St Mirren -V- Inverness CT - SPFL
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Paisley is the destination this weekend as we return to domestic football. Our last 45 minutes were highly entertaining as we clawed back Ross County in the Highland derby to snatch a point. The first half was instantly forgettable as we never turned up and our neighbours deservedly took the plaudits. At the end of the day a point apiece was about right and it was a tale of two keepers, both in outstanding form in each half.
Inverness have signed Ibra Sekajja until the New Year from Crystal Palace and John Hughes has challenged the pacey forward to earn himself an extension to his contract by helping Inverness to get back on track and add some goals to the account to take the load off Billy McKay, who has been finding it hard going this season as defences keep a close eye on him.
RossP is your author this week and he lays it out neatly for you to ponder over.
I wrote ahead of the Partick Thistle encounter that following an international break, ICT tend to under perform. This was swiftly followed by a 3-1 defeat which could have been greater had it not been for Dean Brill saving a late penalty. Perhaps any momentum prior to the break is lost, concentration takes time to return or maybe the likes of Billy Mckay and Ryan Christie suffer fatigue from the travels across the continent? Whatever the reasons are it is essential that this pattern is broken for our season to progress and this weekend’s fixture at St Mirren will provide a stern test for our side.
Previous meetings/Current form
Games against St Mirren generate memories of Ross Tokely getting pelters from a clamorous Buddies support, Gary Warren being awarded the Nobel Peace prize for correcting a referee’s decision to caution Steven Thompson and on regular occasions - a victory for Inverness Caledonian Thistle. A record of only 10 defeats in the 47 matches between the sides, with only one St Mirren win in the last 12 meetings is a fantastic return and one that our opponents will be desperate to alter.
After a horrible start where they were rooted to the bottom of the table with our Highland neighbours, there appeared to be no turnaround in sight. Their new look strike force of Marwood, Ball and Caldwell couldn’t fill the Thompson sized hole in their attack and that showed with their return of 0 goals from the first four SPFL games this season. New manager Tommy Craig was already under pressure from a support who felt that his appointment was a cheap and easy option, which would not take the club any further forward. Results have picked up in recent weeks however, with points picked up against St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Partick Thistle that have perhaps given Craig some respite from his critics. What’s notable is that many of these points have been won very late on in the game – an 87th minute winner, an 86th minute equaliser and a 90th minute winner. I for one will be biting my nails entering the final chapter of the game.
After a fantastic start to the campaign, we’ve suffered since the first international break winning only 4 points from a possible 12. The once formidable defence that didn’t give an inch to the opposition has been shipping goals and our main source of goals Mckay hasn’t scored since his opening day strike against (league leaders!) Hamilton. The first half in the 1-1 Ross County game a fortnight ago saw us have a performance that many would bill as our worst under Hughes, or perhaps any manager! What was more reassuring was the response in the second half, where the players reacted well to a formation change and different approach to moving the ball up the pitch. More chances were created in that 45 minutes than we had created in several games added together, and an unlikely 3 points was only thwarted by former player Mark Brown’s heroics in goals.
Dangermen
Kenny McLean – Eyebrows rose at McLean’s decision to re-sign at St Mirren this summer, as many people in Scottish football felt this was his time to make the step up to one of the many English Championship clubs reported to be interested in him. A naturally attacking centre midfielder, he will be a real threat in and outside the box as he is very capable of scoring from distance. His energy and workrate will also suit this game where he will be expected to harry our midfield pair of Tansey and Draper when they have the ball.
John McGinn – Another young midfielder who has been tipped to move onto bigger and better things, he will also be a vital part in any plan to press our defence and midfield when they have the ball. He more than matched Scott Brown in St Mirren’s recent game against Celtic and won’t shirk challenging a player as strong as Draper.
Jim Goodwin – Despite being a yellow card waiting to happen, Goodwin has been a formidable opponent in any Inverness v St Mirren games I’ve seen. He is able to break up play and show excellent positional sense when operating in the middle of the park. I’ve seen him be a bombscare at centre half though, so I hope he will be operating there at the weekend.
Latest Team News
Inverness Caledonian Thistle have no fresh injury concerns for the visit to Paisley, with only Richie Foran missing through injury. New signing Ibra Sekajja will come into the match day squad on a high after his goal in the Under 20 development league match against Motherwell. It remains to be seen whether Hughes sees him as a partner for Mckay or someone to challenge for the sole striker role however. The personnel will likely be the same eleven that started against Ross County, but only Hughes knows if it will be as the usual 4-2-3-1 formation or the 4-4-2 that worked so well in the second half in that game.
St Mirren:-There are contrasting comments online regarding the injuries of Gregg Wylde, Jeroen Tesselaar, Isaac Osbourne and Eli Plummer but even with their potential return, Tommy Craig may opt to keep the same side that won against St Johnstone. The latest word on the street is that Wylde is out for a couple of weeks after having surgery on a groin problem. Tesselaar and Plummer are in contention for a return to the team. Steven Thompson remains out for the long term.
RossP prediction:- It is a tough one to predict given the unpredictability of which ICT team will turn up. This is a game where we need to play the ball to the wings in my opinion, as St Mirren have a lot of energy and skill in the middle of the pitch. If the likes of Doran and Watkins have positive performances I can see us scoring goals past an unspectacular St Mirren defence. I don’t see us keeping a clean sheet however, so I will go with a late equaliser for St Mirren in a 1-1 draw. I can also see there being a penalty in this game, since we haven’t seen a converted one for or against this season - law of averages n' that.
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RossP in Previews 2014-15 ·
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