John Hughes: Inverness have more than enough gas left in the tank
John Hughes insists tiredness will not be a problem for his Inverness players as they look to repeat their cup-winning heroics.
The William Hill Scottish Cup holders take on Highland rivals Ross County on Tuesday in the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup.
The derby battle at the Caledonian Stadium is sure to tire legs on both sides after their weekend activities.
While County were losing 2-0 to Hearts in Edinburgh on Saturday, Caley also suffered disappointment as they allowed 10-man St Johnstone to escape back down the A9 with a 1-0 win.
But despite having had just two days' rest, Hughes is not worried about fatigue hurting his team's chances.
He said: "It's not a hardship having to play Saturday-Tuesday and possibly extra-time.
"I look at guys who have to work down in the shipyards. My father was a docker and my mother worked three jobs.
"That's why when I come in here in the morning I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world.
"I want my guys to appreciate what they've got but I believe I've got the right characters who do just that. That's why no matter how long it goes and whatever it takes, we'll be there till the end."
Saints lost skipper Dave Mackay to a second-half red card after he lunged in on Carl Tremarco but they still managed to claim the points through Liam Craig's late penalty.
Hughes praised his player's efforts but admitted they will have to sharpen up if they are too see off Jim McIntyre's County troops.
He said: "It wasn't Saturday's performance which disappointed me - it was Saturday's result. The performance was okay, trust me on that.
"Even at 11 vs 11, we were the better team and controlling the game.
"My only frustration was that we needed to be more cutting, more ruthless and create more chances in the final third.
"So you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realise what we've been working on the last couple of days."
Meanwhile, Ross County boss Jim McIntyre has backed his Staggies to shake off their Tynecastle surrender and battle past Inverness.
McIntyre refused to press the panic button and instead put the defeat down to a bad day.
And he believes County now have the perfect pick-me up, with McIntyre insisting his side will have no trouble rediscovering their aggression when they face Highland rivals Caley Thistle.
McIntyre said: "Saturday was one of those days when nothing went right for us. We gave the ball away far too much and didn't win enough of those battles.
"But that is the first time I've had to say that this season. The boys have been fantastic, so we'll just write it off and move on to what is a great game for us to try and bounce back.
"It is always intense in a derby. We'll have to play with an intensity from the get-go, something we've done particularly well this season.
"But I'm confident the boys will get back to that kind of performance."
McIntyre is only missing goalkeeper Scott Fox (ankle) and midfielder Rocco Quinn (hamstring).
Source: PAR
