tm4tj

Friday Night Footy Inverness wrap up their pre-split games with a visit from fellow Top-Sixers St Johnstone, one of their main rivals for the vacant European slots up for grabs which makes this game one of the proverbial six-pointers, although that could be said for most games after the split. This game has a 19:45 kick off on Friday night, so get out and support your team in what has been a memorable season. In midweek, Kilmarnock failed to secure the final top-six place after drawing with St Mirren but that result still leaves Killie in pole position with Dundee United, Aberdeen and outsiders Hibs all still in the frame. The two previous encounters between Inverness and Perth this season have been rather drab affairs and 180 minutes of play has been unable to separate the sides with both games being drawn. Inverness are unbeaten in their last six games whilst the Perth club have suffered one defeat over the same period, a 2-0 reverse at Tynecastle to the Jambos. Gregory Tade made the move to Perth last summer looking to better himself and gain some European football experience. Tonight could go a long way to deciding if that was the right move for Gregory or will a Billy McKay inspired Inverness show that he should have stayed longer in the Highlands. After all, he was offered a contract early but he decided his career lay elsewhere. With Tade on 6 goals and McKay on 24, it's easy enough to see which club got the best deal. I'm sure the Caley Jags fans will welcome him back with the traditional homage reserved for former players. The good news just keeps on coming for Inverness fans and Aaron Doran and David Raven are expected to pen new deals very soon. Doran has been in sparkling form of late and his assists have been vital throughout the season. Raven has made the right back position his own after an inauspicious start to his ICT career, but he has grown into the position and adapted well to the pace the SPL. His signing will be a relief for the Highlanders fanbase and a bonus going into the final few games of this season. ***Latest Team News*** Inverness will be without Gary Warren and Ryan Esson once more and Simon King is still out along with Chris Hogg who has started playing games with the u20 side recently on his comeback trail. Reguero and Devine will continue to deputise. St Johnstone have doubts over David McCracken who has a stomach bug, along with Callum Davidson and Murray Davidson. Gregory Tade could find himself on the bench as Lomas looks to find his best blend and Mehdi Abeid could push for a starting slot. tm4tj Prediction:- although there will be plenty at stake, these two clubs have been unable to find a winner this season and with points at a premium in the push for Europe another draw could be on the cards. If I were pushed to predict a winner, then it has to be the home side as they have been dominant in the previous games, therefore an Inverness win is the most likely outcome. McKay to outscore Tade, 2-1 to Inverness. Ginger Jaggy has his say.......... On Friday night St Johnstone come north in front of the TV Camaras as the regular season draws to a close. This match means nothing in terms of top 6 qualification but could have a huge bearing on both clubs chances of making the Europa League. Caley Thistle have had a wonderful season with the club making a top 6 for first time in it's very short history. St Johnstone on the other hand have been here before and they will be looking for more as they aim to get back into Europe for a second consecutive season. For Terry it has been a great season and he will go down in history in bringing a first top 6 result. He would also like to add a first European run but work must still be done to achieve that feat. Currently Inverness holds a good lead of 5 points over their nearest rivals in Ross County and Friday nights opponents. With 18 points still to play for 5 points is still a vulnerable lead but it may be an invaluable lead going into the split with everyone likely to take points off each other. A win though and the gap will become 8 points over Saints and also County who face a difficult trip to Tynecastle to face Hearts on Saturday. What it also does is it keeps Caley Thistle still in touching distance of Motherwell who remain 3 points clear but with both sides still to face each other with all to play for. When Caley Thistle’s route to Hampden to play a major national cup final was thwarted by Hearts in that tragic penalty shootout, the form of the side suddenly started to look a little fragile. There were two league defeats as well as a defeat against Kilmarnock in the Scottish cup. In fact until a fantastic 3-2 win against Hearts, we had only picked one point out of a possible 12 on offer. But the win galvanised the team and since then we have not lost in six games with three wins and three draws. It was a timely return to form as the pack started to group together with no one certain of a top six place apart from Celtic. The run has not only made top six now a reality but it gives us a great chance to end in a European spot. St Johnstone has been pretty consistent and they deserve a place in the top 6. Since the turn of the year Saints have accumulated 18 points out of a possible 33 available. Steve Lomas has done a wonderful job in Perth keeping the momentum going that was created under Derek McInnes. Like Inverness, St Johnstone has also had a disappointing season when it has come to crowd numbers. While Inverness has hovered around the 3,000 mark, saints have fallen under that and are getting disappointing figures under 3,000 regularly. They will be hoping to gain three points to stay in touch with us to get back into Europe after being knocked out by Turkish opponents in the 2nd qualifying round of the Europa League. The two sides have met on quite a few occasions with the win in the Highlands in 2004 being one of the memorable. In top flight football Inverness have faced the Perth saints nine times and have won two with draws being the common result. This season has seen two draws added to the list with a 1-1 draw earlier on in the season when Inverness mugged themselves by missing chance after chance before being suckered with the last kick of the game. The 0-0 in Perth just before New Year was forgettable but also significant as it was the first game in the league that Caley Thistle failed to score in. It will be tight but our record on a Friday is two wins out of two and I feel we will get a hat trick of Friday night football wins with 2-1 victory. The game will come on the backdrop of the exciting news that David Raven and Aaron Doran being the next two players to commit to next season which will see 12 players signed up. Hopefully this will be completed next week and will continue to make this the wonderful season it has been so far. In one other note Steve Lomas has come out and praised Terry Butcher for his achievements in the season and that Terry should be backed with Manager of Year, that would just add the cherry on to the cake.

