Brian Rice wants Inverness to be 'best of the rest' after missing out on top-six
Inverness assistant Brian Rice has urged the Highlanders to build up a head of steam that will carry them back into the top six next season.
John Hughes' men were disappointed to miss out on a place in the top half of the Ladbrokes Premiership despite beating Dundee United on Saturday.
But Rice says Caley Thistle are now aiming to finish 'best of the rest'.
However, he is also wary of being sucked into the play-off fight between Hamilton and Kilmarnock.
Inverness have a seven-point lead over 11th-placed Killie and three-point cushion on Accies but can jump from ninth to seventh by beating Hearts at home in Tuesday's rearranged fixture.
And with six games to go, Rice would prefer to focus on a positive end to the campaign than worrying about a relegation scrap.
He said: "Everybody wants to finish the season well. Look at Leicester last season. Look at how they finished their campaign and then carried it into this year. We want to do the same.
"It's disappointing not to make the top six but our aim now is to finish up being best of the rest.
"It's been a difficult season with all the injuries we've had and losing some players but with six important games to go, we want to win as many as we can.
"I think everybody is always looking over their shoulder in football. You want to be looking ahead all the time but that's not always possible.
"We're looking over our shoulder at Hamilton and Kilmarnock but we also want to look forward too."
Inverness have the same squad which beat Dundee United on Saturday to chose from. Right-back David Raven (foot) is closing in on a return following injury but Aaron Doran, Dean Brill (both knee) and Alex Fisher (ankle) remain on the sidelines.
Hearts, meanwhile, are on the verge of sealing their European slot, but head coach Robbie Neilson does not want his team to think their job is done yet.
The Jambos need just a point against Inverness to secure a Europa League spot, yet a third-place finish would mean the Gorgie men have to kick-off their season in the first qualifying round on June 30.
Neilson, though, would rather his team try to hunt down Aberdeen - currently nine points clear in second having played a game more - and delay their return to action until the second qualifying round two weeks later.
He told HeartsTV: "It's nice to be in a position where we could guarantee European football before the split.
"Now it's all about trying to get second spot, if we get that then we skip the first round of the European qualifiers which of course gives you an advantage in terms of getting more preparation time."
Right-back Callum Paterson could make his return to action for Hearts after two months out with a shoulder injury.
The Jambos travel to the Highlands for the game originally scheduled for last Tuesday before a sickness bug ruled out most of Neilson's squad.
Left-back Juwon Oshaniwa returns from suspension but midfielder Don Cowie (calf) remains out.
Source: PAR
