Brown senses added belief at Dens
Dundee interim manager John Brown believes his bottom side can approach the Clydesdale Bank Premier League match with Inverness with renewed confidence.
The Dark Blues ended a four-month wait for an SPL victory in midweek when they came from behind to defeat St Mirren 2-1 with last goals from John Baird and Jim McAlister.
The Taysiders are still 14 points behind second-bottom St Mirren as they battle to give themselves a chance of staying up against all the odds.
But Brown believes they are entitled to go into their clash with third-top Caley Thistle believing they can carry on the good work.
He said: "The win has given the lads a big lift. The mood was always good before but getting the three points has helped even further.
"We're getting stronger by the game and are beginning to believe in ourselves more.
"It's a case of trying to take that into the Inverness game now which is obviously not going to be easy.
"But if we can do that then of course we can give ourselves a chance on the day.
"We don't fear anyone. We have to give it our best shot against whoever we play and see what happens."
Brown watched his side stage a second-half comeback to beat the Buddies and give him his first win at the helm since taking over.
And he knows they will need the same spirit if they are to put more pressure on the teams above them.
He said: "The lads deserve credit for what they did against St Mirren.
"We looked down and out at one stage but all credit to them for not giving up.
"That's what it's all about when you're in the position we are in at the moment.
"It's about pulling together and giving everything you have.
"We know it's still going to be difficult but in football you never know what can happen.
"I'm hoping the fans get behind us like they did the other night.
"They can play an important part as well by giving the lads a lift.
"We want to do well for them and rest assured we will be giving 100 per cent.
"Terry Butcher and Maurice Malpas have been doing a fantastic job up in Inverness this season but it's up to us to try and get a result on the day."
Defender Declan Gallagher returns to the squad following suspension.
Fit-again striker Carl Finnigan is expected to keep his place on the bench after coming on as a substitute in the 2-1 midweek win over St Mirren.
Stephen O'Donnell (knee), Mark Kerr (knee), and Jamie McCluskey (Achilles) are all still out.
Meanwhile, Ross Draper is determined to build on his initial success at Inverness after agreeing to extend his stay in the Highlands.
The former Macclesfield player has accepted a one-year contract extension after impressing in midfield for Caley Thistle.
The 24-year-old expected to be fighting a relegation battle when he arrived last summer but Inverness are in third place in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League ahead of the clash with Dundee.
And he wants to make sure that their exploits this season are not a flash in the pan.
Draper, whose team-mate Billy McKay signed until May 2015 yesterday, said: "It's been ongoing for a while; it's always been close to being done, apart from signing it's a done deal. I've enjoyed my time here so I'm looking forward to next year.
"It's important for the team that we keep the majority of the players together and build on this year.
"We don't want it to be a one-off year where we finish in the top six and then next year we are struggling again. We want to kick on and turn the club into a solid top-six team."
Butcher has no fresh injury problems.
Left-back Graeme Shinnie picked up his sixth booking against Ross County last weekend but his suspension has not become active yet.
Defender Chris Hogg made his return to action following a serious knee injury last Sunday when he played 45 minutes of an Under-20s game at Motherwell, but he is not ready for the first team.
Source: PA
