tm4tj

Midweek League Cup action It's the League Cup third round this week as Inverness travel to Stenhousemuir to take on cup holders Killies conquerors. Tuesday night at 19:45 is the kick off time. They may be one of the more unfashionable sides left in the competition, but they were magnificent in the last round as they pulled off the shock of the round disposing of the holders Kilmarnock 2-1 at Rugby Park, Killie only notching a ninetieth minute consolation to make the scoreline look more competitive. Ferguson and Gemmell had given Stenny a half-time lead which they fully deserved before seeing out a late Kilmarnock flurry to enter the third round draw. So, what do we know of Stenhousemuir? It nestles in the Forth valley a few miles from Falkirk and the town takes it's name from the Stone House, a Roman building that resembled a large oven, hence it's more common name in later years of King Arthurs oven. However, the town is probably more famous for McCowans toffee bars. Aye, that's the one with the image of the heilan coo on the wrapper, complete in it's full regalia of long hair and massive horns. The town are host to the Warriors who ply their trade at Ochilview Park, aptly named after the splendid views towards the Ochil Hills twelve miles away, Ben Cleuch reaching 2363 feet skywards. Back to football and Stenhousemuir have made a solid start to the season with nine points from six games, sitting in fifth spot at the moment with a goal difference of zero. The one black mark on the record shows that Forfar won convincingly 4-0 at Ochilview. They warmed up for this match with an amazing 4-4 draw at Albion Rovers. Stewart Kean notched a hat-trick in that game with Andy Rodgers scoring a spectacular 25 yarder in a see-saw tussle where comebacks were the order of the day. Kean, the former Ayr, St Mirren, Queen of the South and Morton player will certainly be worth keeping an eye on for this game. We did our own comeback version at Easter Road on Saturday, giving Hibs a two goal start then pegging them back in an exciting game in the capital. Pepper and Foran scoring for Inverness after Doyle and Wotherspoon had put Hibs ahead. That's Richie Forans' third goal in as many games and he seems to be playing like a man possessed just now, long may that continue. Most of our games against the Warriors have come in Division 2 and Inverness hold the upper hand. At Ochilview, The Muir have one win in four games against us. Oddly enough, the last time we met at Ochilview was in a League Cup match in July 1999 when we came through with a 1-3 scoreline. For those of a nostalgic persuasion, here are the teams from that day, and incidentally, McLeans first goal was timed at 1min 34 secs. STENHOUSEMUIR 1 (Mooney 83) Hamilton, Lawrence, Gibson, Armstrong (Banks 70), Graham, Davidson, Lorimer, Fisher, Watters (Mooney 70), Cummings (McKinnon 52), Wood INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 3 (McLean 2 & 12, Wilson 68) Fridge, Tokely, Golabek, Teasdale, Mann, McCulloch, Wilson, Stewart (Glancy 63), McLean, Sheerin (Robson 78), Hastings (Christie 74) REFEREE – G Simpson ATTENDANCE – 534 Gringo can go back further than most and pre-merger he recalls a 1-4 victory for Inverness Caledonian in a Scottish Cup game many moons ago, January 1992. Hercher, Urquhart, Christie and Polwarth knocked home second half goals to send Caley on their way to that memorable games against St Johnstone, culminating in a replay at Perth, happy days. In fact Caley have played Stenhousemuir four times in the Scottish Cup and you have to go back to 1903 to find a win for The Warriors that was 2-1, but since then Caley have knocked home eleven goals for and five against in three wins. But it's back to the future for us and Old Caley Girl has written this preview for us as she makes her debut with the pen. She is a woman of few words..........I can't find them yet, so you will just have to put up with my drivel. Hopefully she will tell us what happened with a report. ***Latest Team News*** Inverness have Hogg, Ross, Sutherland and King out injured while Jones sits out another game through suspension. Andre Blackman took a sore one at Easter Road and will be a doubt, but Graeme Shinnie will drop back to cover. Gavin Morrison could be the man to cover the gap left by Jones the red. Conor Pepper did well on from the start and Phillip Roberts looks like he will be an assett with a late cameo in Edinburgh. Stenhousemuir striker John Gemmell, is back after suspension. Manager Martyn Corrigan will hand late fitness tests to defender Scott Buist and midfielder Brown Ferguson. Looks like you will have to take yer brolly, it's been teeming down all night and today, let's hope the game is OK, best to check with the clubs prior to heading to the match. tm4tj prediction:- I will put my head on the chopping block here. Not having seen Stenhousemuir play this season but having read about their fantastic result at Killie, I believe this will be a tight game given the prevailing conditions. We should have enough to squeeze through, but it might require a bit of extra effort. Narrow away win, possibility of extra-time so take a flask, welly boots and a packed lunch with you, it could be a long night. Come on the Caley Jags

