WARREN BELIEVES CALEY HAVE SPOOKED RIVALS

SOME had them dead and buried before a ball was kicked. But Gary Warren, the Inverness Caley Thistle captain, believes the unexpected signs of life from those twitching Caley Thistle corpses will have struck fear into relegation rivals. Warren and his muchmaligned colleagues strained every sinew for the cause as they overcame Hamilton Accies, ensuring a day that could have ended in relegation brought fresh hope of survival. Four points, rather than seven, now separate Inverness from troubled Accies and Motherwell with nine left to play for. ‘If we win the next three games, I think we’ll stay up,’ the 32-year-old centre-half declared. ‘I truly believe that if we put in performances like that, and everyone works as hard in forthcoming games, we will stay up. ‘I think this victory will put fear into other teams. Anyone watching will have seen that we haven’t given up the fight. There’s loads of fight left in us to go again at Kilmarnock and win that game.’ There was a very different air about Richie Foran’s team from the moment they stepped out into the bright May sunshine. As the Irishman had promised, he picked ‘warriors’ — with Warren back from suspension, big Ross Draper restored to midfield and the recalled Henri Anier and Billy Mckay putting in a power of work in attack. Gone was the hesitancy. Back in evidence was the old strength and defiance of a team who used to make the ground a fortress. Warren felt being written off before the game allowed the Highlanders to play with freedom. ‘We were very good,’ he said. ‘Everyone was tracking back and showing good work-rate. It was everything we needed in a relegation battle. ‘It’s the old-fashioned clichés — hard work and determination — that got us through. ‘Looking at our position, we can only go up now. ‘Now, it’s all about showing those standards every single day in training and in every game from now until the end of the season.’