Cammy Harper insists Caley Thistle’s loan players know how much it matters that the Highland club remain in the Championship next month.
The Inverness-born full-back, 22, broke through to the first-team in 2019 and he’s determined to help ICT back to the Premiership after a seven-year absence.
Right now, he’s solely focused on beating Arbroath on Saturday to boost their chances of moving out of the relegation zone.
A Caley Thistle win would also all but relegate Arbroath to League One.
Boss Duncan Ferguson brought in several loan players in the winter window. Leeds United defender Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen and Everton midfielder Sean McAllister have gone back to their sides due to injuries after encouraging loan starts.
Wigan Athletic defender James Carragher, Livingston midfielder Samson Lawal and Luton Town forward Aribim Pepple, as well as Dundee’s Cammy Kerr and Ross County’s Alex Samuel are in until the summer before returning to their parent clubs.
Defender Morgan Boyes and midfielder Max Anderson signed on loan earlier in the campaign from Livingston and Dundee respectively.
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Relegation ‘would affect everyone’
Harper says a recent squad chat highlighted the importance of avoiding demotion to the third tier.
He said: “I might have a wee bit more of a stronger feeling (about the club), but the loan players still 100% get it.
“We had a discussion and (the outcome of the season) will affect everyone, regardless of whether you’re on loan here or not.
“Whether you’re out of contract, or you still have years left, this will affect everyone, so the boys here 100% care, although it might be just a bit different for me because I come from Inverness.
“I have never experienced relegation and touch wood I don’t. As long as we stay up, that’s all that’s on my mind.
“Relegation doesn’t look good on anyone’s CV. As a team, we’ve had that conversation. Everyone is fully on board.”
Pitch works against Inverness
Inverness have not won a Championship fixture at the Caledonian Stadium since beating Ayr United last November.
Harper believes their maximum-sized pitch is a hindrance, which suits their opponents more than the hosts.
When asked about the poor home form, which now covers nine matches, he added: “My opinion is that the pitch is too big.
“The surface itself has not been great. At the start of the season, it is always brilliant, and the groundsman Dale (Stephen) does a great job, but it has been a pretty cold winter, and the pitch has maybe not been the best. I’d say that affects it in a way, because of the way the gaffer wants us to play.
“Our home form is a lot different to our away form. We are a different team away from home. Is that because our pitch is too big and other clubs’ pitches are smaller? I don’t know what it is, but it has been like that for a couple of years.
“It only takes a few yards to get a shot off.
“If you speak about me on the left and Wallace Duffy on the other side, as full-backs, it’s not just short sprints, you have a full-pitch run to try and get up and support Billy Mckay and the other front players then getting back defensively. It’s a high demand.
“That’s maybe why there has not been a cutting edge going forward.”
‘Big two weeks’ for ICT – if they win
With nearest targets Queen’s Park four points in front and hosting leaders Dundee United this weekend, a win for ICT might close the gap before next week’s trip to Hampden to face the Spiders.
If results go their way this Saturday, ICT might have the chance to climb out of the relegation play-off spot next week with just three games to go.
Harper is aware of the potential rewards in store if they play their cards right.
He said: “You don’t want to look too far forward. I didn’t even want to know the score during Arbroath’s defeat to Airdrie on Tuesday.
“Whenever I have checked a score in a midweek game, it has been bad for us this season, so I didn’t want to look until that game was over.
“We will take it one game at a time, looking just at Arbroath. You can look too far ahead of yourselves.
“However, if we do win this weekend, which I’d like to think we can, and Queen’s don’t get a result this weekend, it makes next week even bigger.
“It is a big two weeks for us as a team, as a club, the coaching staff – everyone.”
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