Inverness Caley Thistle v Saints Preview

Last updated : 16 May 2008 By Stuart Gillespie
It would seem that our home and away form has switched around this year. In 2008, our home form was horrendous while our away form was decent. This year, we've been reasonably good at home and pretty poor away. Just one win away from Love Street - against Dundee United in the Scottish Cup - and three points from various draws is a fairly poor result. The Tulloch Stadium is hardly the place to go looking to end that run either, as we've only won twice there on numerous visits.

It will be interesting to see what sort of team we field for a whole host of reasons. There seem to be a few injury worries to contend with, while a number of players have been told they'll be on their way in the summer. While that may have ended any hope they had of appearing for us again this season, the fact we have a game against Rangers to come on Monday means they may well get a chance. Don't be surprised if Dumfries bound Stewart Kean is on the bench due to our lack of striking problems, while a few others could well join him. The other option - which would be a bit more productive in the long term - is to give a few youngsters a shot. The likes of Stephen McGinn and Craig Molloy could start, while Stephen O'Donnell and Garry Brady may make a rare appearance in the first 11.

This should have been our last game of the season, but Rangers' European exploits put paid to that and make things difficult for Saints boss Gus MacPherson. It's almost certain that Andy Dorman will be rested for this one as the midfielder has been looking jaded in recent weeks. This is bad news as he has been our best player for the last few months and, with ninth place up for grabs, he'll be sorely missed. It gives someone else a chance to grab the limelight for once and hopefully Craig Dargo will take the opportunity to score against his former club.

Like the Falkirk game a few weeks ago, tomorrow may present Saints fans the chance to see a potential signing in action. Depending on what you read, Dennis Wyness signed for Saints over a month ago but there has been no official confirmation, with MacPherson still claiming nothing has been signed. The striker has been on the bench for Caley Thistle in recent weeks but will hopefully get a chance to impress his supposed new fans. If he doesn't, we can expect the likes of Marius Niculae, Don Cowie and others to pose us problems.

Prediction wise, I think both the management and players will have their eyes on Monday's game so I reckon Caley Thistle will win this one.