goal striker Dipo Akinyemi, are tough opponents to face right now, Shaw knows the benefits would be great should they win.
He added: “It’s going to be a great challenge for us, and obviously if we can get a win against top of the league it will give us a lot of confidence going into the next few games.”
Shaw, who was a summer signing from Fylde, has three goals to his name this season and he insists the injury-hit team are united in their efforts to return to winning ways.
He said: “We’re definitely down on numbers at the minute, so we’ve got to stick together and work hard as we always do. Hopefully the results will turn around.”
Conversation