JOHN HUGHES is keen to ensure his Inverness side are not burdened by expectation after last season's heroics.

The Highlanders' best campaign since formation 21 years ago saw them win the William Hill Scottish Cup for the first time with a Hampden win over Falkirk.

Their highest league finish – third – brought with it qualification for Europe for the first time where they narrowly lost out to Romanian outfit Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League qualifiers last week.

Hughes points out that he club has lost regular starters Graeme Shinnie to Aberdeen, striker Marley Watkins to Barnsley and midfielder Nick Ross to Dundee, with striker Billy McKay having left in January for Wigan.

And ahead of the visit of Motherwell today, he called for fans to retain the underdog mentality.

He said: "We have lost four real good players in Nick, Shinnie, Marley and Billy McKay, but the boys have got on with it.

"As staff, we need to work hard, we cannot let our standards drop.

"We cannot let the success of last year soften us up. We need to get the boiler suits back on and get our hands dirty.

"And I say that to the supporters, you need to keep supporting us as underdogs. Don't let expectations spoil your enjoyment of the game.

"We will try to win every game, but I don't think we will do that.

"Support the team with the mentality that we haven't got too much, but that every team that comes up here will know they have been in a game and if it is our day, hopefully we can win it. Last year is history, let's go again.

"I am 100 per cent convinced that all the teams have improved, they have all recruited very well and we have to improve as a team as well.

"I am optimistic, but I have been in the game long enough to know that sometimes you never know what you are going to get."

Defender Gary Warren continued the theme of dampening expectation by insisting the aim is to simply stay in the league.

"It will be tough to emulate what we did last year," he said. "But I say to everyone that every season with the size of this club, the aim is to stay up.

"That's what we have to do every year, and as soon as we have those points on the board, you look at a top six. And when you have cemented that, you look at a European spot and cup competitions.

"As a player you want to better yourself. We have had a taste of Europe and you want more of that success, but first and foremost for us, it is about staying in the league."