Nick Ross insists old club Inverness can defy the odds and upset Astra Giurgiu this week as Dundee bid to emulate them and savour their own taste of Europe.
Former Caley Thistle ace Ross is backing the Highlanders to keep their Euro dream alive after their first adventure last week ended in defeat despite a spirited performance against Astra.
Now Ross, who joined Paul Hartley’s side in the summer and is set to face Rotherham at Dens Park in tonight’s friendly, is refusing to write off John Hughes’ dark-horses who are gearing up for their second leg tie in Eastern Europe this Thursday.
Ross said: “The boys really deserve the reward of European football after the year we had last year, no matter what happens to them.
“Hopefully they can get through.
“Inverness have always been the team who everyone writes off.
“Every year the press and the bookies have them down as one of the favourites to go down. But year after year they shock everyone.
“I’m sure they can defy the odds. They are always underdogs. It’s nothing new to them.
“We want to do even better than we did last season too and hopefully push for a place in Europe.”
Ross is loving life with the Dark Blues and insists being moved into a central midfield role by Hartley has helped enormously.
He added: “I enjoy playing in the centre. It’s somewhere I haven’t really played a lot since I was younger.
“At Inverness I played all over the place, almost every position on the pitch.
“If I had a choice I would rather play in the middle but I’d play anywhere, like any player, if it meant I was going to get a game.
“At Inverness I was more of a wide player but through the middle I can get more of the ball and get forward into the box.
“My game is about getting from box to box.
“Something I want to add from midfield to this team is goals.
“Goals and assists from midfield can be invaluable in any team. I hope to add that to this team. It’s something I’ve spoken to the manager about, and it’s something I want to deliver on the park.
“The last few years I’ve shown a steady progression. I went from scoring one goal in my first season, to two, then three and four. Slowly it is going up.
“A few more this season would be the target.”