Back to SPL Duty The quest for Top-Six has been achieved, the push for Europe starts now. Victory over County coupled with Dundee United dropping points in their derby meant that Inverness had reached the Top-Six and can not now be displaced before the split. International football got in the way of Butcher's drive for European domination, but the race starts again with a visit to Easter Road to take on fellow aspirants Hibernian. Let's hope we are not put off by the embarrassment that is the Scotland National football team who have plumbed new depths and are now being mentioned in the same breath as San Marino and the Faroe Islands. Snow threatened to call off the international in Serbia, unfortunately for Scotland the game went ahead. Anyway, enough of that rubbish, back to the real football this weekend. Hibs have their own agenda and are still seeking points to ensure their position with the elite as Aberdeen, Dundee United and Kilmarnock are looking to enter the party. It's very tight below Celtic and nothing will be decided until the final few days of the season, but for now, we can sleep easy in the knowledge that we will be one of the clubs fighting for that Euro spot, no need to look over our shoulders just now. Two Inverness players were unused at International level during the week as Billy McKay and Owain Tudur-Jones were called into their respective squads for world cup qualifiers. Good recognition for both players who have had excellent seasons so far. Plenty of speculation surrounding Antonio Reguero regarding a move to Kilmarnock for next season. A strange choice considering Killie have been pleading poverty for as long as Inverness have been an SPL side. Toni has been a more than adequate replacement for Ryan Esson this season and will be called upon this weekend again as Esson recovers from his groin injury. Andrew Shinnie is the other headliner, a supposed move to Birmingham City in the offing although he is playing his cards close to his chest. The players will have used the break to recharge the batteries ahead of what will be a tough conclusion to the season, but this year there is plenty to play for and the possibility of another Highland derby to whet the appetite should keep them focussed on the job in hand. Gary Warren has knee ligament damage and will miss the next month of the season at a crucial stage in the drive for a Euro spot, but Danny Devine will be an able deputy and Chris Hogg has played a couple of u20 games recently and is building up his strength after a lengthy lay off. His last game was for the u20's as they went down to their Hibs counterparts this week by three goals to two. Shane Sutherland and Jordan Gibbons had Inverness on top but after a few changes, Hibs got back into the game and snatched the winner, but by all accounts a good workout for Hogg along with Shane, Nick Ross, Phillip Roberts and Connor Pepper amongst others. ***Latest Team News*** Inverness will miss influential defender Gary Warren who could be out for a month with a knee injury. Simon King is still unavailable but Chris Hogg is on the comeback trail, although this may be too soon for a full shift. Graeme Shinnie is avalable after suspension which will give Butcher a selection problem after Charlie Taylor put in a good effort against County. Reguero will continue in goal. Hibernian defender Tim Clancy could return for Hibernian having recovered from a hamstring injury but the match comes too early for Paul Hanlon. Alan Maybury is suspended, while Jorge Claros will be assessed following his return from international duty. tm4tj Prediction:- Points are getting harder to come by as the teams fight it out for placings into the top-six. Warren will be a big miss for us but that is countered by Maybury missing out for Hibs. Easter Road is a difficult place to get all three points at the best of times and the Hibees should be well up for this game as they look to secure their place at the top end of the table. Might have to settle for a point here, 1-1.