Defender says Inverness Caledonian Thistle are not out of the title race
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Robbie Deas is keeping the faith that Inverness Caledonian Thistle can end the season as winners of the Championship.
The Caley Jags were the early pace-setters in the division with six wins from their opening seven matches, however, in many minds they dropped out of the title race during their 11-match winless run between December and March.
Form has turned around in the Highland capital though, with ICT registering three wins in a row, and although Inverness now look a good bet for the play-offs Deas still has his sights set higher.
“You never know in this league,” he said.
“Everyone who follows the Championship knows that literally everyone can beat everyone.
“The first thing I do after every game is check the scores, and there is always some sort of upset.
“The league is not over at all, in any of our minds. We are focusing on getting into the play-offs, but the league isn’t over yet.
“I think everyone knows that. Some people might think it could be out of reach, but as a team we know that it’s not over yet.”
Fuelling Deas’ belief is a resoluteness that ICT are the best team in the league, despite that poor run.
“We always had a game plan, and we always believed in ourselves – we maybe just needed that wee bit of luck,” Deas said.
“Looking at the Raith Rovers game, we got two late goals where before that probably wouldn’t have gone for us.
“It’s been now or never regarding the league and the season, and we need to make sure we definitely get at least the play-offs, as a minimum.
“Things are falling for us right now, but we need to take that on to the next game when it comes and take the confidence and belief into it.
“At the start of the season when we were top of the league, we believed – and we still do believe – that we were the best team in the league.
“We still do believe that, and I think we showed that in the game last Saturday.”
Even if Inverness cannot rise back up to top spot, second is still a possibility for Caley Thistle – which would give them a big boost in the play-off battle.
“We’ve got to just play what’s put in front of us,” Deas added.
“Finishing second obviously gives you the benefit of not needing to play six games, which would be a bonus. You get that extra week to prepare, but we’re just looking up the league.
“All we can focus on is the games at hand. Each game is absolutely massive for us from now until the end of the season.”
