Lewis Hyde believes Caley Thistle’s victory over Partick Thistle can be the catalyst for a Championship play-off push.
Nathan Shaw’s goal secured a fine triumph for Inverness on Friday, with Billy Dodds’ men playing much of the second half with 10 men following the dismissal of skipper Sean Welsh.
The result moves them to within six points of Thistle, who occupy fourth-place, with a further game in hand.
With fifth-placed Morton up next at Cappielow next weekend, Hyde is eager to generate timely momentum ahead of his side’s seven remaining games.
‘Not an ideal situation’
He said: “I think it can be the kick-start of something special, to go on and make a drive for the play-offs.
“We have a game in hand on Partick, and we are only four points behind Morton who we play next week.
“It brings us right into the thick of things again, after a couple of poor performances in the last couple of weeks.
“We’ve got every fighting chance.
“It’s not an ideal situation to be in, but that three points can just kick-start something.
“We are focusing on the league just now – we will take the semi-final as it comes. It is the pinnacle of our season so far, but right now we’ve got to focus solely on those play-offs.
“That’s the biggest part for us – it gives us a chance at promotion.
“You look at our Scottish Cup games, we have played two of the Premiership teams and done very well.
“We have beaten Livingston twice already this season, and they are in the top half of the Premiership.
“Any team, on any given day, can beat somebody in this league. It’s all about maybe not playing the prettiest of football, but just getting the job done and getting the points on the board.”
‘Really special changing room’
Welsh’s red card was heavily disputed by Caley Jags, with Dodds confirming the club intend to appeal referee Grant Irvine’s decision.
Hyde felt the resolve Inverness showed to hold out for the points in the circumstances was highly encouraging.
He added: “I think that’s where great teams come in to play.
“In conditions like that, and when you go down to 10 men, with where we want to be we have got to deal with these things.
“You can make your own luck, and that summed up a really good team performance.
“All the boys dug in. It was a game of two halves. It was 50-50 until the point we had a man sent off.
“We scored beforehand, so we managed to sit in tight and sit disciplined as a unit and as a team.
“The boys were working that extra bit harder for each other. I think we’ve got a really special changing room.”
Hyde drafted in at short notice
Hyde was drafted into the starting line-up at the 11th hour, after Danny Devine pulled up with a calf injury in the warm-up.
It was Hyde’s first start since January, with the 20-year-old making a strong impact in the game.
Hyde was thrilled with the way he and his team-mates adapted to the late change.
He added: “It has been a while, I have kept patient, but it’s about taking my chance when it comes.
“Danny Devine was shaping up to start, he was carrying a knock anyway, and I got the late shout to step in.
“I’m just going to take my chance when it comes and I’m always going to be available, no matter what the situation is going to be.
“I think it shows a bit of resilience from the team as a whole, as we can adjust regardless of the situation.”
Conversation