Cardiff manager Malky Mackay believes Craig Bellamy is getting back to his best after playing an influential role in back-to-back victories.
The 33-year-old netted the only goal in the victory over Leicester last weekend before grabbing two assists and being voted the fans' man of the match as they beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Boxing Day.
And after his sixth start since returning from injury Mackay was full of praise for the former Liverpool man.
"He has had injuries twice this season and he is now getting into a rhythm," Mackay said.
"I know he is a fantastic worker and you saw him in the last ten minutes on Wednesday the way he closed down the full-back and was blocking balls 40 yards from goal.
"Certainly in the attacking side of things and being a threat going forward he is really starting to hit his stride which is obviously pleasing."
The Bluebirds host Millwall on Saturday before a trip to face Birmingham on New Year's Day but the Cardiff chief will not be treating Bellamy any differently than the rest of his squad during the busy festive period.
"Like any of our senior players the medical team manage them slightly differently at times," he said.
"And there will be days when they are on the grass and days when they are of their feet doing something different. He is no different than guys like Heidar Helguson."
Caley Thistle face St Johnstone in Perth on Saturday having scored in all 25 of their matches this season - for a total of 55 goals.
Terry Butcher's side drew 0-0 at McDiarmid Park on April 7 and another goalless draw, at home against Dunfermline, secured their SPL status on May 2.
Butcher has no such worries this season with his second-placed side having hit 44 goals in 20 SPL games ahead of Saturday's clash at McDiarmid Park.
Butcher said: "Certainly that 0-0 was a great point for us, we were still trying to stay in the SPL. It is amazing how far we have come.
"The last 0-0 draw was against Dunfermline with three games to go. That gave us 33 points, which is what we are on now after 20 matches.
"We have a great amount of goals and we have surpassed last season's total.
"Nil-nil is a thing we don't do very often.
"If we did draw 0-0 it would send seismic shock waves through the SPL if we failed to score, because it has been a remarkable success story and we are making chances all the time.
"I spoke to the players and they said 'look gaffer, all we are concerned about is scoring more goals than the opposition'.
"That's a pretty basic way of looking at it but it is certainly working for us."
Inverness were held to a 1-1 draw by St Johnstone earlier in the season and Butcher is not necessarily expecting all the goals to come at one end.
"Steve Lomas has got a very good squad and a big squad," Butcher said.
"He has players who can get forward from midfield like (Murray) Davidson and Liam Craig and they have quite a few options up front.
"They have (Steven) MacLean, (Gregory) Tade, (Nigel) Hasselbaink can play up front, and they have Rowan Vine as well.
"They have goals in their team as well and we have to be on our guard.
"But we played well in that 1-1 draw in October and that match gives us confidence."
The attacking midfielder was part of the Kilmarnock side who defeated Celtic to claim the Scottish Communities League Cup last March.
This time around, he will be making the trip to the national stadium with Rangers in very different circumstances, when the Light Blues take on Queen's Park in theThird Division.
Shiels said: "I've got great memories from winning the cup. It was a special moment for me and my family.
"It will be good to go back there tomorrow and re-live those memories.
"I always thought the next time I would be at Hampden would be in a cup final but I'm really looking forward to this game tomorrow."
Queen's Park have sold out their allocation of 2327 tickets for the original Glasgow derby, a 300 per cent increase on their usual home support at the national stadium.
The visitors had sold more than 25,000 tickets as of this afternoon and, with a total allocation of 40,000 seats available to Rangers fans, that number could swell further by kick-off.
Shiels added: "It's a unique situation. I don't think many teams would be capable of taking that amount of support.
"It's something to be proud of. Our fans this season have been really supportive.
"They have been with us at every away game and, in every home game, you can see them coming out in their numbers.
"It won't surprise me what the turn-out will be tomorrow."
Meanwhile, Shiels has defended his father, Kenny, who has found himself in trouble with the Scottish Football Association on a number of occasions this season.
And the Rangers player claims the Kilmarnock boss has not been given the recognition he deserves for his achievements with the Rugby Park side.
He said: "It's disappointing how he is being treated at the moment but that's the way he is.
"He's been portrayed by the media in a certain way that's completely untrue.
"For anyone who knows him off the park, or if you asked any of his friends, he is a completely different character.
"I think he's been portrayed as being angry and unhappy all the time, when it's actually the complete opposite when he's away from football.
"I think it's because he wants to win so much, and he puts so much into the job, that you see his emotions coming out.
"If he's asked a question, he will answer it honestly, while some managers will say what the press want to hear rather than what they think.
"If you're going to go down the road of wanting communication between the press and the managers and players, there has got to be a bit more honesty in football, rather than saying things for the sake of it."
He added: "I can't understand why he's been over-looked for all the personal awards.
"He won the League Cup in his first season, they beat Rangers twice last year, they beat Celtic in Glasgow twice in this calendar year.
"Maybe the media attention he gets means he does get over-looked for how well he has done at Kilmarnock.
"I think that should be recognised."
