Win has put pressure on Accies, says Foran

INVERNESS boss Richie Foran insists his side’s victory last night has piled all the relegation pressure on to rivals Hamilton — and questioned whether they could handle the heat of Survival Saturday. The win over Dundee at Dens Park means the Highlanders are now just one point behind Accies and can avoid automatic relegation if they beat Motherwell on the final weekend and Hamilton fail to see off Neil McCann’s side. A play-off against either Falkirk or Dundee United still beckons for the team who finishes 11th, but Foran was determined to crank up the pressure after securing a lifeline. ‘All the pressure that was on our shoulders goes straight to the Hamilton players,’ he said. ‘We can go and enjoy Saturday with the same determination, same work rate. ‘We’ve handled the occasion tonight. Can Hamilton handle the occasion on Saturday?’ The visitors never looked in trouble, scoring twice within the opening ten minutes and then defending well to see out victory and keep their Premiership hopes alive. ‘It was all or nothing,’ added Foran. ‘And I believe we’ve

got big-game players. ‘I won’t name individuals but we’ve got big, big-game players. ‘I saw the determination not to lose in their eyes, in the way they’ve gone about their business. ‘It’s out of our hands but we’ve given ourselves a chance. I was never really worried that we were going to lose that game. ‘It would be some story if we stayed up. It’s now an exciting game to look forward to and, if we perform like that, we can come out on top. ‘I saw a lot of good play from Dundee. They will be going to Hamilton to be professional.’ Foran (right) continued: ‘We started well tonight and took the chances. But forget about the two wonderful goals. We were great defensively. ‘Dundee put in a lot of crosses, we won every header, (Inverness goalkeeper) Ryan Esson made one wonderful save. We were well organised, determined. ‘This win is huge. I saw determination in the players this week. A real focus. ‘You want your key players performing and they did. It was a backs-to-the-wall performance. ‘Motherwell won’t be taking their foot off the gas. But we will look forward to it. We will be ready to go again come Saturday.’ Dundee boss McCann said he would be looking for a response at Hamilton, promising: ‘I will demand one. ‘Nobody is on their holiday here. Nobody has been on their holidays here. ‘I didn’t see that defeat coming. We’ve got a very difficult game against Hamilton on Saturday. ‘I’ve set standards here and we’ve come up short. That group have proved to me that they were worth their position in the Premiership — but they really didn’t show it tonight. ‘Nobody through there is celebrating with champagne or beer, thinking it’s good that we’re safe. ‘We’ll come again Saturday. I have no doubts they’ll hurt tonight. And we aren’t taking our eye off the ball.’