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El Kessocko Forget Real Madrid and Barcelona, Ronaldo or Messi, it's down to the nitty gritty now as Inverness travel to Dingwall for the re-arranged game at the Global Energy Stadium, delayed since New Year when we were supposed to first foot the gudgies. It's been affectionately christened El Kessocko, the Highland Derby, where Shinniesta will take on Sproule in the battle for Highland Domination. At that time, we were on a roll and County were struggling somewhat. We had just had our first blank score sheet of the season and we were second top of the SPL with 34 points. Look further down the table, in fact, go right down to eleventh place and there you can see Ross County, languishing in second bottom spot with only Dundee below them and an astonishing 13 points behind Inverness. But hold on. take a glance at the table now and you can see that Inverness have stuttered their way into third place and lo and behold, right behind us are County, with only one point separating the sides. The Staggies have been on a remarkable run of late winning seven of their last nine games and drawing the other two. The last club to beat them were Celtic ten games ago but they have garnered 23 points out of a possible 27 to spectacularly sprint up the league, and God forbid, should they win on Saturday they will climb above us. Surely not I hear you gasp, but they are the team with all the impetus and we have stagnated since the turn of the year, earning only eight points in 2013 from a possible twenty one. Two, well three games so far this season have seen Inverness own the Highlands and in the cup replay at Dingwall, the home dugout was awash with seethe as Derek Adams blew his top after watching his side lose a last second goal to Inverness. The game went to a replay and we went on to the next round of the cup, County were left to wonder at what could have been. Alas our cup run ended in the next round at Kilmarnock, but it was worth it to see Derek's face and gesticulations at the end of the game. Seething! The first league game ended in favour of Inverness, but not until late in the game when Aaron Doran scored a spectacular clincher to settle the game, 3-1 for Inverness and the Highlands were ours. Shoooooooot! It's Jones the shoot talking to CaleyD <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-I7RLEYSCbY?list=PL30A0B5E92F18F713" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> ***Latest Team News*** Inverness welcome back Gary Warren after his suspension, boosted by the news that he has signed a new contract to keep him at The Caledonian Stadium for a further two years. Butcher will have to decide which of the other cantral defenders should step down, tough choice as both did well in midweek. Foran will hopefully show no ill effects which would demote Nick Ross to the bench and Hogg and King, well, they are still missing. Ross County have no fresh worries and new scoring sensation Ivan Sproule will be ready for action after being subbed in midweek, just in case. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1dnyHB9QR_c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> tm4tj Prediction:- We seem to be running scared on CTO this week at the prospect of facing the all conquering Ross County. Gary Warren returning is a big plus for us and Richie Foran getting the last ten minutes in midweek was an added bonus. County have been in inspired form recently and the acquisition of Sproule has been at the heart of this with five goals since he arrived in January. But we have coped with him before when he played for Hibs, and I have no doubt we will manage once more. This is a tough game though, played on County's tight pitch and it is imperative that we roll our sleeves up and get stuck in. This could be a battle, and with Richie Foran in line for a return, then he is the very man to lead the charge. Still, this could be the toughest game yet and maybe a share of the points is on the cards. 1-1 is my best guess. Now then, the PC brigade are on the warpath, we all have to mind or P's & Q,s..........don't be the one that ends up in the cells for the sake of a bit of banter. You're no Gypsies any more......................

