Raith Rovers -V- Inverness CT - Preview
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The clubs had mixed fortunes in the cup, ICT matched Killie in all departments but lost 3-0, whilst Raith were devastated by a Dons goal deep in injury time that meant their game goes to a replay.
They'll be dancing on the streets of Raith ..... After last weeks break from league business, it is back to the bread and butter of winning points this weekend. The clubs had mixed fortunes in the cup, ICT matching Killie in all departments except putting the ball in the net, which resulted in a rather flattering 3-0 win for the hosts. The ICT fans were unperturbed as they directed their angst towards the man they believed had eaten all the Killie pies, Jimmy Calderwood. A forty two minute plus injury time rendition of "Jimmy says aye to the Killie pie" accompanied by a conga or two kept the fans in good spirits despite the exit from the competition. Raith meanwhile were on the verge of causing a big cup upset as they led Aberdeen far into injury time before being pegged back. An absolutely superb Iain Williamson strike was cancelled out by Gary McDonalds suspiciously offside last gasp scrambler deep into time added on. So a replay it is but Raith had more than matched the Dons and were a great advert for the first division. They also had a healthy crowd of 7045 to soak up the afternoon’s enthralling entertainment, however, no dancing in the streets of Raith yet. This season Inverness have won both of the league games so far, winning 0-1 at Starks Park in mid October and 1-0 in Inverness before Xmas. At Starks, Inverness had to rely on a late David Proctor strike to take all three points after a see saw tussle where both sides had opportunities to impress. However, in Inverness, there was only one team in the game as the Highlanders scored an emphatic victory in all but the scoreline. This game was played out in constant mist with the extremities of the park only visible from the centre circle. Inverness had millions of chances but the only taker was Adam Rooney who scored from one of the more difficult angles of the day. Since we last met, Inverness have been on a good run although the weather has limited both clubs appearances. Out of the four league games since then, we are unbeaten with two wins and two draws. Beating Partick with a late Rooney penalty was a boost for us and the same man scored from the spot at Airdrie to secure the points. Draws with Dunfermline and Dundee were not unexpected. Rooney has scored in three of the four games during this run. Highlight for Inverness during this period was the comprehensive Cup victory over SPL form team Motherwell, conversely, the defeat at Killie was the low point. A more settled Inverness has seen the club claw their way to third at the moment, but with the snow and ice causing havoc with the fixture list the league positions will take a while to even themselves out. Raith like Inverness have been inconsistent and a clutch of home matches has seen them draw with bottom club Airdrie, lose to other relegation candidates Morton yet beat Partick Thistle. They are probably sick of seeing Airdrie as they played them twice in the Scottish Cup as well, eventually winning 3-1. The big one for Raith though was the splendid showing against Aberdeen and they will now have their sights set on the replay at Pittodrie. This seesaw season has seen Raith slip to the middle of the table although they would appear to be the last of the top clubs still hoping for the Dundee bubble to burst. Dundee's Bubble is slowly but surely leaking and all the teams will be hoping to take advantage of this. There is definitely seepage at the top and a number of clubs are still interested in promotion. Our close friends over the bridge look to be the ones leading the chase and could go three points clear by winning their games in hand. Queens have four games to play catch up, which would see them overtake Dundee by a point. We are only two games behind Dundee which would see us four points adrift of them with a possible six points still to play for between the teams. Partick seem to be the worst placed of the top seven teams, but with Dundee looking none too convincing in their last four league outings it's still all up for grabs. Airdrie and County have been to Dens and won without conceding and only a late Griffiths goal saw them overcome the Pars 3-2. They also came from behind to salvage a point at QoS, similarly coming from behind against Ayr in the cup to eventually progress 2-1, and Jocky Scott is now issuing a rallying cry to his troops. The John Bull repair kit is out at Dens, can they get the early momentum back? All is not cut and dried yet, but it is up to the chasing pack to eat into the Dee’s lead. The runaway favourites are finding it hard going and this could still go down to the wire. Weekend Squads Inverness may have to rethink after defensive lapses cost them dearly against Killie. The main culprit was the much maligned Lionel, whose schoolboy defending was paramount to the cup run ending. He was not alone as our back four showed hesitancy and were outpaced time and time again by Connor Sammon. Stuart Golabek has been injured recently and may get the nod if he has recovered sufficiently, but another strong shout is for young Graeme Shinnie to be given the chance to show his skills and undoubted pace. I wonder if Butcher will stand by his man, or will he revert to the side that ousted Well in the cup, with Tokely at left back. This would open the door for Russell Duncan to return to his favoured defensive midfield duties alongside the ever maturing Lee Cox or possibly Proctor. The front four would remain as Hayes, Sanchez, Foran, with Rooney ploughing the lone furrow. Eric Odhiambo will be knocking on the door as Danni Sanchez has been rather frugal in front of goal and took a knock into the bargain. Robert Eagle may also play a part at some stage as we prepare for LABAI............................................ life after Barrowman and Imrie. Possible ICT line up Esson Tokely Bulvitis Munro Golabek Proctor Duncan Hayes Eric Foran Rooney Sanchez, Eagle, Cox, and Lionel will surely be likliest candidates to warm the bench. Raith Rovers will have to make do without the dangerous Gregory Tadé as he is suspended, as is former Jambo, Stephen Simmons. Their deputies could well be another ex-Jambo Graham Weir and Mark Ferry, although Darren Smith could be in the mix. Javier Amaya is also ruled out through injury. Experienced defender Lawrie Ellis is a doubt after taking a knock midway through the cup game, Dougie Hill could fill in for him. Possible line up for Raith McGurn Wilson Campbell Murray Hill Williamson Ferry Walker D.Smith Russell K.Smith Tm4tj prediction I'm getting worse at this prediction lark. With only one goal separating the sides in the last two league encounters I would expect nothing less from this one. Raith will be buzzing following their cup heroics, whereas Inverness had their confidence dented by the defeat at Killie, much of this was their own doing. While we have great attacking options, our stationary defending has given us grief all season. Left back has not been our most consistent position and the Bobby Mann/Darren Dods shaped hole has never been filled in central defence. Grant Munro always seems to have his hands full when Lionel is playing and this detracts from his central role, leaving his partner Bulvitis exposed at times. You would think that a managerial team that boasts a multitude of English and Scottish international caps would be able to identify the problem areas and put in place a plan of action. Not so. Strangely enough, we seem to be better equipped up front. Without wishing to put the curse of the Irish on this game, I would look to the trio of Hayes, Foran and Rooney to dig deep and get us out of this one with three points. Raith on the other hand have threats up front with loan star Kevin Smith bang on form and Iain Williamson looking to add to their goal tally. Keeper David McGurn was their star player as he saved Raith from a drubbing in Inverness and he will be ably assisted by his experienced defence. Not always an easy place to win points, or cup games, but I will stick my neck out and go for Inverness to sneak a goal in a tight tussle and make the journey up the A9 more appealing. Willie Polland rip On a sad note, I notice that former Raith & Hearts defender Willie Polland has passed away. Willie played for Raith in the fifties & sixties and also spent six years at Tynecastle. He enjoyed Raith so much he returned in 1967 and totalled 372 appearances for them. Here is a link to the tribute on the Raith Rovers Official Site http://www.raithroversfc.com/cgi-bin/lates...3223&page=1
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