Pre-Season Friendly/Testimonial @ Keith

[Libero]

Anyone heard any info about line-ups? Anyone know if our new big name striker got his work-permit to make a cameo appearance today?

[PullMyFinger]

He couldn't have signed a contract of employment with the club unless his work permit had cleared.  What the club were waiting for was the SPL/SFL registration red tape to clear and that (supposedly) happened late last night or early this morning.

:022:

[Libero]

great news.

personally i hope he leaves his debut til the county game. Cant make todays.  :023:

[ictrmd]

We won 5-1. Barry opened the scoring with a nice free kick then Deano got the 2nd from the penalty spot. Deano made it 3-0 before Keith pulled one back. Two goals from John Rankin finished it off.

Team was:

            Fraser

??? Caff Hastings A. MacDonald

Wilson Cowie Duncan Rankin

        Bayne Deano

Not sure who the right back was, some young lad. Guy Kerr came on for Ally MacDonald at half time, then another two youngsters came on for Duncan and Bayne later on.

Not a great performance by all means, but nice to see some goals.

[Guest TinCanFan]

Was Hastings any good as a centre-back?

[RossP]

Our players were calling the right back 'Jake' if that helps...? Thought he put in a good shift.

[ictrmd]

Aye Hastings was solid enough, won most of balls that came his way.

Aye I noticed that RossP, but I still don't have a clue who he was!

[Guest TinCanFan]

I'm guessing he was one of the trialists. :024:

[Pele_Is_God]

Good to see Deano get another couple of goals! :clapping03:

[CaleyJags07]

What like was the goal conceded?

[ictrmd]

I checked the U19 squad... the right back was Jake Inglis and the other two lads who came on were Dale Gillespie who played centre mid and I think the right mid was Stuart Leslie.

[RiG]

No trialists for us today.

The right back looked good. Leslie played well when he came on. Excellent first touch. Was impressed with MacDonald as well. Seems to be slow getting going but does have a good turn of pace when he reaches full speed. Good footwork as well.

Disappointed with Cowie but perhaps when he gets nearer full fitness we'll see a better performance.

That Ref was pish! MacDonald got leathered in the Keith box and he gave goal kick! :015: He did get it right eventually when Rankin got booted in the face in the Keith box as well and we finally got a penalty.

I think Rankin has been hanging out with Jimmy Calderwood - he was glowing orange  :015:

[DJS]

Liked the look of Dean McDonald who looks very good and pacey with the ball at his feet.  Nearly had a hat-trick but hit the bar from way out.  He might be wee but he's as broad as he's long - a true umpa lumpa!  I thought Barry was outstanding before the break, totally running the show, but he slowed right down afterwards.

Great to see some old Caley players on the field at half-time for a penalty competition.  Well done Wilsy, Kevin, Kenny, Bob & Doc.  Somewhere up in the sky of IHE's imagination the Howden End was watching.

[RossP]

Marius Niculae was again in the stand to watch the game by the way

[DaveDargo]

Some photos from the game

[img width=600 height=450]

Barry Wilson lines up a freekick

[img width=600 height=450]

and scores

[img width=600 height=450]

MacDonald places the ball for his penalty

[img width=600 height=450]

Man of the match Stuart "the sesh" Leslie

[wyness_is_god]

Any reason we dont have numbers on the players shirts in this game, even if it could have been just 1 to 11 ?

[Scotty]

probably because we have worn training tops for each game .... numbers have been on shorts.

I might be way off the mark here but maybe our first team shirts havent arrived from Errea yet and we only have a few for photo-ops ?

[Sir C the 3rd]

I assume the reason for the training top is that 'Flybe' needs their sponsorship shown in every game and we haven't recieved the official strips yet.

[kencar]

Disappointed with Cowie but perhaps when he gets nearer full fitness we'll see a better performance.

That's a bit ominous as I thought he looked much fitter and sharper against Clach than he was the times I saw him last season for County  :007:

[RossP]

I thought along with Hastings/Rankin and even Wilson....! Cowie was the fittest player on the park. Thought he did really well, always looking for the ball, making good passes. Duncan's passing was a bit suspect again  :020:

[Guest TinCanFan]

Do you think that they might debut the new shirt against County or will they just wait until the Rangers game and surely it aint too much hassle to put the numbers 1-11 on the back of the shirts.

[caley100]

Duncan's passing was a bit suspect again  :020:

There's a shock...

No sign of Marsh or Pusic yet? maybe they will be played vs Inveruruie.

[RiG]

Sorry I should have been clearer RE: Cowie. While he certainly got about he was caught in possession a lot of the time, dithered on the ball and just didn't appear very sharp. That will come with more games.

[tm4tj]

Richard, he was one of the subs against Clach.

It was he who lashed a ferocious thirty yard volley a couple of feet over the bar near the end, looked a decent player but the boy that caught the eye was Woods, very powerful and looked a better prospect than Rory.

[RossP]

Agree wholeheartedly with what CC said about Deano in the papers today...

Dean certainly looks a goalscorer. He seems to come alive in the box. He can still work harder off the ball but we'll get that out of him

He had some good touches, a couple of good runs and some cracking shots. However, when he didn't have the ball he did look a bit out of the game, and his first touch wasn't great. As CC says though, if we can get a bit more fitness out of him, he'll shed those few pounds and really do well for us.

The young guy Gillespie who came on in the second half and played center mid really impressed me. Good physique, good runs with the ball and always looking to get forward and support the attack. One we'll see a lot of in the future i feel.

Bayne wasn't as commanding as he was in the game against Elgin. Unlucky with his shot that the keeper spectacularly saved.

Wilson played excellent in the second half, but i still have one gripe. In the first half there were occasions when he wandered from the left (where he was supposed to be) over to the right and made no effort to get back. Now i've seen him wander about effectively in games i.e. goal against celtic in last seasons scottish cup Q/F, but have also seen him leaving massive gaps for guys like Nakamura and Telfer at Parkhead to exploit when he's lost the ball in the opposite side of the pitch. Either the team need to re-adjust quickly when Barry goes from r-l or l-r, or he should cut down these tactics.... Opinions....??  :symbol_question:

Cowie and Rankin were excellent i thought. Loads of energy, always looking forward or to the widths. Rankin's goals were expertly taken.

Guy Kerr again looks a player. Composed on the ball, not afraid to come forward with it to look for a pass instead of leathering it up the pitch to no-one.