Come the new year, Inverness were doing better than they had the previous season, sitting in the play-off spots despite drawing nearly every game. The club beat rivals Ross County to progress into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup before making the semi-final after a last gasp winner from Aaron Doran against Dundee United. This was the 4th semi-final appearance for the club, after appearances in 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2014–15. They played Heart of Midlothian, but were unable to proceed to the final, as they were defeated 3–0.