Caley Thistle defender Danny Devine is determined to make the most of the quick opportunity to gain revenge on Hamilton Accies tonight.
Inverness fell to a 3-0 home defeat against the Lanarkshire outfit on Saturday, and make the trip to New Douglas Park this evening in a rearranged fixture.
Caley Jags have not fared well against John Rankin’s side this season, having lost all three meetings without finding the net.
Having progressed to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup with an excellent 3-0 win over Livingston the previous week, Devine is eager to get back on track against tonight’s bottom-of-the-table opponents.
Devine said: “We finished the previous week on such a high and coming home we fancied ourselves to get three points.
“It didn’t work out that way and we were bitterly disappointed. We let ourselves down, but we get another crack at them, we could have waited five or six weeks but we get the chance to put it right and that is the main thing.
“Coming off the previous game we were confident and it was some of the best football we have played. Towards the end of the half, we fell under the trap a bit.
“They came with a game plan to be tight and hard to break down. We were slow on the ball because we got too comfortable.
“The mistake came and they took advantage and that is the game plan they had. But that is up to us to be better. We need to be ruthless in front of goal and at the back.”
Inverness eager to bounce back from first league loss of year
Saturday was Caley Thistle’s first league defeat of 2023, with the seventh-placed Highlanders now five points adrift of the play-off spots.
Irishman Devine, who is in his second spell at the club, is eager to spark a run of momentum in the coming weeks.
He added: “Every game has been like that the last couple of weeks, but even more so now.
“Especially after the disappointment of Saturday, we have a run of tough fixtures at home. In the past couple of seasons, we have stood up and been counted and we will look to do that in the next couple of weeks.
“If you are consistent you give yourself a good chance of winning this league, it has been the story of our season and it has been up and down, we can’t find the consistency.
“We put on a brilliant performance last week and then it wasn’t good enough, but we need to put it behind us.”
Competition for places starting to emerge once again
Inverness are starting to welcome back a number of their injury absentees, who have been sidelined in recent weeks.
Austin Samuels came off the bench to make his first appearance since September, while Robbie Deas was also among the substitutes after recovering from a broken leg.
Devine hopes the added competition can boost his side’s performances.
The 30-year-old said: “It is always a good thing. Competition for places means boys can’t get slack, they need to train properly as there is someone ready to take their spot.
“It’s not a bad thing having those boys back. It will take them a bit to get up to speed, but the sooner the better as it helps us as a squad and it is good to have them back.”
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