Max Ram insists Caley Thistle are confident of turning around their sliding fortunes when they travel to Partick Thistle in the Championship on Friday.
Inverness have not posted a league win since beating Cove Rangers 1-0 in mid-October and the injury list remains lengthy, with nine players on the sidelines, mostly with medium to long-term recovery periods in place.
Defender Ram, 22, a summer signing from Wycombe Wanderers last played on December 3 when ICT were edged out 1-0 by in-form Dundee thanks to a Paul McMullan rocket.
A mainly under-18 ICT side then lost 2-0 at Hamilton in the SPFL Trust Trophy after that and Saturday’s league fixture back at Accies was frozen off and will be rearranged.
Friday’s fifth-placed hosts Partick are two spots and four points higher than ICT, so it’s crucial for Billy Dodds’ side to get a win in Glasgow and start climbing the division.
🔜 Our final match of 2022 is this Friday as we face Partick Thistle away from home
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— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) December 21, 2022
Inverness eager to prove their worth
Ram welcomed the fortnight away from games, but insists work has been going on to be razor-sharp for the Maryhill Jags.
He said: “Any break does help, but we’re still working hard in training and getting into good shape for the game on Friday.
“We’re feeling good and we’re going into this one with confidence.
“It’s not great at the minute in terms of our injury list, but we’re just trying to keep everyone else in good shape.
“We know we can beat any team in this league, including Partick Thistle.
“We can compete with the best teams in the Championship and, having beaten Thistle 1-0 at home last time, we have confidence that we can take that into Friday.
“We will be going all out to try and get a result, which I know we’re more than capable of doing.”
Clinical edge missing against Dundee
Ram explained the recent loss to Dundee was a tough one to take, but was also a lesson in finishing.
He added: “The Dundee defeat was harsh. They had one clear-cut chance and they put it away, whereas we had several chances but we just couldn’t put the ball into the back of the net.
“Despite that, we’re still growing in confidence and I’m sure results are coming. We will get points on the board soon enough to help us get out of the rut that we’re in.
“We know the teams above us right now are not necessarily better than us, but we are where we are.
“There have been times where we’ve not been playing great, but we know we should be right up there.
“It’s down to us to put it right and I’m sure we will sooner rather than later.”
Caley Thistle crashed to a 4-1 defeat at Partick in August, but responded when Billy Mckay hit the only goal between the rivals in Inverness in October.
Meanwhile, ICT under-18s’ Jamie Carnahan and Aaron Nicolson have been selected to represent Scottish Schools in the Centenary Shield for 2023.
Scotland kick off against Republic of Ireland at home on Thursday, February 23, travel to Northern Ireland on Thursday, March 2, host England on Friday, March, 31 before finishing away to Wales on Thursday, April 13.
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