Kirk Broadfoot wants to see Inverness Caledonian Thistle shut up shop at set pieces to help put an end to their winless run in the Scottish Championship
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Kirk Broadfoot believes Inverness Caledonian Thistle need to be stronger at set pieces if they want to end a run of nine games without a win.
Both of the goals they conceded in a 2–1 defeat to Ayr United last Saturday came from dead ball situations, with Ayr's second in particular a source of frustration with it being a second attempted ball into the middle after a free kick was initially blocked by the wall.
As far as Broadfoot is concerned, Caley Thistle are close to turning things around and returning to winning ways, although he knows it must happen soon to salvage the club's hopes of promotion this season.
"We're obviously not happy about results, but I don't think we're too far away to be honest," he stressed.
"If you look at the game on Saturday, even though we didn't create too much I thought we controlled the game, but then we switched off at a set play and that killed us.
"Goals change games, and it kind of played into Ayr's hands a little bit where they could just sit in and counter on us.
"It wasn't ideal, it was a soft goal to lose from our point of view, and then obviously with the run we're on the heads went down a bit.
"It is a young squad, and they've probably not been in this situation before, so it's just a case of keeping going. We know what we're capable of, and it will turn, but it needs to turn pretty quickly."
ICT's next opportunity to pick up three points comes on Friday night away at Hamilton Academical.
The Accies are a side who have a good record against Inverness this season, earning 2–1 wins home and away across the two matches between the teams so far.
It was a familiar story that cost the Caley Jags points on home turf, and Broadfoot thinks it could be vital to score the first goal in South Lanarkshire.
"I think it would help if we took the lead in a game," the 37-year-old reasoned.
"Then we could maybe sit in a wee bit more and counter teams, whereas now we seem to be conceding first and we're a wee bit open and expansive trying to chase the game, and we get picked off.
"To be fair to Hamilton, they did a number on us down there. They got two early goals and sat in, but I think in that game we had enough chances to win.
"At home, I thought we were comfortable, and then it was another set play that killed us – the second phase of a set play. These are things we need to be looking at, because obviously there's a second phase and a third phase from a set play, and you need to stay with your man.
"The younger guys will pick that up as they go on – until that ball is completely away and out of the pitch, he's still your man and you need to stay with him."
