The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Building blocks to success
Championship: Caley Jag Polworth confident after recent good run
Caley Thistle midfielder Liam Polworth believes the club have laid some solid foundations for next season even if they end up falling short in their playoff bid.
A stoppage-time equaliser from Nicky Clark in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Dunfermline was a hammer blow for ICT’s chances and they now need the Pars to lose at home to Dumbarton on Saturday and beat Livingston and Morton themselves to have any chance of making the top four.
“We’ve been under pressure to win games but been managing to get job done”
It’s a tall order but few would have even given the Highlanders a chance of getting this close a month ago.
Polworth said: “It’s a good run we’ve been on lately, we’ve been under pressure to win games but been managing to get the job done.
“A lot will happen over the summer but if we can keep the winning going and take it into next season, it’s a good place to start from.”
Since losing 1-0 at Dunfermline on March 13, Inverness have gone 10 matches unbeaten and thrust themselves back into play-off contention with five straight league wins going into Saturday’s clash.
Having bounced back from losing an early goal to Andy Ryan through strikes from Joe Chalmers and Nathan Austin, it looked as if Inverness were going to take all three points before Clark’s 95th minute header.
It was a deflating moment for the players but Polworth insists it didn’t all come down to that single day.
He said: “It was really disappointing having got ourselves into a good position, to lose it in the last minute was really hard to take. But we know it didn’t all fall apart on that day. We let ourselves down for large spells of the season.
“We did well to get into where we had a chance but we still would have had to win another two tough games.
“It’s tough to take but we just have to keep going. Sometimes it comes off for you.
“If we win tonight we can put the pressure on them and hopefully Dumbarton will do us favour.”
A win at Livingston tonight is a must for Inverness to have any chance of catching Dunfermline in fourth place.
Livi have already clinched second place but will be looking to build some momentum ahead of the play-offs.
Polworth added: “We know we’re in for a tough game.
“They’re a big, physical team and like to get the ball forward early. It’s not the way we like to play but we’re going to try to counter it.”