Bogey time


Inverness take the relatively short trip (for us) to Perth this Saturday for a game against what could be considered one of our bogey teams over the last couple of seasons.

No wins in our previous seven encounters with St Johnstone makes uncomfortable reading for Inverness fans. In fact we have only scored one goal in these last seven games against Perth, losing the Euro decider and four dour draws prior to that. We had to suffer the disappointment of losing the Europa spot to the Super J's, and that left a bitter taste in the mouth at the end of last season, a season that promised plenty and ended with nothing but a top-six place.

In most of the recent matches, the sides seemed to cancel each other out, making for incredibly miserable viewing with few chances being created and only two goals being scored. However, this season Inverness have shown that they are capable of scoring and entertaining and our position at the head of the table is thoroughly deserved at this juncture. St Johnstone have stuttered to mediocrity so far this season, two wins, three defeats and three draws leaving them with only nine points, ten behind the league leaders.

But that's enough from me and Kirishima will tell us all about it with this preview for you...........enjoy!

Think Again

After a brief respite at home against Hibs, Inverness are on the road again, albeit for the relatively short trip to Scotland’s 7th city, the “Gateway to the Highlands”, Perth. If any fans are feeling a little blasé over this fixture; think again:

1) ICT’s bogey team: It has been seven games and two and a half years since Inverness defeated the Saints with a LDDDDLL record.
2) The Chosen One: Highly sought after striker, Stevie May, is “heading for the top”
3) The Final Countdown: St.Johnstone pipped ICT to the Europa League Qualifying Stages on the last day (and knocked out Rosenborg)
4) The 3rd Derby: There are but 8 miles more from TCS to McDiarmid Park than there is to Pittodrie
5) Return to Sender: Perth gave us Gillian McKeith, Fred MacAuley, Alex Macleod and Stagecoach!!
6) They took Tade!

There will be two players who will have a big say in the proceedings: Defensive-minded midfielder Patrick Cregg and the in-form Stevie May. The tussle between Irish midfielders Cregg and Foran will be highly anticipated. Cregg, a former first-team player at Arsenal, will be keen to neutralize what many Saints fans see as ICT’S biggest threat. “Stop Foran and we have a chance” was one prediction on their fans’ forum. Current Scotland U21 hot-shot Stevie May was prolific for Hamilton last year, with 26 goals in 35 games while on loan. This season, with 6 goals in 11 games, May is the threat to watch out for. Journeyman forward Steve MacLean will play slightly deeper and given time, will seek to harry the ICT back line and set up chances for May. If Neil Lennon is to be believed (!) we may see some Tom Daley impressions too. Murray Davidson, a Levein international, will be the creative force in midfield. Dean Brill meanwhile will have to watch out for the threat from St.Johnstone set-pieces. Left-sided midfielder David Wotherspoon is more than capable of scoring free-kicks from distance. Nigel Hasselbaink has been consistently used as a substitute winger on the right and may prove a danger in the later stages of a match.

The experienced Perth defence has been disrupted somewhat with central defender Steven Anderson’s freak injury. His dislocated thumb couldn’t be reset and an operation keeps him out for up to two months. Looking to give a helping hand is ex-County player Gary Miller, who is likely to get the thumbs up from manager Tommy Wright and will look to grab the chance with both hands. ICT may well start with the same starting line up against Hibs. Terry proved against Dundee that if ain't broke, don't fix it.

St Johnstone have had a slow start to the season, and new manager Tommy Wright is perhaps finding the European exploits taking its toll on the team. However, this is a team that defeated Rosenborg away from home, and were unlucky not to make it to the group stages. Head-to-head, the Saints have found Inverness to be kind opponents, and while Inverness receive much of the media hype at present, St. Johnstone will be favourites to seal a spot in Europe once again. A draw at McDiarmid Park would be a good result for ICT, but Terry never forgets; two and a half years is too long to wait for a win against our third geographical rivals.

   

The key to getting a result in Perth will be neutralizing Stevie May. Many in the game expect the 20 year old to be leading the line for Scotland in a few years. A move to the Old Firm or the English Championship will surely be within reach in a few months. If ICTs defence stands firm, how Foran fares against Cregg might be the difference between a draw and a win at McDiarmid Park.

Latest news from the Inverness camp is that James Vincent will miss a couple of weeks at least with a knee injury sustained in the win over Hibernian. Ben Greenhalgh replaced him that day and did his prospects no harm, although his match fitness might not last for a full ninety minutes. Other options could be to Introduce Toby Agdestein alongside Billy McKay, but a few from the u20's/reserves side will also be staking a claim for a start, notably Liam Polworth, Marley Watkins, Conor Pepper and Danny Devine. Adam Evans also showed up well in the u20's 3-0 win at Dunfermline last week, where Devine, Watkins and Callum Ferguson were the scorers.