Keatings looks for Caley Thistle to show belief on the pitch
JAMES Keatings says Inverness Caledonian Thistle must show their belief on the pitch to have a chance of winning promotion to the Premiership.
His team limped out of the League Cup on Sunday after a 1-0 defeat at Dundee which saw them fail to qualify from the group stages.
Inverness will kick-off their Championship campaign at Dundee United, who also failed to qualify for the last 16 of the League Cup.
Keatings said Inverness showed at Dens Park they can be at least competitive against the best teams in the division.
But they have to show more if they are to achieve their objective of making it back to the Premiership
“It has been a good test but we know that we have a lot more to offer.
“If we believe we will be up there against them.
“If you want to win the league and challenge you have to be confident. That is what the manager says.
“We need to believe before the season starts.
“If we don’t believe it will never happen.”
Keatings, who joined Inverness during the summer after being at Hamilton Academical last season, was his team’s main attacking threat at Dens Park.
He said the defeat at Dundee showed things need to be sorted on the training pitch.
“We need to be more ruthless, but apart from that it was just a cheap goal to give away that cost us the game.
“But we are working on it for the start of the league.
“We will get one more week of training and look to not come out the same way that we started against Dundee.
“We need to pass the ball from the start and get at teams.
If we can do that then we will be there or thereabouts.”
Danny Johnson’s 33rd minute strike proved to be the difference to win Dundee the group and set them a last 16 clash against Aberdeen.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle missed out on qualification by just one point.
Home wins against Raith Rovers and Cove Rangers with a penalty shoot-out defeat at Peterhead saw Caley Thistle end up with just seven points, not good enough for one of the four best runner-up spots.
Keatings said while disappointed to be out of the League Cup, he has no fears about Inverness challenging both Dundee clubs for the Championship.
“It is obviously frustrating we couldn’t get the result we wanted,” he said.
“There were periods of the game we showed we are a good team and we matched them.
“Going into the new season we are up there.
“Dundee and Dundee United are punted as favourites so it was good to come down here and test ourselves and show we are up for it.”
