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    Partick -V- Inverness CT - Preview

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    part_ictBrazil to Firhill in six days: 

    Terry Butcher will need to lift the players after last weeks disappointment in the Alba Cup Final when his players crashed to defeat against Dundee after taking an early two goal advantage.

    Inverness were Brazilliant in the first half, unfortunately the samba experience didn’t last long as Dundee took over after the break. In the week that Pele launched his book; some fans must have thought he was back in charge of the team as we tore Dundee a new one for forty five minutes. Back to the bread and butter of league business this Saturday though.

    The consolation for Butcher is the knowledge that ICT played Dundee off the park in the first half, but he is still left with the conundrum to solve, why are ICT putting in these Jekyll & Hyde performances in the same game. This game marks the start of a difficult run for Butchers boys and points could be at a premium in the run up to the New Year We have already suffered at the hands of Partick Thistle this season, losing three goals in a seven minute period before half time at Tulloch Stadium, or maybe more accurately we suffered at the feet of Liam Buchanan as he scored two and set up the third as our defence went for a quick nap, an all to familiar occurrence this season.

    In that game we upped our effort in the second half but it proved to be too little too late as a Rooney penalty and a flying Foran header clawed us to within touching distance. Alas Partick held on frantically to record a three two victory. This time however, the static Inverness back four will be saved the hassle of looking after Buchanan as he is out for a few weeks. To counter balance that, the Jags have acquired another thorn in our side in the shape of ex-Aberdeen and Falkirk striker Steve Lovell. He has sent ICT fans home unhappy on a number of occasions by scoring late, nay very late goals against us, notably for the Dons.

    Partick have also added twenty two year old midfielder Jamie Adams to their squad. He is on a loan deal until the 16th of January from Kilmarnock. He had never played in the first team yet as a serious knee injury ruined his promising early career. At over six feet he can be a handful for any defence.

    Recent form guide Inverness have pushed themselves back into contention for a run at the promotion slot after thumping wins against Ayr and Morton. Our frailties however, were exposed once again at the hands of good neighbours and erstwhile Highland companions Ross County. We appear to switch off too easily and when the going gets tough, the tough need to get going and that’s when our midfield need to knuckle down and toughen up to the battling styles of the first division.

    A lack of direction and someone to put their foot on the ball leads to the inevitable aimless long balls up to isolated strikers. This tactic should be well binned against the Harry Wraggs as experienced ex-County defender Ian Maxwell will mop everything up that comes his way. Maxwell was outstanding in the first league game at Inverness and was one of the reasons Partick held on, albeit nervously, to take the points.

    In last Sundays televised Alba Cup Final Inverness came out of the blocks flying, none more so than Jonny Hayes. The little leprechaun has a tremendous burst of pace akin to Usain Bolt, well maybe even quicker, but as witnessed by all, when Dundee eventually got going our midfield failed to feed the winger and ultimately his contribution suffered.

    Danni Sanchez was a mysteriously removed player from the game by Inverness boss Butcher. The flair player was having a good day and was subbed for Lee Cox as we attempted to shore up. He probably suffered from the midfields lack of punch in the second half as the battle warmed up. But, we have shown some appetite for the game, and resounding wins have seen Inverness become the top scorers in the league. Unfortunately our defence which has been good enough to thwart Rangers and Celtic at times are now seen as a joke and week in week out we are shipping cheap goals. To have a manager who at one time was a formidable and fearless centre half, it seems unacceptable to our fans that he is unable to sort out our inadequacies in this department and that was once again evident against Dundee. The need for some pace at the back has become increasingly noticeable and is surely a must in the January sales.

    At this stage of the season, both clubs sit only five points behind joint leaders Queen of the South and Dundee. Partick have faltered recently with three wins, three defeats and a draw at Dingwall since we last played each other. Recent defeats to Raith Rovers and Dunfermline has taken the edge of the Jags drive to the top, with wins only achieved against the bottom three clubs during this run. This bears a remarkable resemblance to the way ICT’s season has gone. During the same period, Inverness have had four wins two defeats and a draw with the Pars, the defeats coming at the hands of County and Queens, while the lesser teams have been comfortably beaten. Squads for the weekend Inverness have no new injury worries and only long term absentee Jamie Duff is a certainty to miss out. The good news for Jamie is that he has just undergone surgery on his cruciate injury and the medics expect him to make a full recovery.

    Barrowman and McBain seem to be out of the equation recently although it was reported a couple of weeks ago that they were back in training, from what I don’t know. Dougie Imrie’s insanity saw him red carded and he will be forced to sit out a couple of games, depending on the nature of the offence as seen by the official at the weekend.

    Eric only managed to get on the park for four minutes against Dee and that must surely leave question marks over his fitness after recovering from his broken bone. He would have been seen as a perfect replacement for Jonny Hayes last week, but Mr Butcher thought otherwise and kept him benched for almost the entire ninety minutes. Eric had a dream return to the first team the previous week scoring within two minutes of his introduction with a sweet strike from over twenty yards. My bet is the same team that started the final will get the nod. That could read Esson, Rossco, Bully, Grantie, Golly, Proctor, Duncan, Hayes, Sanchez, Foran and Rooney on his own up front. Partick as mentioned previously have lost the services of Liam Buchanan till around Xmas time. Steve Lovell and Jamie Adams have been added to their squad. They still have dangerous strikers in man of many clubs big Jim Hamilton and Simon Donnelly, the former Celtic prospect. There is plenty of experience at the back with Alan Archibald and John Robertson able to back up Ian Maxwell. Paul Cairney chipped in with Particks consolation goal in the 3-1defeat at Dunfermline. Corcoran and Rowson offer even more experience to the Jags squad and ICT will need to be at their best to avoid defeat. Jonny Tuffey will be back after his international weekend with the Northern Irish squad, as he missed the Dunfermline game. Last squad:- Hinchcliffe, Paton, Archibald, Adams (Lovell 66), Robertson, Maxwell, Cairney, Rowson (Erskine 77), Buchanan, Donnelly (Hodge 66), Corcoran. Subs Not Used: Corrigan, Scully. Tm4tj prediction My predictions are about as welcome and accurate as Billy Dodds’s ones. This should be a tight game. I don’t believe Inverness will gift Partick the opportunities to race into a lead this time round as surely Mr Butcher will be wise to this by now. If Butcher can motivate the players after last weeks crash then it’s possible that Inverness can take all three points back up the A9. On the other hand, McCall is known for getting the best out of his players and this is the perfect game for both sets of players to bounce back to form. All said, I will be sitting on the fence and will be happy to settle for a point in a scoring draw as we are not the best at keeping the opposition out but on the other hand we do have players capable of scoring. 2-2, Thistle do nicely.




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