Dundee-bound James Vincent is determined to give all he can in the final throes of his Caley Thistle career.
The midfielder, along with team-mate Danny Williams, signed a pre-contract agreement with Paul Hartley’s team last month.
Fit again for the first time since early in the New Year, the scorer of last May’s Scottish Cup-winning goal at Hampden Park insists he retains the same determination to perform for a team he joined from Kidderminster Harriers in June 2013.
Vincent, who chose to take the security of a three-year deal at Dens Park rather than await a new offer from Inverness, is determined to end his time in the Highlands on a high.
That means building on an improved performance at Tannadice on Saturday and grabbing the points and victories to propel John Hughes’ side to seventh in the table.
Hughes, prior to the Dundee deal, had questioned the wisdom of offering new terms to a player he classed as spending too much time on the treatment table.
Speaking about the Dundee move for the first time since it was announced, Vincent said: “When I go out on the pitch my game never changes, I give everything.
“Nothing will change with respect to Inverness just because I am moving in the summer. I have nothing but respect and admiration for this club.
“The players have had a bit of a laugh and a joke at my expense, but that’s all it is. The manager has been spot on with me. We had a chat and he couldn’t have been better. He’s helping me with my game still, so nothing has changed in that respect.
“I’m just looking forward to playing my part for the team in the last matches now.
“When the approach came from Dundee, I spoke to my family and others about it. Everyone thought it would be good for me.
“I was happy. I met Paul Hartley, the manager, and liked everything he had to say. I think he is going to be good for me.
“It is football, people move on and others come in. The manager here said the same.
“My main focus is just getting back on the pitch, getting as many minutes as I can and helping the team push up the table.”
Vincent has had sporadic injury spells, not least at the outset of this season and then again from January when an initial mis-diagnosis of a hamstring problem and a subsequent groin injury set him back.
Analyse the games he does play in, though, and the Glossop-born Englishman’s influence in his creative role has been apparent. Even in the current injury-hit campaign, his 17 appearances have included only three defeats.
Caley Thistle will hope for more of the same in the last six matches and Vincent added: “It would be good to go out on a high with a few good victories and we’re more than capable of doing that.
“To make a contribution for the team towards the end of the season is a big aim for me.
“We are capable of winning every game. We know we can do it, but it’s just sometimes this season that inconsistency has been our downfall.
“At Tannadice, in the 2-0 win on Saturday, the players were spot-on. They were on it again and, when we play like that, I can’t see us losing many games.
“We know we’re a good enough team to be in the top six but the table doesn’t lie. We are where we are for a reason.
“We have to take every game by the scruff of the neck. Seventh is our aim now. Hopefully we can get a good result against Hearts and start pushing up again.”
