ABERDEEN better beware as they now inspire the same spirit of mischief in Inverness Caley Thistle that champions Celtic do, according to Miles Storey.

The nine-goal Englishman has starred in a victory and draw against the Dons already this season, scoring the opener in September’s 2-1 triumph in Inverness. That result and the 2-2 draw at Pittodrie demonstrate how far Inverness have come since the struggles of last season against Derek McInnes’s men.

The Highlanders have traditionally tended to make life difficult for Celtic, and Storey stressed the same was now true of the Dons due to them being title contenders. “It’s another game on TV where we can show what we’re all about,” the on-loan Swindon Town striker said. “We’ve done well against Aberdeen, taking four points off them and playing really well, so we’re looking forward to it. You get up for every game, but when you are playing against title contenders – as Aberdeen obviously are now – it’s the same as playing Celtic. You do put an extra yard in or an extra tackle.

“The club have enjoyed a lot of success against Celtic and we always seem to do really well against the teams higher up the league. Whether that’s because they attack us more, and the game is more open, I’m not sure. But it always seems to be more of a free-flowing game against the higher teams in the league and that suits us.”

Storey was back among the goals after a dry patch when he scored the opener in last weekend’s victory against Motherwell in the Scottish Cup at Fir Park. He is clearly relishing another run of scoring form as Caley Thistle turn a patchy first half of the campaign into a top-six push.

“We’ve no reason to fear Aberdeen,” the 22-year-old said. “We beat them earlier in the season and drew on Boxing Day when we really could have won.

“We’re looking forward to getting them back here, with the home fans behind us. Hopefully we can put a dent in their title bid. That’s what we’re aiming for.

“We have to crack on now towards the business end of the season, keep winning, keep climbing and hopefully progress in the cup as well.”