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    Motherwell -V- Inverness CT - Preview

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    Motherwell CIS Cup Preview:

    Inverness head South again tonight three days after underachieving against Airdrie United at the weekend. This time it is off to their Lanarkshire neighbours Motherwell, for a third round CIS cup game at Fir Park.

    Inverness are no strangers to cup glory at Motherwell. Who can forget Barry Wilson’s 40 yard dipper in the Scottish cup a few years ago. However these moments are a distant memory, as ICT struggle to find any sort of consistency under Terry Butcher. Motherwell on the other hand have made an unbeaten start to their league campaign and sit fourth in the SPL. About the opposition Like Inverness, Motherwell FC were formed from the amalgamation of two clubs, Glenbairn FC and Alpha FC. This was over 120 years ago and they eventually merged to form Motherwell FC as we know them today in 1886. In their first match after admission to the Scottish League set up they were thrashed 1-8 by Celtic.

    They are known as the Steelmen, with Motherwell renowned for its steel industry over the years. Well’s strip changed around 1912 from a primarily blue kit to the present claret and amber strip. Motherwell have won four major titles over the years, the old First division in 1931-32. The Scottish cup was won in 1952 and 1991. They also won the league cup in 1950, which has since become known as the CIS cup.

    Their stadium Fir Park has a capacity of 13,742, although the ground record stands at 35,642. Terry Butcher had four years in charge at Motherwell………I wonder whatever happened to him? They have had a succession of who’s who in their managerial ranks, from the successful George Stevenson, through Bobby Ancell, Ian St John, Willie Mclean, Roger Hynd, Ally Macleod, David Hay, Jock Wallace, Tommy Mclean and Alex Mcleish. Many of these managers went on to greater heights. The present manager is Irishman Jim Gannon. Recent notable players were Tom Boyd, Willie Pettigrew, John Spencer, Stephen Pearson, James McFadden and two late legends, Phil O’donnell and Davie Cooper. Inverness were one of the benefactors in Motherwells financial plight a few years ago when we signed a young released keeper by the name of Mark Brown, who went on to become a standout between the sticks for ICT. The Teams Inverness Given last weekends performance at Airdrie, it would be no surprise if Butcher replaces some of the ineffective and lightweight midfield with more experienced players like Russell Duncan. Stratford and Eagle are noticeably short of commitment and passion, something Duncan might be able to add to the squad. Hayes has been the pick of the forward players recently and should retain his slot. We may see Adam Rooney start as he impressed when he entered the fray last weekend, and that could be the signal for Sanchez to have a break.

    Should the game go to penalty kicks, Ryan Esson could make himself even more popular. He has been one of the few players performing with any semblance of consistency and has proved his worth in penalty shoot outs already this season, and last weeks penalty save against Airdrie earned ICT a point. The back five will pick itself, although it’s always possible in this competition to see fringe players thrown in. Shinnie, Ross and the enigmatic Lionel might be worth a shot with Barrowman also needing games under his belt to gain match sharpness.

    Ex Well player Richie Foran will be keen to make amends for his frustrating afternoon against Airdrie, and his quest to score twenty goals does seem a long way off at the moment, but maybe playing at his old ground will inspire him to greater things. Definitely missing and sorely missed, will be Dougie Imrie and Eric Odihambo, although both are back in light training. Also out for the season is young centre back Jamie Duff who will require an operation to repair damaged cruciate ligaments. Best of luck to Jamie in his recovery. Motherwell Motherwell boss Jim Gannon has concerns over Ross Forbes, John Sutton, Jim O'Brien and Giles Coke as the quartet missed Monday training with "heavy knocks". Shaun Hutchinson could return from an ankle injury but Paul Slane is still out following calf surgery. Gannon expects to have a relatively full squad to select from and will not be treating this game lightly. Motherwell are expected to choose from this squad;- Ruddy, Moutaouakil, Craigan, Saunders, Reynolds, Hammell, Hateley, Coke, Forbes, O'Brien, Murphy, Sutton, Kosiorowski, Jutkiewicz, Jennings, Lasley. TM4TJ prediction I’m not sure I should bother as I don’t think I have predicted correctly since the start of the season. Due to our Jekyll & Hyde performances it’s difficult to assess the outcome of this match. Add to the fact that it is the CIS cup and maybe the squads will be tampered with, however, I can’t see past a sound thrashing for Butchers Boys and more pressure mounting on ICT to come up with the goods. Tonight should see us having one less competition to concentrate on, but we are at our best when we are the underdogs, which we undoubtedly are this evening. Will Well send us homewards to think again? Or will it be a case of Well stuffed.




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