Warren Peace Saturday's epic hero, Gary Warren, will miss this clash with the Arabs having collected too many bookings over the season. It's the first game the big man will have missed since joining in the summer and he has endeared himself to the Caley Jags fans with some sterling defending and his ability to notch goals at the other end of the park. He will make his peace with the officials as he sits this one out. Jackie McNamara brings his new side up to the Highlands on Wednesday night for a 19:45 kick off at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium where Inverness will host Dundee United. This will be his sixth game in charge since taking over the reigns from Peter Houston. We have some record to uphold for this season against Dundee teams. Four games played and we have scored four goals in each game, the last one against United was that incredible 4-4 draw at Tannadice after being three down in eight minutes. I can't guarantee a similar scoreline, but United are normally one of the more entertaining sides to visit Inverness and with the likes of Johnny Russell and Gary Mackay-Stevens in their ranks then they have two of the hottest properties in the SPL. Inverness have gained twelve points since that game in December and United have taken thirteen points, having played one more game than their hosts. Our goal scoring exploits at home have seen us net 27 SPL goals, United have scored 18 away from Tannadice. Our defence has steadied from a poor start to the season, but we have conceded 21 times at home, conversely, United have lost 24 on the road. Inverness have won five times at home, but United have six victories away from home. To be honest, there's not much to chose between the sides in terms of stats and that is the reason only four points separate the sides. A handful of wins on the trot will propel any of the teams bar Dundee into contention for best of the rest, and Ross County are a prime example of that after a great succession of results for them in recent weeks. 20 points over the same period that we have taken 12. Only Celtic have a better record, and that is the reason the league is so congested. And County's run just got even better, joining Inverness on 41 points after beating a pathetic Aberdeen 1-0 at Pittodrie tonight (Tuesday) Who would have thought it, Inverness and County in second and third spot in the SPL. Great stuff! Inverness are asking season ticket holders to bring along a friend for a mere £5, good value if you are doing nothing else on a midweek evening. It's a bit like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, so come along and cheer on your local side. ***Latest Team News*** Richie Foran is still out with his knee injury but Josh Meekings returns, and with Gary Warren suspended, Josh is set to partner Daniel Devine in central defence. Chris Hogg and Simon King are out as per norm. Gavin Gunning is recovering following his knee operation. Swedish defender Marcus Tornstrand has been signed but the 23-year-old will not feature as he is not yet match fit. Danny Devine will be a key player against United and he talks to Auldy Boy ahead of the midweek fixture. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EqqGPbP4fwk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> tm4tj Prediction:- Plenty of goals so far in these encounters this season, but the law of averages says it must slow down. With McKay on a lean streak and Inverness being a bit cagey of late, I don't expect a goalfest this time round, but we have last weekends hero Gary Warren missing and that could prove crucial to the outcome, at both ends of the park. United will be hurting after letting the lead slip in the last game against us, not to mention the 4-0 thrashing we gave them in the first match. For that reason alone, we may have to settle for a share of the spoils, but a cheeky wee win would not go amiss. 2-1 for us with McKay and Shinnie back amongst the goals.

It's a Marathon, not a sprint! We seem to have run out of breath in our race for second place as the vultures gather to swallow us up and spit us out further down the pecking order. Our fall from grace has been as rapid as our rise to the top and at the moment there seems to be no end to it. Motherwell deservedly leapfrogged us to go clear in second as we just managed to hang on to third spot by our fingertips, but with our confidence shot it looks like being a long few weeks until the split before we will know our fate. It would be a shame to throw away all the early season endeavour, but since we last played Hearts in the league cup semi-final, our season has disintegrated before our very own eyes and the 'punching above our weight' doubters are having a field day with certain players being singled out for more criticism than the government. It's no coincidence that our run of misfortune has heightened since captain Richie Foran has been sidelined, his fiery brand of Gaelic football absent since the cup game at Kilmarnock, but the enigma of our number one choice is a mysterious one. Who should play in goal was even polled on CTO and Reguero came out on top with two and a half times more votes than Esson. However, we don't pick the team and Ryan has been in goals for the five games since the two sides met at Easter Road, which has yielded one SPL point and seen us dumped out of the other national competition. What has Antonio Reguero done to deserve being dropped? He never saved a penalty in the shoot-out, but neither did MacDonald the Hearts keeper. Don't get me wrong, I believe both our goalies are of an equal standing, but results seem to indicate otherwise, and maybe a return to first team action will be the spark that ignites our smouldering SPL embers. Maybe the defenders feel a greater urgency to protect our Spanish import, but whatever it is I hope Butcher gets the choice right in time to halt our decline. