COUNTY WILL TRY TO HELP INVERNESS SURVIVE

ROSS COUNTY captain Andrew Davies insists the Dingwall club’s players and management are united in a desire to see Highland rivals Inverness Caley Thistle survive in Scotland’s top league. Victory for Hamilton against County tonight would seal relegation for the team situated just 14 miles along the road. It would also knock Inverness down to a league below their great foes for the first time in their 23-year rivalry. But Davies (pictured) is already hooked on local derbies despite having just completed his second season with the Staggies — and is desperate for the win that would breathe fresh life into Caley Thistle’s drop fight. ‘There’s a rivalry between the clubs, undoubtedly, but we want them in this league,’ said the former Middlesbrough defender. ‘It’s good for the area to have the derby, so we’ll be doing everything we possibly can to beat Hamilton. That’s our aim. ‘We don’t really think about anything else, but of course we want Caley Thistle to stay up. It’s a local derby, good for the area and there are good lads over there. ‘I don’t wish to see anyone relegated. It affects families and everything like that so, fingers crossed, we can get the job done and Caley Thistle can get a couple of big results. ‘It will feel a bit strange if they do go down. This is only my second season here at County, but I always look forward to those games. There’s a bit of banter around the town. ‘Hopefully, they can turn it around. ‘We don’t think about it too much, though, as we’re out to get a result for ourselves. ‘We have our own targets — we want to finish seventh — and I’m confident we can do it.’ Relying on County to give his team even a slender chance of staying up doesn’t sit well with Inverness boss Richie Foran, albeit he managed to crack a smile. ‘I’m not surprised they’re saying they love the derbies — they’ve come out on top in most this season,’ said Foran, whose team’s two final games are at Dundee tomorrow and at home to Motherwell on Saturday. ‘It’s a fantastic fixture for fans on both sides of the bridge and we need both clubs in the league. ‘If both County and ourselves win in midweek, we go two points behind Hamilton going into the last day of the season. ‘What a big game that would be for Hamilton (against Dundee) on the final day. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.’