Billy Dodds hopes Caley Thistle can find a clinical edge despite the absence of talismanic striker Billy Mckay against Dundee.
Mckay will be sidelined for the trip to Dens Park, after being sent off in the closing stages of Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss to Hamilton Accies.
The Northern Irishman has been on excellent form in recent weeks, having won the cinch Championship player of the month award for January.
His tally of 14 goals for the campaign has put him on track to close in on Dennis Wyness’ all-time goalscoring record for the club.
Wyness’ record stands at 101 goals with Mckay sitting on 94.
Dodds knows he will need to find an alternative focal point for his side against the Dark Blues, as Caley Jags look to bounce back from successive defeats to Hamilton Accies.
Dodds said: “We’re going to have to look at it.
“We need someone to play striker for us, and we have a few options, so we’ll see what we come up with.
“I just want someone to stand up and take the bull by the horns, and be ruthless.
“We worked on areas we wanted to work well against Hamilton.
“We showed them video and told them where we wanted to exploit, and I don’t think we could have done any better.
“It just needed people to get on the end of it, and when we did the ball found a way to stay out.
“When you’re not winning games, there’s frustration, and I’m as frustrated as anyone.
“When results go against some teams their performances are flat, and we’re not like that. We’re still playing good football, we’re just not getting the rewards. It’s as simple as that.”
Deas back on the field
Inverness were boosted by the return of Robbie Deas to the field on Tuesday, with the defender making his first appearance since October following a broken leg.
Dodds feels Deas, who has been linked with a move to Livingston, can have a major role to play after returning from injury ahead of schedule.
He added: “I’m delighted for him.
“He’s such a good pro, he’s had a long wait and there have been little things where he’s had aches and pains and had to make sure he rested.
“It has been a long road, but he has pushed himself and we were all delighted to see him back because he could be a big player for us over the rest of the season.”
Numbers starting to return for Caley Thistle
Deas joins Austin Samuels in making a return to the squad, with Dodds also revealing Roddy MacGregor is nearing a recovery from injury.
Dodds says patience is required in getting players back up to speed, adding: “It was great to see Robbie and Austin getting minutes again, but you can see it’s a process.
“It’s not like they’ve been training for a week and thrown straight back out there, there’s a lot to factor in.
“They’re getting there though, the same way Cameron Harper and Scott Allardice did.
“It’s looking healthier squad-wise, but some of them just aren’t up to speed. Hopefully, that happens soon.
“I’m desperate to get them into the team, but I can’t be silly about it.
“I can’t just throw them in and wreck their bodies straight away. You’ve got to do the right conditioning – right through their rehab to getting back on the training ground, and then gauging how long they get in a game.
“We’re there with Cameron and Scott, and we’re nearly there with Austin and Robbie, but we’re definitely getting there now which is great news.”
Conversation