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Kujyc1zc-s0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Capital Caley has been busy preparing this weeks words for your pleasure, in between warming up for the Highland March..................... On the Road Again Caley Thistle head on the road to the Lowlands once again. With no wins in 6 games, the ICT faithful will be desperate for a win on Saturday. The bad run of results started with a defeat to Hearts in the League Cup Semi Final. Mr Magoos team beat Inverness on penalties to end our League Cup ambitions for another season. This Saturday is a chance for the ICT players to redeem themselves. After a heavy 3-0 defeat to Motherwell last Saturday, Caley Thistle are in desperate need of points to keep their top six hopes on track. Hearts have been poor and inconsistent all season and also suffered a 3-0 defeat last Saturday at the hands of Kilmarnock. Diggers is usually the venue of choice for many Caley Thistle fans before a Hearts game. Again, a couple of the Highland Marchers will be incorporating a bit of walking before the game. This week, an 18 mile walk from Linlithgow. Hopefully three points will be the reward. The last time Caley Thistle went to Tynecastle back in August it was a 2-2 draw. Richie Foran was sent off in the first half for ICT and Hearts led 2-0 at half time. Andrew Shinnie scored with a penalty to get one back for Inverness before late sub substitute Conor Pepper equalised with the last kick of the ball. It was a great finale to the game that will live long in the memory of fans in attendance that day. However, the disappointment of the League Cup Semi Final defeat to Hearts is still fresh in the mind. A win is needed on Saturday as the ghost of the League Cup Semi defeat is still lingering about. It seems that ever since the defeat, confidence has dropped and victory on Saturday can help rid the team of the Semi Final ghost. In previous weeks although results have been disappointing, there have been chances and decisions that if it went our way could have changed the outcome. Caley Thistle were pretty dominant in the first half hour against Motherwell last Saturday. They were playing great passing football and got the ball into the back of the net only for it be ruled out for offside. Motherwell soon scored and from there ICT seemed to struggle. What Inverness need is a bit of luck. The players are good enough but it just isn’t going their way at the moment. If ICT are going to get back to winning ways, a victory against the team that started the bad run would be fitting. It would give the lads a confidence boost ahead of next weeks Highland Derby. It would indeed exorcise the ghost of the League Cup. Richie Foran is still likely to be injured for Caley Thistle but reports suggest that he should be back to fitness within a week. Terry Butcher should be able to pick the same team that started against Motherwell, although he may opt to freshen things up. The debate over Esson and Reguero still rages on with Caley Thistle fans and it will be interesting to see if Esson starts again against Hearts. My prediction is he will start, but there has been certainly a few interesting changes to the team throughout the season. Hearts have had many changes throughout the season and surprisingly into February they have the same manager as they did at the start of the season. Surely a record for Hearts under owner Vladamir Romanov. Hearts are in turmoil off the field. Romanov is desperate to sell the debt ridden club and there are growing concerns down Gorgie way about the clubs future. Interestingly enough, and breaking with SPL tradition, Hearts players aren’t interested in Nandos. They are more inclined to eat out at Krispy Kreme. Could all these doughnuts be the reason for such a poor season? Luckily there is no Krispy Kreme or Nandos in Inverness which should help the players get out of the current slump in form. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2WQEER1hguA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> CapitalCaleys prediction:- This Saturday is an ideal opportunity to get back to winning ways. Hearts are in disarray. They are there for the taking. But they still have a lot of quality in their team. The Caley Thistle players will be desperate to make amends for the Cup defeat to Hearts. Inverness have the quality to edge this game. I’ll go for a 2-1 victory for the Caley Jags. This is the players chance to get rid of the ghost of the Semi Final. They have shown this season that they not only have the skill but the grit and determination to get results. Lets put Hearts to the sword. Lets put that ghost of the Cup to the sword! Midweek results were favourable for us with Dundee United beating Motherwell and St Johnstone dropping a point to Celtic. There will be plenty of twists and turns to come yet as outwith the Champions from Glasgow and relegation certs Dundee, every other team is capable of taking points off of each other, and anything gained from Celtic is a bonus, with points dropped to Dundee a mini disaster. Yes, it's very tight and it looks like going down to the wire. ***Latest Team News*** Inverness are likely to be unchanged injury wise, with Foran out for at least another week, but the question of goalkeeper remains. Esson or Reguero Hearts have lost the services of Andy Driver who is off to America. Marius Zaliukas, Jamie Hamill and Callum Patterson are not available, but Ryan Stevenson will return from suspension. Darren Barr could feature despite being stretchered off with a head injury in last week's defeat to Kilmarnock.