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First off, apologies for no updates via club Twitter account, Brora isn't blessed with much in the way of a 3G signal. Like the Elgin match, the Brora game didn't provide much by way of classic entertainment. Brora came out all guns blazing for the first 15 minutes and kept us a little on the back foot but we coped with it well and stopped them doing to much to threaten the goal. We started to take control of the game from there despite Brora being quick to close us down and trying to foil our passing game. Doran had a great game as #10. He looked a lot more confident and decisive in his play and showed no signs of the hesitancy that sometimes thwarted him last season. He was running plays straight through the middle and also cutting out to the edges of the box and knocking balls back across goal pretty regularly....one of which resulted in our first goal when it evaded the head of Tokely and was brought down by Mckay and despatched into the back of the net. I think we missed Doran in the second half. Nick Ross and Ben Greenhalgh were doing well out wide and I can't wait to see them play a game on a wider/longer pitch where they'll really come into their own. Richie was his usual passionate and vocal self, keeping the players on their toes and issuing directions. With some of the knocks and things he's had over the last couple of seasons I have to admit to having been a little concerned about just how much more he could take, but he's looking a lot leaner this season and I suspect he might actually be in the best physical form he has ever been since joining ICT. Raven looked a bit rusty to start with, but that's to be expected as this is his first game of the pre-season...not helped by the fact that he had the worst area of the park for bumps and hollows to operate in. Graeme Shinnie continues to be what I call "The biggest wee guy I know". Solid as ever in defence and should continue to pose a threat going forward this season. Time off doesn't seem to have impacted on him at all and he looks every bit as fit now as he did at the end of last season. Warren and Meekings are the same...obviously worked hard to maintain fitness over the summer and it's like we'd never had a break. Draper is going to be the "unsung hero" of the squad I think (I mean that in a very positive way). He rarely puts a foot wrong and is a real rock in the middle of the park. It's all "no nonsense" solid football which rarely gets the plaudits and recognition it deserves, but will continue to be vital for us this season. Just like the Elgin game, this was a tough one for Mckay who often attracted the attention of 2 (or more) defenders and had to work in an often packed defence. In saying that, he was getting in to some nice positions, making some nice runs and dropping back/wide to assist when needed. He was linking especially well with Doran and once they get a few more games working together in their current rolls (assuming Doran is kept there) then I'm going to go out on a limb and say that they will prove even more effective than the Shinnie/Mckay combo. James Vincent came on in the second half to replace Doran and whilst I think we missed Doran, Vincent looks like he could be more than adequate cover for that position...and perhaps even as cover for Mckay. This is handy (and interesting) because he has already shown that he can also fulfil the job done by OTJ last season. I don't think he'll struggle to get game time this season, just not sure where yet. That's everyone I can remember seeing enough of to give a view/opinion...and I grow more confident for the campaign ahead with each game because we continue to work as a unit despite the many changes in player that you witness pre-season.

Whenever I've been to Grant Street park I've always noticed 2 guys behind the goals, one eats batteries and the other eats fireworks! Mad! When the police arrive, usually the first guy is charged and the other guy gets let-off!

who's going to raith rovers and how are people getting there. if there was enough interest it would be good to have a supporters bus going down?

Some really good performances tonight out there. Brill didn't have much to do, seems solid enough. Only thing is his kicking is pretty woeful. Back four were solid enough with a particular shoutout to the new boy Carl Tremarco who just looks like a player that will be a fans favourite very soon. I like the look of James Vincent and also think Liam Polworth has got to be more involved this season. I thought Danny Williams looks a good player. Very quick and direct. First time i saw Adam Evans i thought he looked awful but tonight he looked a lot sharper and a lot more confident. And then we come to the two boys up front. Calum Ferguson with two goals although having two centre backs man marking him the whole game. And then MOTM without a doubt Ryan Christie. Constantly looking for the ball and really composed when he has it. He also scored the goal of the game. Not done himself any harm in terms of staying on Terry's radar. Looking over it all i am delighted with the team that is coming together. All the new signings look like they will add something to the team and the young boys all look very impressive. Terry & Mo are well and truly spoilt for choice

I'm sure I heard that mentioned last time I was up Burn Brae

Wow, lots of confidence on this thread. I've voted 'not sure' because I think the there's too little difference in quality between most SPL squads for us to be confident of almost anything. Last season there was almost nothing between 2nd place and 11th place for the whole season, and I don't see that changing greatly this year. I worry a little about the fans being too confident - we've never been the most realistic support (something I think stems from our quick rise through the leagues under Pele) and that definitely transmits onto the pitch. If we struggle against St. Mirren in the first game, will the fans start getting impatient because we are expected to beat a team that we finished 8 places above last season? We may have done that but we also took only 2 points from 3 games against them and they looked a decent side on each occasion. They may be well be better than us this year, I have no idea. The New Firm might be different propositions under new management with lots of new faces - again, no idea. So I'm not confident or concerned, just clueless.

7pm I think. Don't know why it's not 7.30pm! Sorry if I'm wrong and you are half-an-hour early! You could kill the time by admiring at their new enclosure. The new wine shed!

Laurence... in a word, most (but definitely not all) cricket is tediously BORING. Test matches last for nearly a week with breaks for their lunch and their tea every day and then - even if it doesn't p!ss down with rain (*) sending them all scampering for cover - the game as often as not ends as a DRAW. What that actually means is that even the best part of a week wasn't enough for them to finish it. Basically, test cricket is nine people watching ten people watching three people doing very little for hours and days on end. Now that's not really much of a test. Even in club cricket, when Highland scored 224 and disposed of Northern Counties for a pitiful 19 in Inverness the other week, it still took Highland almost 20 overs to bowl NC out. That means that of the 118 balls, in about 100, nothing whatsoever happened.... apart from that slow handclapping they do when nothing happens (which is usually)! Now this Twenty20 is a very different matter and a whole lot more like fun! That is REAL entertainment and rapid, quickfire action with full on aggression. Bring it on! So cricket really is a potentially very good game but woefully mismanaged by the people that run it. (*) a few years ago did England not make almost as much fuss about winning the ashes as they did about 1966 when the reality was that they only won because is started to pee down so instead of coming back to finish the game on a nicer day, they just called it a draw?