Caley Thistle head to Greenock on Saturday for their first league match since the calamitous performance in the Highland derby at the end of August.

Manager Terry Butcher will be hoping that the Inverness men can make up for his midweek disappointment with the Scotland international squad. The side will have been boosted by a good result against Partick Thistle in the Alba Cup but a big improvement in performance from the last league outing will be needed. Morton have had a poor start to their season, losing six of eight competitive matches so far in league and cup. The Cappielow men have had two weeks to dwell on their last performance, where they were annihilated 5-0 at Firhill by the same Partick that Caley Jags put out of the cup. Manager Davie Irons will be hoping for a reaction from his side. Past Meetings Caley Thistle and Morton have played nine times previously, with the Highlanders coming out on top in six matches, Morton three and one game drawn. The last meeting came in the early stages of last seasons CIS Cup, where Craig Brewster’s Caley Thistle struggled to overcome a doughty Morton team. Thanks to an eye-catching performance from Dougie Imrie, the then-SPL side advanced to the next round of the cup after extra time. Of the fourteen players that turned out for Caley Thistle that night the only players likely to feature in Saturday’s match are Ryan Esson, Ross Tokely, Grant Munro and Adam Rooney. Morton’s last victory in this fixture came in November 2000 when goals from Derek Anderson and Stephen Aitken gave the Ton a 2-0 win over an ICT side that featured Ross Tokely and Grant Munro (the latter as an unused sub). The other victory enjoyed by Morton over ICT was more memorable as the Greenock club romped to a 5-1 win in November 1999 – another strike from Stephen Aitken added to goals from Keith Wright, Harry Curran, Graeme Morrison and Ross Matheson in a crushing win. Ross Tokely’s consolation made little difference. In the next meeting, however, the Highlanders gained sweet revenge by putting Morton to the sword, winning 6-2 in January 2000. All the goals came in the second half with Ross Tokely rounding off a fine afternoon’s work – his 90th minute goal following strikes from Kevin Byers, Paul Sheerin, Barry Wilson and a Martin Bavidge brace. Players to watch For Caley Thistle all eyes will be on two returning heroes at full back: Ross Tokely returns to league action after a four match suspension and Stuart Golabek is available for action following his surprise deadline day move from Ross County. Both men have a wealth of experience and will look to add stiffness to a backline that was breached easily three times by Ross County. Tokely is a talisman for Inverness and will surely be motivated by his nightmare red-card on the final day of last season. Morton’s main man over the last few seasons has been winger Jim McAllister. Those Caley players who survive from last seasons league cup tie will remember that it was the wide man who gave Morton the lead in that match. McAllister is a right footed player who is often used on the left hand side of midfield and has attracted attention from clubs at a higher level, with Watford taking him on trial in the summer. There was even frenzied tabloid talk of Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni, with Dan Petrescu rumoured to be an admirer. As things stand, McAllister is still at Cappielow and will probably be up against Ross Tokely on Saturday – the highly rated young winger will be looking to give the experienced defender a difficult afternoon. Dedicated Caley Jags fans will recognise ‘Ton defender Ryan Harding – the towering centre-back played several pre-season games on trial with ICT in 2003 before opting to sign from Livingston. Prediction Caley Thistle’s initially promising season seemed to come apart at the seams in the horrific derby day performance against Ross County. The shoddiness of the showing that afternoon left fans baffled, especially when ranged against the superb showing the previous weekend at Dens Park. Terry Butcher could offer no explanations but a creditable draw at Firhill will have boosted the squad. The addition of two solid players at the back in Tokely and Golabek will strengthen the defence but all eyes will be on a midfield that was brushed aside by County – Lee Cox will need to recover the form that saw him the darling of Jaggies earlier this campaign. Morton will look to try and kick-start their season with the scalp of the relegated side but the odds look stacked in Caley Jags favour. Butchers men should continue their rehabilitation from the derby day disaster with a win.