Inverness are less appealing. Terry Butcher will be without the services of Owain Tudur-Jones for yet another stint after it was revealed that the club will not be appealing against his sending off last weekend. At £1000 a shot, it was felt that the club would be wasting their money trying to overturn the decision given the way the tribunal works, adding more fuel to the feud between Butcher and the beaks. Jones will miss the games at Easter Road and the league cup tie at Stenhousemuir. Inverness will take on a much improved Hibernian side this weekend still looking for that elusive first win of the season after we were held to our fourth draw of the campaign against Aberdeen, that leaves us languishing in eleventh spot in the SPL. Hibs fans must also be thinking they are in a false position as they find themselves in the runners up berth, one point behind pace setters Motherwell. Who would have thought that after last years calamitous showing from the Leith side? Such is their change in fortunes that Hibs have already equalled last seasons haul of home wins after beating Kilmarnock 2-1 last Saturday. A couple of cruel twists saw Inverness finish their last game with ten men for the third time this season, and the second time for Jones the Red. Another twist was more painful as young striker Shane Sutherland was stretchered off having twisted his knee near the end, and depending on the results of a scan could be facing a few weeks of gardening leave. With Chris Hogg and Nick Ross already sidelined, then we are fast catching up on last seasons unwanted statistic of having a horrendous injury list. A couple of cheerier points to take from the Dons game. On loan Celtic player, 21 year old Andre Blackman looks to have made himself a shoe-in for the left back slot with an excellent debut for the Caley Jags. He looks to have plenty of pace and judging by his ferocious 25 yard shot that went just wide he is well capable of getting forward and having a go. With Shane, Nick and the red-carded Jones out for a few weeks it will give Graeme Shinnie the opportunity to prove his versatility further up the field on the left side and will fill the void seamlessly. As a whole, the defence settled down after a ropey start and looked more comfortable, with Warren commanding his box until a late lapse when we were caught napping at a quick free kick that ultimately cost us the goal. The return of Hayes last weekend proved to be a bit of a smoke screen and he was outshone by Ryan Fraser. He looks to be a real handful and will torment many a defence with his pace and trickery, as Blackman kept little Jonny quiet for long periods of the game. The downside of Fraser's game is that he appears to go down as easily as Monica Lewinsky, culminating in a few warnings for Inverness players and the sending off for Jones the Red. But it's a trip to the capital on Saturday and this fixture last season saw a fabulous solo goal from Jonny Hayes level the scores after Gary O'Connor had opened the scoring with a superb free kick early in the game. In the ten SPL encounters at Easter Road, Hibs hold the advantage by winning five of the fixtures with Inverness victorious in three and just two drawn games. There has always been goals in this one, but never more than a two goal winning margin, apart from a Scottish Cup game in January 2008 when Hibs ran out 3-0 winners. Current form shows that Hibs are the favourites for this one. Wth six games played they sit on eleven points, one behind leaders Motherwell. The three home games have seen them remain unbeaten at Easter Road, two wins and a draw in the Edinburgh derby. Inverness have fared less well on their travels, two draws and a 4-2 drubbing at Motherwell, and reduced to ten men in two of those games, which incidentally resulted in the draws.........hmmmnnn. ***Latest Team News*** Inverness have Jones (suspended), Hogg (knee), Ross (shoulder), King (ankle) and Sutherland (knee) out. The scan on Shane's knee was promising and he may only be out for a few weeks with bruising to the tibia. On the other hand, or ankle, Simon King requires an operation to his uninjured ankle to clear out some shrapnel, leaving him unavailable for a couple of months. And Congratulations are in order to Chris hogg and his wife Lisa on the birth of their wee boy, Brody. That should keep him busy for a few months. Hibernian have concerns over the SPL's August player of the month Leigh Griffiths (Hiya pal) who has an ankle injury and new signing Tom Taiwo could make his debut for the hosts. Garry O'Connor, bad boy and one of Hibs nuisance scorers against Inverness in the past has signed a two-year deal with Russian side FC Tom Tomsk in the summer and won't be bothering us on Saturday. tm4tj Prediction:- I am tempted to go with the form guide which would suggest that Hibs will continue their great start to the season. However, we are at our best with our backs to the wall. Both sides are missing quality players from last season but goals are something not difficult to come by in this fixture. Inverness are scoring enough, but conceding plenty as well. Injuries will force Butcher's hand as our thin squad is stretched this week once more, but I'm hopeful we can take at least a point away from Edinburgh and kick start our season. I'll go for a scoring draw, possibly 2-2, fingers crossed. Result of the week in Scottish Football:- No gold for The Rangers as they were dumped out of the Ramsdens Cup by the Queens from the South. How gay is that! "With branches nationwide we are here to help with all your financial needs" is Ramsden's advertising boast. I'm afraid Green's blues will need more than Ramsden's help on this evidence. The Rangers pawned squad of second hand players were knocked out on penalties after drawing 2-2 with their second division opponents. There appeared to be a distinct disparity in quality between the sides, however The Rangers did manage to take the game to extra time and penalties before bowing out of the competition. So, no cup shock here for the third division minnows as Queens marched into the semi's and The Rangers go back to mounting a challenge for Scotlands bottom league. Move along folks, nothing to see here.