Billy Mckay insists Caley Thistle need not look far into the past for evidence they can compete with the Championship’s leading sides.
Inverness are looking to arrest a five-match run without a win when they make the trip to Ayr United today.
The sequence follows an impressive 4-1 victory away to Queen’s Park – which Mckay feels was his side’s best display of the campaign so far.
During the last round of fixtures, Inverness have also claimed draws away to Dundee United and Partick Thistle, who occupy places in the top three.
Mckay insists recent form has done nothing to diminish his belief in the Highlanders’ ability.
He said: “I think the most disappointing thing for me is that it has come off the back of our best performance of the season against Queen’s Park.
“I really felt we were going to go on a run then, and kick on. The disappointing thing for me is that we have not done that.
“The Partick Thistle game shows how we can play, and that was only two games ago.
“If we get back to that, we can beat anyone in the division.
“As players I think we need to start taking a bit more responsibility as well. The season has not gone how we would want it to, we have obviously lost a manager halfway through.
“Another one has come in, and we have had a little blip in the last couple of games.
“As players we need to really step up now and take responsibility, go out there and get the win.”
Mckay feels Inverness’ performance has dropped in last two matches
Mckay believes it is only in Caley Jags’ last two matches – in which they have been held to a goalless draw at home to Morton before suffering a 2-0 defeat at Airdrie on Tuesday – that performance levels have dipped.
Northern Irishman Mckay is determined to remedy this at Somerset Park, adding: “If you take out the last two games, before that the performances were still there. We maybe just didn’t have that bit of luck.
“It’s just little things like that which have maybe gone against us.
“But in the last couple of performances we have not been ourselves. It’s about getting back to how we were playing in that Queen’s Park game, games before that, and the Partick Thistle game.
“As players we need to get back to those levels, and if we do that, we will win games.”
A victory over the Honest Men would see Duncan Ferguson’s men leapfrog their opponents into seventh position in the Championship.
Mckay is eager to kick start a run of momentum which can see his side challenging further up the table.
The 35-year-old added: “I think it’s the old one where you take it a game at a time, but, of course, if you are not winning games, you do start naturally looking behind you.
“I still believe in the squad, and still believe we’ve got enough in that dressing room. I think we have shown it in glimpses this season and we’ve got to put a run together.
“If you go on a run, you do find yourselves back in the play-off mix.
“That has to be the target, but first and foremost we have to go to Ayr and get three points – that’s the main thing now.
“We need to stop the run, and then go on a run ourselves. That’s what we will be looking to do.”
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